nepal.
'you like pain?' tour
kathmandu.
in the plane short quarrel with an impudent guy who takes my backpack quite roughly out of the cabin storage and puts his stuff in. 'my seat' - i'm close to say 'my fist!'. maria tells me to relax. hey, nobody touches my camera like that. some drinking indians behind us. i get hints where to get cheap drugs and women in kathmandu. i give them hints about the consequences in returns.
in delhi we're stuck for a 'few' hours after we're brought to the waiting lounge without any further comment. after a sleepless night the fight for the boarding pass starts. we're on a passenger list - except maria. overbooked (later this flight will be redirected to calcutta due to a broken window!). the discussions start. 'we're doing our best. please wait'. so we wait. sleeplessly. every 30 minutes maria and i ask again - don't let them forget about you. step by step seats are given away for another airline. not for us. more discussions. by now they know our names. in the waiting hall few interesting things happen apart from endless cleaning and moving of furniture: a small group of muslims with long beards appear and unpack their rugs to start to praying there. but before they have to ask for directions. i wonder if there's a market for a 'mecca-compass' that can be attached to rugs. sort of a praying navigation system. and the sophisticated hi-tech version would use a gps. wouldn't that make sense? that's what you start to think after 20 hours in the waiting hall of delhi.
we prepare for another night. then the salvation, we get the last three seats. i sit literally in the last corner of the plane. obviously we were included in their prayers. thanks for that.
in kathmandu we're awaited despite the delay. good organization. first impressions: darkness - hunking - barking - cows - people sleeping on the streets. the hotel is clean. we meet people from heidelberg. first recommendations: drink beer to fight the barking during the night. i guess i'm not following. ear plugs will do too.
in delhi we're stuck for a 'few' hours after we're brought to the waiting lounge without any further comment. after a sleepless night the fight for the boarding pass starts. we're on a passenger list - except maria. overbooked (later this flight will be redirected to calcutta due to a broken window!). the discussions start. 'we're doing our best. please wait'. so we wait. sleeplessly. every 30 minutes maria and i ask again - don't let them forget about you. step by step seats are given away for another airline. not for us. more discussions. by now they know our names. in the waiting hall few interesting things happen apart from endless cleaning and moving of furniture: a small group of muslims with long beards appear and unpack their rugs to start to praying there. but before they have to ask for directions. i wonder if there's a market for a 'mecca-compass' that can be attached to rugs. sort of a praying navigation system. and the sophisticated hi-tech version would use a gps. wouldn't that make sense? that's what you start to think after 20 hours in the waiting hall of delhi.
we prepare for another night. then the salvation, we get the last three seats. i sit literally in the last corner of the plane. obviously we were included in their prayers. thanks for that.
in kathmandu we're awaited despite the delay. good organization. first impressions: darkness - hunking - barking - cows - people sleeping on the streets. the hotel is clean. we meet people from heidelberg. first recommendations: drink beer to fight the barking during the night. i guess i'm not following. ear plugs will do too.
lukla, pakding.
the flight is shifted to an hour earlier. we meet our guy from asian trekking. drive through kathmandu: dirty, noisy, busy. pure asia. flight postponed again. our usual exercise: waiting. i have a feeling time is different here. ok this is not germany. who knows what it's good for - the regular flight from delhi could have ended in a disaster. after a few hours the flights to lukla (2800) are cancelled. bad weather. further 10 minutes more: we're flying.
arrival in lukla. ballyhoo - the whole village is at the airport. porters looks for jobs. everything is organized well for us. after a while we leave for phakding. cloudy, easy trek except one part with landslide. by he time we arrive we're soaked from rain. dinner at the lodge: instant noodles, instant sauce. and instant taste: none. my bed is almost next to the roaring river. can't find my ear plugs, from time to time i'm lucky enough to fall asleep.
arrival in lukla. ballyhoo - the whole village is at the airport. porters looks for jobs. everything is organized well for us. after a while we leave for phakding. cloudy, easy trek except one part with landslide. by he time we arrive we're soaked from rain. dinner at the lodge: instant noodles, instant sauce. and instant taste: none. my bed is almost next to the roaring river. can't find my ear plugs, from time to time i'm lucky enough to fall asleep.
