Everest Trek, Day 2 - Pankding to Namche Bazaar

What an amazing day! We were up and packed by 7:30 (although most of us were awake by 5:30 anyway, having gone to bed around 9:00 the night before), had our breakfast (porridge with cinnamon and apples for me) and hit the trail. Tashi had warned us that this day was one of the hardest. I knew from my reading that the "long, slow climb up to Namche Bazaar" was going to be a real challenge.We started the day at 8,000 feet and were headed up to 11,319.

The morning was beautifully sunny and bright as we hiked along the river, then occasionally crossed long suspension bridges, as we started to climb. The peaks rose up around us and we went in and out of groves of pine trees. The scenery looked very much like Colorado - it was only the people and the small villages that reminded us how far we were away from home. It was absolutely stunning to have 360 degrees views of towering mountain peaks while we stood on rocks next to a racing river.

We are walking at a very slow pace, so slow it's difficult for me at times but Tashi and Lhakpa (assistant guide) want us to pace ourselves so we don't get sick. Most of the day I was up front because it was easier for me to pace myself behind Lhakpa rather than strung out along in the group. So due to this conservative pace, what should have been a 6 hour trek plus a lunch break turned into an 8 hour day.

After stopping for lunch (Dal Bhat, the traditional Nepalese food with lentils and vegetables) we set off for 3 difficult hours up to Namche. It was a serious challenge - there were many more rock steps than I expected and the grade of the hill was very steep at times, perhaps 30% or more. About 90 minutes south of Namche it got very cold and some light snow started to fall. Just 3 hours earlier I was hiking in a t-shirt! If the weather had been clearer we would have had our first view of Everest, but as it was we could still see Ltotse, the 4th highest peak in the world.

We pulled into Namche around 5:00, ordered hot drinks at the guesthouse (lemon tea is quickly becoming a group favorite although the tea with milk, mint tea, and coke are also popular), and found out we could order hot showers for about $2.50. I took advantage of this to rinse off the grime and even decided to have a little laundry done since this is the last place where our clothes even have a chance of drying.

Dinner was very good. A number of the group have opted for Tibetan Momos or pasta and cheese and spaghetti. I like the Momos and have tried Tibetan soup, bread, and several other dishes that are delicious, hot, and hardy. This guest house if very large and popular. In the common room where we eat and hang out, there were three other groups of trekkers including one heading up to try to climb Everest itself. Mostly people chat and play cards and sit around the stove.

We stay in Namche two nights to acclimitize, so tomorrow we have a trek up to 12,700 feet in the morning and then return to our guest house for lunch and then have some time to shop for gear/snacks we may need as we hike higher. Today was a tough day physically and we're just getting started.

Everest Trek, Day 1 - Katmandu to Pankding

Last night my Gap Adventures tour group met for the first time to get instructions and introduce ourselves. We have 3 Canadians, 5 Brits, 3 Danes, 1 Australian, and 3 Americans. Most of the group is in their 20s except the Americans and Canadians and we have a few guys and gals. So it's a nice diverse group. I am rooming with a British woman named Kate who I liked immediately.

Today we were up and out of the hotel before 7:00 to catch our early flight to Lukla where our trek begins. It was a struggle to get everything I need for a two week hike down to the 18 pounds the porters will carry, but I managed by leaving some energy bars behind and packing my day pack to the max with a lot of stuff that I really shouldn't be carrying the whole time (sandals, two books, etc). I was hardly the only person with this problem.

At 8:00 we boarded our 15 seat Twin Otter airplane and took off. Halfway to Lukla we turned back since high winds wouldn't allow us to land. We sat around in Katmandu for another hour before Tashi came running into our holding room and said "let's go now." So we grabbed our stuff and boarded the plane. This time we managed to actually reach and land in Lukla although it was, according to Taski, one of the worst flights he's ever had here. Lots of bumps and sudden drops and shakes coming from the airplane. And if you haven't seen what it looks like to land at Lukla, check it out on YouTube. It's something else.

Around 12:30 we started off on our first day of trekking - just 3 hours (mostly downhill) to Pankding. As we walked we passed through small villages with buddhist prayer wheels linking the path, squeezed to the side to let small Yak caravans pass by loaded with supplies, and saw some absolutely stunning scenery. The mountains tower up on all sides of us, each covered with snow. Below us a clear running river flows through a surprisingly fertile looking valley dotted with houses and green grassy plots of grass. The Nepalese children are adorable and run out to meet us or just play and laugh along the side of the trail. This is why I came here - I am in another, beautiful and serene world.

