Trip Notes

So like 5 years after our awesome Nepal trip KTP decided it was a good idea to finally post our trip notes of all the post's I never made. Enjoy.

The Nepal Crew

Trek day 7

Dhingboche to Louche

* Alicia unwell

* Alicia dropped camera in the toilet!

* Ash had vertigo

* Walked over hils - saw down to valley - apparently the route heading home

* Randomly found 2000 rupees

* Interesting lunch toilet - wonky wooden boards and OMG the smell!!

* Massive hill after lunch = KTP killed it

* Lead up to memorials for those who had died on everest (includ. Scott Fisher/Rob Hall)

* flattened out after that => touched the edge of the Khumble glacier

* followed the river for ~ 2hr => Torbs/Mark tried to break through ice (Failed)

* Smoked out @ lodge by 'yak bark'

* KTP unwell - migraine => nausea. Feared she would not make it to base camp - even Raj said it didn't matter as it was just ice and rock and we had already made 5000 m anyways

Trek Day 8

Dhingboche - Goreshep => BC

*Alicia had splitting headache

* Woke up @ 4:30am for 6am start \. V. cold with head torches on

* Nepali flat/Big Hill ~ 3 hours to Goreshep 'highest restaurant in the world

* 9am lunch => not served till 11:30. Worried about light running out

* Across ground of everest test match & on to glacier. Lots of ups, couple of downs. Ground v. rocky because of glacier - walked across the ridge.

* Ash nearly trapped under boulder as it slipped away while she was peeing - Kasia to the rescue!!

* Alicia went wrong way

* Finally had to cross glacier (icy) to the base camp

* BC: cold, windy.... where the hell do they camp... small area.

* Celebratory beer, "sprite", chocolate and pee!!

* lots of photos - no group shot

* Began the return - took forever and seem to never end. Seemed like more ups than downs!!

* Came to 60* incline with rocky ground - slipped and slided... turned to KTP and said "I don't think I can do this"

* Ash, Kasia & Kev raced ahead and nearly got caught up in a rock slide

* Finally made it back (KTP, Bren, Amy & Marky Mark) to Gorshep.

* Made it into teahouse - only to drop stuff, head back outside and throw up. Ill for rest of night - headed to bed very very early.

Trek Day 9 4/1/10

Gorshep - Orse

* Alicia has splitting headache

* Begin of the return

* Did reverse of KTP/Brennan trip

* Morning tea @ teahouse in Loubche

* Back down killer hill

* Lunch @ stinky toilet - took FOREVER to arrive

* Headed through the valley we saw previously

* Made it to a town which we thought was final destination but was another hour away (this place too cold and windy)

* Started getting quite cold - walked with the river and crossed dodgy bridge and up hill

* KTP & Alicia @ front, I brought up rear with Torbs

* Ended up @ Orse at the teahouse in the 'middle of nowhere!!'

* V. warm dining room - brought pringles

* Played cards with Joel & Torbs - shithead, cheat and bit of 500

Trek Day 10 5/1/10

Orse - Namche Bazzar

*So many ups & downs!!

* Surprising amount of snow around esp near monastary

* snow ball fight - Alicia got KTP

* Morning tea @ Monastery => couldnt believe how steep it was to get there!! Don't remember that!

* Down Down DOWN to the river - hard on knees

* Lunch @ bottom of hill

* Raj 'the Don' helped run the kitchen - saw how the guides help to prepare the food

* Made it to sickness lodge (up, up up!) - first exp of yak/nak cheese - Alicia has fallen in love!!

* Impressed @ distance KTP walked when sick

* Fell behind - saw Namche from a distance... down down into town and to the lodge.

* After dinner went to paradise bar - private bar

* Alicia succumbed to beer very quickly

* Pool - Nema v KTP - Nema is a pool shark (thou she only lost by 1)

* Late night - bed @ 10:30PM

Trek Day 11

Namche to Phakding

* Later start

* LONG WAY DOWN to begin with - Brennan @ front

* Last view of Everest

* Crossed river 5 times - lots of little ups and down

* Left National Park

* Lunch @ iMax - KTP played cards, Alicia's great Yak plan, crazy Asians & German lovers

* Afternoon tea @ 'waterfall view' lodge - more yak cheese

* Back to Phakding

* Massive round of Shithead (renamed Yak Bark). Brennan dubbed Yak Bark after losing penultimate game even thou Alicia lost many more times that evening. KTP had awesome luck - kept winning

Trek Day 12

Phakding to Lukla

* "short day" only 3 hours.... mainly up though

* Everyone kinda over trekking therefore slow going

* Walked through some villages

* Mandy & Joel almost missed the turn off the Lukla

* Lunch @ Lukla... TOOK FOREVER 1.5 hr... everyone quite hungry

* Arvo:

- coffee shop with child barrista

- art shopping

- sweets that were gross

- Waves: 2 for 1 cocktails!! Met English couple

* More cards before dinner - cheat... Pachish's 6 ace/nines

* Warm room...

NO MORE TREKKING

Day 14

Lukla to Kathmandu

* Early morning rise

* Guides/Porters carried or bags to airport

* Everyone (but KTP/Brennan) weighed themselves

* Torbs stole customs stamp/KTP carried through Swiss Army Knife on plane!!

* relatively short wait for flight (2 hours?)

* Trip back via v. short runway to Kathmandu

* SHOWER/HAIR WASH first in 2 weeks... very good

* Sent out LOTS of laundry (6 kg Brennan)

* Internet

* Final dinner @ Rum Doodle

* Foot: Rah's Dirty Dozen

* Goodbye Mark & Amy

* KTP/Brennan piked early - Alicia partied on

Kathmandu

09/01/10 - 10/01/10

* Shopping!!

* Italian dinner/Shish Bar/Fire Club... crazy

* Random Aussies - about to do Base Camp

* Back ~1am

* Goodbye to Peter, Mandy, Torbs & Joel

* Strike!!!!!!

* Lazy Day

Kathmandu to Chitwan

11/01/10 - 14/01/10

* Interesting bus ride

* No need for tout thank goodness

* Royal Palace Hotel

* Ox Cart

* Mark & Amy

* Canoe w/ crocs

* Elephant breeding centre

* Shopping

* Elephant safari

* Lazy Day

* Tharu Cultural Performance

* Off to Bandipur

Bandipur

14/01/10 - 16/01/10

* Crazy bus with no suspension

* Jeep ride - Alicia out back

* Old Inn - lunch on terrace

* Explore temples

* Lazy afternoon - reunite with Ari and family

* Jenga match

* Dinner => met Aussie Mum & Daughter

* Saddhia Gufa cave - guide Suk... crazy slippery

* Long walk down

* Exploring cave!!

* Back via local bus/jeep via roof

* Chauput?

* Aussie Couple living in Kathmandu

* DUTCH INVASION

* Spacecraft Bus - BREAK DOWN

* Crazy Bus

* 5-6 hours travel time.... waiting van

Pokhara

16/01/10 - 19/01/10

* 5-6 hours travel time.... waiting van

* HE office - see Ari again

* Hotel Taj

* Dinner - Indian... overeat

* Paragliding!!

* Exploration

* Tibetean hustlers

* MASSIVE fruit juice

* Early dinner - Pokhara Thakli Kitchen

* Walk along lakeside

* Hike to Peace Pagoda

* Try to find restaurant

* Back down - Typical rest.

* Row back across

* Lots of shopping

* Japanese for dinner!!