monjo, namche bazar.
lousy weather. clouds, rain. at least we won't sweat too much. we do a slow speed but going faster would be very stupid. in monjo (2800) we meet a german with altitude sickness who had to break up his trip. after lunch we continue to namche bazar. suspension bridges, yak treks. quite steep. despite zero training i feel very fit.
arrival in namche bazar (3400) after 2 hours. big surprise: there's a hole in the clouds, i see the first mountain. it's not a rumour, there are actually mountains in this area! after 2 minutes it's all over again. shopping tour: poncho for the worst case. it seems to be necessary these days. by tomorrow the porters are supposed to bring our big backpacks from lukla. finally a few shots of the summit of kwandge.
arrival in namche bazar (3400) after 2 hours. big surprise: there's a hole in the clouds, i see the first mountain. it's not a rumour, there are actually mountains in this area! after 2 minutes it's all over again. shopping tour: poncho for the worst case. it seems to be necessary these days. by tomorrow the porters are supposed to bring our big backpacks from lukla. finally a few shots of the summit of kwandge.
kumjung, kunde.
6 am. first look out of the window. mountains! put on the cloths, run out, take some pictures, run back to bed.
we ascend to kumjung (3800) on a steep trek. maria suffers from headaches. the brakes become longer and more often. we meet a yak herd in the fog - looks like a scene from 'lord of the rings'. before kumjung it starts to rain. the poncho does a good job. we're the only guests in the lodge. very servile servants. the food is 'strange': french fries, steak, creme caramel. surprise: our backpacks arrive in good condition.
trip to the hospital at kunde: financed from can + nzl, docs stay for a few months, covering the surrounding villages. approx. 2% get altitude sickness. severe cases are brought to kathmandu. maria gets a free analysis of her symptoms. everything ok. at dinner she seems to be worse again.
we ascend to kumjung (3800) on a steep trek. maria suffers from headaches. the brakes become longer and more often. we meet a yak herd in the fog - looks like a scene from 'lord of the rings'. before kumjung it starts to rain. the poncho does a good job. we're the only guests in the lodge. very servile servants. the food is 'strange': french fries, steak, creme caramel. surprise: our backpacks arrive in good condition.
trip to the hospital at kunde: financed from can + nzl, docs stay for a few months, covering the surrounding villages. approx. 2% get altitude sickness. severe cases are brought to kathmandu. maria gets a free analysis of her symptoms. everything ok. at dinner she seems to be worse again.
kumjung, kunde.
6 am. the ritual: looking at the weather. excellent view! i jump out of the bed to take some pictures from the hall of the incredible ama dablam that looks like the big brother of the matterhorn. rather cold at the open window if you don't wear any clothes. hard to believe after days in fog: there are lots of mountains around us.
we head to a view point at the everest view hotel. finally the long awaited: everest, lhotse, island peak and ama dablam. breathtaking. maria throws up 10 seconds after she's posed for some pictures. holy cow, that's toughness and professionalism! again i wasn't fast enough to take some shots :-). oh well, i guess i can't do it, after all i'm too much of a gentleman (wasn't as spectacular as in peru anyway. but that's another story...). afternoon trip to the 700 years old monastry of kunde with 300 years old prayer books.
we move into the tents. the rain pours down endlessly. the ear plugs don't work too well. i get tooth ache. it gets light and i haven't slept. the dogs wake the village up. attack of the yetis?
we head to a view point at the everest view hotel. finally the long awaited: everest, lhotse, island peak and ama dablam. breathtaking. maria throws up 10 seconds after she's posed for some pictures. holy cow, that's toughness and professionalism! again i wasn't fast enough to take some shots :-). oh well, i guess i can't do it, after all i'm too much of a gentleman (wasn't as spectacular as in peru anyway. but that's another story...). afternoon trip to the 700 years old monastry of kunde with 300 years old prayer books.
we move into the tents. the rain pours down endlessly. the ear plugs don't work too well. i get tooth ache. it gets light and i haven't slept. the dogs wake the village up. attack of the yetis?
dole.
