Dhingboche to Louche
* 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
Dhingboche - Goreshep => BC
* 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.
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
Orse - Namche Bazzar
* 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
Namche to Phakding
* 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
Phakding to Lukla
* 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...
Lukla to Kathmandu
* 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
09/01/10 - 10/01/10
* 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
11/01/10 - 14/01/10
* 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
14/01/10 - 16/01/10
* 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
16/01/10 - 19/01/10
* 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!!