Tomorrow is supposed to be one of the hardest days of the trek, about 6 hours of hard hiking up to Namche Bazaar, and the altitude will really kick in by tomorrow. We're at 8,000 feet now and Namche is over 11,000. This will be the first night sleeping in an unheated tea house, but today was pretty easy for me so I'm feeling really good right now. I'm late for dinner (Momos and ginger tea), so I better sign off.

Namaste.

Arrival in Katmandu

A mere 33 hours, 3 continents, and 3 flights after leaving my house, I landed at the Katmandu Airport, a bit dazed but excited by my first view of Mt. Everest from the airplane window. After clearing immigration and customs, I found Tashi Sherpa, our group's guide who will lead us up the trail in a few days, waiting for me at the airport. During an inexplicably long and dusty drive into the city in some of the worst traffic I've ever seen (and I've lived in Los Angeles and DC), Tashi and I had a nice chat about Buddhist and Hindu temples, Tibet, and Nepalese culture (he was born in Katmandu).

At my hotel, the power was out. Apparently Katmandu has rolling blackouts all of the time and each neighborhood has it's own schedule. Tashi had even showed me his blackout schedule on his iPhone. So after I got to my room, the bellman lit a candle for me (a first!) and I found my headlamp in my pack just to be ready. When I woke up from my nap at 5:30 p.m. all of the lights in the room were on and blazing away. I have no idea how long the power's supposed to be on , but I need to get a hot shower in while I can. The hotel uses a generator for a few hours a day, but I'm quickly seeing the need to take advantage of opportunities as they arise.

Thamel, the neighborhood where I'm staying, the neighborhood where everybody seems to be staying, has been described to me by friends as a "tourist ghetto" and "a bit like the bar in Star Wars." I just finished a quick walk and through the nearby streets and it's exactly like we see in movies when some movie star is dropped into [fill in the name of an Asian or Middle Eastern city] -- packed skinny streets with motorbikes, ricksaws, cars with bad exhaust, teeming crowds of local people, expats and young road-weary European kids dressed in the local fashion, dust blowing in the air, and hundreds of little shops trying to sell their wares to anyone who happens to glance their way. But instead of the fake Guess bags and Rolex watches you see elsewhere, these shops are full of Tibetan banners and posters, Indian inspired clothing, Hindi music, Buddhist art, bells, and statues, meditation cushions and handbags, and knock-offs of North Face outdoor gear. Unless I had landed in the medina in Fez the day I got to Morocco, I can't imagine a more jarring culture shock.

Ok, I better go grab a hot shower. The clock is ticking on that opportunity.

Everest Adventure - the Journey Begins

I woke up this morning excited and nervous about leaving on my first trip to Asia and the magical land of Nepal. Back in October had I booked "An Everest Adventure" with an adventure travel company to spend several weeks hiking up to the Everest Base Camp. Now the day had come.

But by 8:00 a.m. the focus of my day completely changed when my 15-year-old cat Dunquin suddenly got very ill. I took him to the vet, where I was told he had another serious health problem on top of his other issues. The compassionate and very difficult thing to do was to say goodbye to him.

So rather than a day centered on organization and planning and saying a temporary goodbye to friends and family, it became a day with one final goodbye and the beginning of a transition. I should have plenty of time to reflect on all of this in the next few days. I have a long flight, or rather, flights – about 24 hours in all – to get to Katmandu. I hope to arrive with a clearer head and enough energy to visit some of the major Buddhist stupas (temples) near Katmandu, many of them around 500 years old, while I'm there.

         

Some Trip Details

The trek actually begins on April 4 when we’ll board a small plane and fly to Lukla where Sir Edmund Hillary built an airport in the 1960s. This small airport, the starting point for most Everest treks, is famed for its short runway with a 12% gradient. Some say that taking off and landing at Lukla is the most exciting part of the whole trip.

This map shows the route for hikes to the basecamp, although few people actually get to the basecamp. Most opt for the climb up Kala Patthar (18,000 ft) to see the famous view of the tallest mountain on earth and only the strongest among us have the strength to complete that climb and then head to the basecamp. (FYI . . . that wouldn’t be me.)