6 am. baehrs are in a bad mood. too much rain. thank god there's nutella and burnt toast. after observing the packing of the backpacks we head to dole (4040). nothing but clouds. i'm have my first crisis - that's not what i booked! no pictures. the tooth ache bothers me. i get my first treatment with clove oil. i smell like dentist. we meet 2 germans who report of pizza and snow at our 1st goal gokyo. we fight the mud but it's a beautiful trip through the woods. traffic chaos even here: bridge collapsed, yak lost it's load, chaos with encountering yak treks.
at dole icy winds and rain. in the lodge we wait endlessly, tea comes after 1 hour, the oven stays cool for a long while. then the 'shock': perfect popcorn. i'm completely stuffed before the main course. the teeth start to kill me. more clove oil, aspirin doesn't work either. how shall this go on? returning to a doc at kathmandu or breaking up the whole trip?
at dole icy winds and rain. in the lodge we wait endlessly, tea comes after 1 hour, the oven stays cool for a long while. then the 'shock': perfect popcorn. i'm completely stuffed before the main course. the teeth start to kill me. more clove oil, aspirin doesn't work either. how shall this go on? returning to a doc at kathmandu or breaking up the whole trip?
macherma.
no sleep. it gets light again. i wake the others up. put on some clothes, ignore the pain: it's picture time. the wall of kang taiga (8085) and thanserka (6623?) with the valley of phortse in the background. at breakfast the torture starts. i can't chew anymore. boiled egg, a toast. and tablets. a apathetic day starts. i hike the 'endless' way to macherma like in trance. i try to ignore the pain without success. internally i curse every step. the pain drains me and reduces my condition and my moral and that is something i don't like. another treatment from maria. before macherma i look back and a few seconds we see kang taiga and cho oyu (8201) in the north maria is mad because is takes too long to get my camera out of the backpack. what does she expect? i'm a sick puppy with reduced reflexes.
we reach macherma (4410). i'm drained. i have a few peaceful moments after another treatment and tablets and use this precious time for some sleep. pasta for dinner. not much chewing necessary. another night of suffering without sleep. first everything seems to be ok but hell breaks out with delay more violently than ever before although i had 2 tablets. the pain is so severe that it forces tears into my eyes (wouldn't that be a great heroic picture: i sit in my sleeping back, stare out of the window in the dark and cry like a little puppy. oh poor me :-) ). after hours i finally i wake maria up to give me some tablets. she just stares at me sleepily and irritated - a turns away again! that was a bid unexpected. excuse me that i'm about to die next to you, but don't you complain if you have to clean up the mess later! what an absurd and funny moment, i just don't feel like laughing at the moment. maybe later. i start to wonder what i'm doing here. do i play the old game 'pain versus self-discipline' again, if yes who will win and what's the price? the limit of the endurable is reached and my moral falls apart little by little. my cheek is starting to swell. let's see how far i can literally go. i will cancel the trip to india. a german dentist seems to be necessary. but the real question is: how far should i go on?
we reach macherma (4410). i'm drained. i have a few peaceful moments after another treatment and tablets and use this precious time for some sleep. pasta for dinner. not much chewing necessary. another night of suffering without sleep. first everything seems to be ok but hell breaks out with delay more violently than ever before although i had 2 tablets. the pain is so severe that it forces tears into my eyes (wouldn't that be a great heroic picture: i sit in my sleeping back, stare out of the window in the dark and cry like a little puppy. oh poor me :-) ). after hours i finally i wake maria up to give me some tablets. she just stares at me sleepily and irritated - a turns away again! that was a bid unexpected. excuse me that i'm about to die next to you, but don't you complain if you have to clean up the mess later! what an absurd and funny moment, i just don't feel like laughing at the moment. maybe later. i start to wonder what i'm doing here. do i play the old game 'pain versus self-discipline' again, if yes who will win and what's the price? the limit of the endurable is reached and my moral falls apart little by little. my cheek is starting to swell. let's see how far i can literally go. i will cancel the trip to india. a german dentist seems to be necessary. but the real question is: how far should i go on?
macherma, gokyo.
it's a long time until we get up. weather seems to become better the worse i'm doing. no clouds, mountains are clearly visible. ascend to gokyo starts. the lack of sleep and the little appetite seem to show first effects. for the first time i feel truly exhausted. at least the views pay off: endless summits - yapadapadoo! then i reach the point where i have to give my pack to the others. what a shame. but at least better than giving up. because we take so long our servant comes from gokyo with life-saving hot lemon. good service!
finally we reach gokyo (4730). absolute perfection. glacial lakes and view of the wall of cho oyu. sun bath and the perfect views make the pain endurable. before dinner we explore the moraines behind the village: a crazy moon landscape in clouds. instead of expected rocks on the glacier surface only debris, sand and huge water holes from rain or melted iceblocks (the stones here must be built by younger soft sediments, not as old as the old mountains in europe. have to look it up back home). when i climb the edges of the moraines maria gets very nervous (what' the point, i don't have the car keys?). probably not without reason. the ground is actually not very stable. you can hear falling rocks all the time. so this time i don't do the usual 'jump at the edge picture'. there are more important things to do tomorrow. at dinner i get mad. no promised pasta, instead hard potatoes and vegetables. damned, do i look as if i could chew?! how the hell should i get food, i'm starving. i'm worried about not having any resources left to use. and from the little chewing i will have a sleepless night again. on the way from the hut to the tent i'm almost knocked out by the cold air. i shake so severely that i need 10 minutes to get into the sleeping bag and another 15 minutes to calm down. 15 minutes packing, still trying to control the body. first warning signs. the usual battle follows. this time with a major amount of tablets. just to be sure to get a few minutes of sleep. if i'd known what i was going to encounter...
finally we reach gokyo (4730). absolute perfection. glacial lakes and view of the wall of cho oyu. sun bath and the perfect views make the pain endurable. before dinner we explore the moraines behind the village: a crazy moon landscape in clouds. instead of expected rocks on the glacier surface only debris, sand and huge water holes from rain or melted iceblocks (the stones here must be built by younger soft sediments, not as old as the old mountains in europe. have to look it up back home). when i climb the edges of the moraines maria gets very nervous (what' the point, i don't have the car keys?). probably not without reason. the ground is actually not very stable. you can hear falling rocks all the time. so this time i don't do the usual 'jump at the edge picture'. there are more important things to do tomorrow. at dinner i get mad. no promised pasta, instead hard potatoes and vegetables. damned, do i look as if i could chew?! how the hell should i get food, i'm starving. i'm worried about not having any resources left to use. and from the little chewing i will have a sleepless night again. on the way from the hut to the tent i'm almost knocked out by the cold air. i shake so severely that i need 10 minutes to get into the sleeping bag and another 15 minutes to calm down. 15 minutes packing, still trying to control the body. first warning signs. the usual battle follows. this time with a major amount of tablets. just to be sure to get a few minutes of sleep. if i'd known what i was going to encounter...
gokyo ri.
4:30 am the ascend to gokyo ri starts in the darkness. it's very cold. while we cross a small river behind the village i almost slip on the ice-covered stones. i manage to stay on the boulders with more luck than sense. the adrenaline wakes me up, i try not to think of the consequences of a bath in the icy water.