Namche Bazaar (photo) is the largest town along the way and the last place to get supplies. It sits at 11,280 and we spend two days there acclimating. I should arrive there on April 5. 

On this journey, I simply plan to do my best during the hike, while remembering to enjoy the experience, the scenery and the people I meet along the way. I have no idea how far I’ll get. Maybe I’ll see the famous view of Mt. Everest from Kala Patthar. Maybe I’ll even get to the basecamp. I don’t know.

One thing I will do is hang a prayer flag in the Himalayas in remembrance of Dunquin. Not too many DC cats can say that!

Support your local Capital City Symphony

One of our great regional symphonies, the Capital City Symphony, will be performing this Sunday, March 20 at 5:00 at the Atlas Performing Arts Center on H Street, NE. 

Why should you go? Mainly because the Capital City Symphony is a quality organization that has put together an intriguing program for Sunday's concert:

• Copland, Fanfare for the Common Man
• Brahms, Tragic Overture
• Shostakovich, Symphony No. 5

But another reason to attend is simply to support a regional group like Capital City, one that keeps music alive and affordable for people in our neighborhoods and communities. Just as local community theaters bring quality plays to people who might not be inclined to pay $40+ to see a show downtown, local classical groups help to keep the music alive by introducing it to new audiences throughout the DC area. And these groups provide a platform for talented non-professionals – our neighbors, classmates, coworkers, and friends – to showcase their skills  and abilities. 

By attending a Capital City Symphony concert, you're also supporting the Atlas Performing Arts Center, the only community-based performing arts center in Washington. Since 2006, the Atlas has been bringing arts performances to the revitalized area along H Street, NE. 

Tickets are $25 and available through their website and at the Atlas box office.

Capital City Symphony Info

Travel and Adventure Show, March 12 - 13

In what's become an annual event, this year's Travel and Adventure Show will take place at the Washington DC Convention Center on Saturday, March 12 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday, March 13 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

I've been to this show several times. It's chock full of adventure travel companies ready and willing to talk to you about that kayaking trip across Borneo you've always dreamed about or maybe just a long weekend in Bermuda. You'll also get the chance to look at travel equipment and gear, watch international dance performances, sample cuisines from different regions, and talk to representatives from local organizations like the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club and the Appalachian Mountain Club.

This year, Samantha Brown from The Travel Channel will be there, along with other writers and television travel hosts who will talk about traveling smart, breaking the vacation mold, and taking that trip of a lifetime . . . all designed to inspire us to get out and explore the world. This year will also feature talks about traveling in Belize, Panama, Israel, Nicaragua, Cuba, Australia and New Zealand.

Tickets are available now for only $9.00 on their website.

Travel and Adventure Show

Elizabeth Ashley brings Mrs. Warren to town

A guest review from Eric H.—
The Shakespeare Theater Company’s current play, Mrs. Warren's Profession, is well worth seeing. The acting is good, but that’s usually the case with the STC. The set is better than average, in an understated way. And George Bernard Shaw’s dialog is fun and witty. But what really stands out is the story’s moral.

In short, the play asks the audience to look at the source of its blessings before blindly accepting them. Is it sufficient that you have not done something immoral, if you are benefiting from the immoral acts of others? Despite the heavy themes, the play is funny and enjoyable. It alternates smoothly between humorous and serious dialog, likeable and despicable characters, large social issues and intimate family relationships.

The story is about mother who raised her daughter as best she could, resulting in a daughter who might not approve of her mother. Most of the play is set on the grounds of a diminutive English country cottage. The bucolic illusion is made complete by the changing colors in the sky. A careful eye will notice distant lightning, leading to a down pour in the final scene.

The characters enter one by one, each displaying his or her own peculiarities as if to give the audience time to make their acquaintance. The somewhat predictable humor surrounding the social inconvenience of Mrs. Warren’s profession is made fresh by good acting and entertaining characters. The potentially ponderous moral theme insinuates itself subtly in the play before taking the forefront of the action toward the play's conclusion.

It seems like an obvious set up for grade-B Hollywood comedy, but I couldn’t think of any films that arose to the challenge. You’ll have to go to the theater to enjoy this one.