steep trek. the lungs are hurting from the cold air. my battery is completely empty: there are no calories to burn and from days without sleep the body is far from being relaxed. now there's only one rhythm for the next painful hours: breathing in - hiking stick - step - breathing out - breathing in - hiking stick - step... i need to stop very often. without any effect. it gets lighter but i'm not in the mood for pictures. we don't even see the end yet. baehrs seem to worry about me, i guess i don't look too fit today. i don't even have the energy to complain. i move in trance and have an 'out of the body experience'. i sort of observe myself how i battle up the hill, it doesn't look very heroic. i'm amused of myself as i curse and enjoy it at the same moment. am i nuts to do this? all i hear is my heavy breath, all i see is the top of my shoes, all i feel is the agony of muscles trying to use not existent energy. everything happens in slow motion, i lose track of time and distance completely. i just move. i talk to myself internally all the time 'no pain! no giving up!' i wonder that my body still functions although the signal i get is the complete opposite: 'stop, you idiot!' my body and my mind argue whether i should just stop instead of torturing myself. a discussion of pros and cons goes on while i drag myself up the hill (so what does the fact that i go on tells us? guess i haven't finished my puberty yet - let the hormones play their game and shut the little bit of brains off). interesting how well adrenaline and endorphins work to keep me moving. i'm amused about these sensations. hey, i have my first drug experience! i even have a discussion with myself how i should deal with the extreme pain. finally i decide to take the pain as a friend instead of an enemy. it's easier to accept friends than to fight enemies. what a complete nonsense.
finally we reach the top (5483). sun is up already and i wasn't really aware of it. we needed 2,5 hours instead of 2. to me it seemed like 4. and i have to admit there are some minutes of the ascend i simply don't remember anymore. amnesia! but what i see here makes the grand canyon look like a dirt hole. it is simply perfection. blue sky and a literally impressive view. the complete himalayan range around everest: cho oyu (8201), gyachung kang (8752) from where a gigantic 10 k long stony moraine passes gokyo. (the glacier is almost melted to the base of the mountains. the guide remembers the ice going much further than gokyo 10 years ago), pumori (7145), sagarmatha (8848, the 1st english explorers pretended that they couldn't find a local name despite serious research, so they had to call it everest. yeah sure. the tallest and probably holy mountain and the people wouldn't give it a name. very funny - explorers have a lot of humour), nuptse (7879), lhotse (8501), island peak (6189). right after the arrival i do some jump pictures although i can't really walk anymore (which must make me a simulating wimp in their eyes). little by little i recover. after 15 minutes 2 films are gone. maria suffers from headaches. they descend again after a while.
i find a silent place just for myself to enjoy this almost unreal place for the next 2 hours. walking up here is worth almost any torture. no wonder that religions always start in such deserted and impressive areas. you really feel like nothing compared to the perfection and size of such a nature.
while i descend i realize how long the distance is. i feel sorry for the people who are ascending now. especially in the heat of noon. going down takes almost 1,5 hours. arriving at gokyo all i need is tablets and sleeping bag. i'm still under the effect of the hike but also i'm so completely exhausted. i don't feel like speaking, my body is so empty that i can't even do this anymore.
later we agree that we don't feel like repeating the trip. well, at the moment i wouldn't do it again for any money, yet knowing that it just takes time to recover to start it all over again. i've never gone so far beyond my physical limits. that was an interesting lesson. let's hope it didn't go too far.
steep trek. the lungs are hurting from the cold air. my battery is completely empty: there are no calories to burn and from days without sleep the body is far from being relaxed. now there's only one rhythm for the next painful hours: breathing in - hiking stick - step - breathing out - breathing in - hiking stick - step... i need to stop very often. without any effect. it gets lighter but i'm not in the mood for pictures. we don't even see the end yet. baehrs seem to worry about me, i guess i don't look too fit today. i don't even have the energy to complain. i move in trance and have an 'out of the body experience'. i sort of observe myself how i battle up the hill, it doesn't look very heroic. i'm amused of myself as i curse and enjoy it at the same moment. am i nuts to do this? all i hear is my heavy breath, all i see is the top of my shoes, all i feel is the agony of muscles trying to use not existent energy. everything happens in slow motion, i lose track of time and distance completely. i just move. i talk to myself internally all the time 'no pain! no giving up!' i wonder that my body still functions although the signal i get is the complete opposite: 'stop, you idiot!' my body and my mind argue whether i should just stop instead of torturing myself. a discussion of pros and cons goes on while i drag myself up the hill (so what does the fact that i go on tells us? guess i haven't finished my puberty yet - let the hormones play their game and shut the little bit of brains off). interesting how well adrenaline and endorphins work to keep me moving. i'm amused about these sensations. hey, i have my first drug experience! i even have a discussion with myself how i should deal with the extreme pain. finally i decide to take the pain as a friend instead of an enemy. it's easier to accept friends than to fight enemies. what a complete nonsense.
finally we reach the top (5483). sun is up already and i wasn't really aware of it. we needed 2,5 hours instead of 2. to me it seemed like 4. and i have to admit there are some minutes of the ascend i simply don't remember anymore. amnesia! but what i see here makes the grand canyon look like a dirt hole. it is simply perfection. blue sky and a literally impressive view. the complete himalayan range around everest: cho oyu (8201), gyachung kang (8752) from where a gigantic 10 k long stony moraine passes gokyo. (the glacier is almost melted to the base of the mountains. the guide remembers the ice going much further than gokyo 10 years ago), pumori (7145), sagarmatha (8848, the 1st english explorers pretended that they couldn't find a local name despite serious research, so they had to call it everest. yeah sure. the tallest and probably holy mountain and the people wouldn't give it a name. very funny - explorers have a lot of humour), nuptse (7879), lhotse (8501), island peak (6189). right after the arrival i do some jump pictures although i can't really walk anymore (which must make me a simulating wimp in their eyes). little by little i recover. after 15 minutes 2 films are gone. maria suffers from headaches. they descend again after a while.
i find a silent place just for myself to enjoy this almost unreal place for the next 2 hours. walking up here is worth almost any torture. no wonder that religions always start in such deserted and impressive areas. you really feel like nothing compared to the perfection and size of such a nature.
while i descend i realize how long the distance is. i feel sorry for the people who are ascending now. especially in the heat of noon. going down takes almost 1,5 hours. arriving at gokyo all i need is tablets and sleeping bag. i'm still under the effect of the hike but also i'm so completely exhausted. i don't feel like speaking, my body is so empty that i can't even do this anymore.
later we agree that we don't feel like repeating the trip. well, at the moment i wouldn't do it again for any money, yet knowing that it just takes time to recover to start it all over again. i've never gone so far beyond my physical limits. that was an interesting lesson. let's hope it didn't go too far.
phortse.
in the morning i suggest that we don't take the more challenging chola pass to kala pattar. i won't have the energy to make it and maria is simply not into climbing.
we return to phortse. descending is so much faster now. maria is in an unusual bad mood. too many people, too many stones, i even take too many pictures...:-) i guess even she's exhausted. which says enough, she's the toughest women i know. i just leave here alone. she'll recover soon anyway.
now we can see the mountains that were always covered on the way up. we missed out on a lot. one thing didn't change: i walk in pain. sometimes it's so strong that i start to squint, sometimes i see stars in front of my eyes. did i take too much risks? time will tell. but so far i don't regret. i turn the swelling towards the cold wind. at lunch we have the first non-frozen nutella for days. well there's hope.
after we reach phortse i disappear in the sleeping bag for a while. at dinner i lose my temper for the first time. there's nothing that i could eat without pain. they know and see but they don't have the brains to react. i just have a few spoons of plain rice. i can't almost open my mouth anymore. top of the top: stone-hard apples as dessert. i yell at the cooks and the guides. why the hell do i pay them so much money if they're not flexible enough to provide at least a bit of eatable food for me? there's a limit of tolerance and kindness (hey, i have to behave like that - i'm a german tourist paying dollar fortunes for service :-) ).
the night turns into pure terror. after uncountable tablets without effect and some sleepless hours i make a decision: i'll return to kathmandu and to germany if necessary to find a real doctor. i can feel that the swelling becomes even worse moving down the throat. my jaw is hard, almost exploding with pain. who knows what the consequences will be if i continue without treatment. i'm worried about blood poisoning. it's no longer the question of mind vs. body, of self-discipline, strength, commitment or stamina. who knows how insensible it already was to go as far as i did. there's a tomorrow and i can come back as often as i want to. let's get the priorities right again. it's more important to have a 1st look at my 2nd niece than to have a 2nd look at everest. it's just a trip and i have seen, proven and experienced what i wanted anyway. and i have a feeling this diary turns out to describe a sickness instead of a journey. let's stop being crazy for a moment.
we return to phortse. descending is so much faster now. maria is in an unusual bad mood. too many people, too many stones, i even take too many pictures...:-) i guess even she's exhausted. which says enough, she's the toughest women i know. i just leave here alone. she'll recover soon anyway.
now we can see the mountains that were always covered on the way up. we missed out on a lot. one thing didn't change: i walk in pain. sometimes it's so strong that i start to squint, sometimes i see stars in front of my eyes. did i take too much risks? time will tell. but so far i don't regret. i turn the swelling towards the cold wind. at lunch we have the first non-frozen nutella for days. well there's hope.
after we reach phortse i disappear in the sleeping bag for a while. at dinner i lose my temper for the first time. there's nothing that i could eat without pain. they know and see but they don't have the brains to react. i just have a few spoons of plain rice. i can't almost open my mouth anymore. top of the top: stone-hard apples as dessert. i yell at the cooks and the guides. why the hell do i pay them so much money if they're not flexible enough to provide at least a bit of eatable food for me? there's a limit of tolerance and kindness (hey, i have to behave like that - i'm a german tourist paying dollar fortunes for service :-) ).
the night turns into pure terror. after uncountable tablets without effect and some sleepless hours i make a decision: i'll return to kathmandu and to germany if necessary to find a real doctor. i can feel that the swelling becomes even worse moving down the throat. my jaw is hard, almost exploding with pain. who knows what the consequences will be if i continue without treatment. i'm worried about blood poisoning. it's no longer the question of mind vs. body, of self-discipline, strength, commitment or stamina. who knows how insensible it already was to go as far as i did. there's a tomorrow and i can come back as often as i want to. let's get the priorities right again. it's more important to have a 1st look at my 2nd niece than to have a 2nd look at everest. it's just a trip and i have seen, proven and experienced what i wanted anyway. and i have a feeling this diary turns out to describe a sickness instead of a journey. let's stop being crazy for a moment.
monglu, namche bazar
at breakfast i tell the others about my decision to return to lukla. they're not surprised, probably rather wondering why it took me so long to make that decision.
maria and wilfried will continue to the everest base camp as planned - and take some more mountain pictures.
i get the older guide and one of the porters to accompany me back to lukla. the retreat is done quickly. first we go through a nice birch wood then we ascend to monglu. this time without clouds. thank god there's a huge portion soft pasta and a great view of the ama dablam. we follow a herd of yaks. the 'yakboys' are quite sophisticated when it comes to chasing and throwing stones at the escaping yaks.
made it to namche bazar. i go and see 'the shaman'. he's said to be a dentist. yeah sure, probably with hammer and nails. well i give it a try... when he sees me the first thing he says is: 'no worries, i know what it is and i have the right treatment'. boy, you're not pulling or drilling anything! big surprise: he's a dental therapist, trained in canada. and he's got a x-ray!! the picture looks quite bad but it's treatable. he asks me how long i have that already. i tell him about the trip to gokyo. he laughs: 'you like pain? how could you stand that for so long?' i get antibiotics, more tablets and he promises that i'll be ok in a week, so i could even continue. no thanks, who knows if there will be complications. i give him the 40$ and a tip. i'm too glad at the prospect of some moments without pain in the future.
in the hostel i have fried noodles again. the people feel sorry for me and it's obvious how much they actually fear that this would happen to them. the high-season is about to start. it's crowded now, loud, food takes much longer to arrive. the night is a great disappointment. instead of a peaceful sleep i have extra strong pain. so i take 3 instead of 1 tablet. no effect. either the stuff is no good or i'm already so insensitive to the medicine or it's simply the fight of the bad bacteria against the good antibiotics without paying attention to the battleground. nights can be long.
maria and wilfried will continue to the everest base camp as planned - and take some more mountain pictures.
i get the older guide and one of the porters to accompany me back to lukla. the retreat is done quickly. first we go through a nice birch wood then we ascend to monglu. this time without clouds. thank god there's a huge portion soft pasta and a great view of the ama dablam. we follow a herd of yaks. the 'yakboys' are quite sophisticated when it comes to chasing and throwing stones at the escaping yaks.
made it to namche bazar. i go and see 'the shaman'. he's said to be a dentist. yeah sure, probably with hammer and nails. well i give it a try... when he sees me the first thing he says is: 'no worries, i know what it is and i have the right treatment'. boy, you're not pulling or drilling anything! big surprise: he's a dental therapist, trained in canada. and he's got a x-ray!! the picture looks quite bad but it's treatable. he asks me how long i have that already. i tell him about the trip to gokyo. he laughs: 'you like pain? how could you stand that for so long?' i get antibiotics, more tablets and he promises that i'll be ok in a week, so i could even continue. no thanks, who knows if there will be complications. i give him the 40$ and a tip. i'm too glad at the prospect of some moments without pain in the future.
in the hostel i have fried noodles again. the people feel sorry for me and it's obvious how much they actually fear that this would happen to them. the high-season is about to start. it's crowded now, loud, food takes much longer to arrive. the night is a great disappointment. instead of a peaceful sleep i have extra strong pain. so i take 3 instead of 1 tablet. no effect. either the stuff is no good or i'm already so insensitive to the medicine or it's simply the fight of the bad bacteria against the good antibiotics without paying attention to the battleground. nights can be long.
monju pakding.
after a breakfast of tablets, hot lemon and honey toast i go and see the doc again to complain. i feel like beating him up. it's still closed. well, he gets away without some punches :-) . the pain stays. at least the weather is dry. first the descend is more unpleasant than expected. every step directly hits the jaw as if somebody would use a chisel to kill the root. my guide recommends to go more slowly and prays permanently with his rosary. in monju i have loads of pasta and tea. the antibiotics seem to develop an own life. the taste in my mouth is like the plague. maybe good medicine has to be bitter. certainly not the perfect time for kissing. after lunch i continue without pain!
we descend fast to phakding. when we arrive there's no phone to organize a flight to kathmandu. i send the guide to the next village with some money. a helicopter is flying towards namche. somebody must be in worse conditions than i am. everything is relative. the village is much nicer without rain this time. but i still wonder why somebody would build a house so close to the river.
we descend fast to phakding. when we arrive there's no phone to organize a flight to kathmandu. i send the guide to the next village with some money. a helicopter is flying towards namche. somebody must be in worse conditions than i am. everything is relative. the village is much nicer without rain this time. but i still wonder why somebody would build a house so close to the river.
lukla, kathmandu.
leaving to lukla. after a night full of coughing next to the open window (i wonder what lung-cancer creating stuff they put on the wooden walls). i seem to recover now: i start to compete with the guide for the lead. what was in clouds and rain before is visible now. it looks a bit like thailand. lush green. the porter drives me crazy. we're in a hurry to get a plane but he has much more breaks during this nice walk than he needed in the mountains.
when we arrive in lukla the guide is visibly irritated: first i want a ticket, than i take a tea. at the airport it's the usual chaos. nobody knows what's going on but in a way it's working. it's like a chicken farm but i can't find the head rooster. then we meet the right guy. after permanent pressure i get a temporary boarding card somewhere boarding passes are exchanged. nobody can say why. i just follow. oh what excellent information policy . the strange thing is that the planes land exactly when the conditions are at its worst. asian principle? short but high-tip good-bye from my excellent guide. it's good to be 'rich'. already a few bucks can make a real difference to these people (to stop the old discussion: in case somebody thinks that the use of porters and guides shows a chauvinistic attitude; ask them how they feel about it. nobody keeps you from tipping them appropriately and generously anyway).
kathmandu. i made it. i feel like having escaped. relief to return to civilization. at the airport i'm already awaited. it's strange but i really enjoy the chaos in the streets. the smog, the heat, the dirt and the hectic. seems i have finished the adaptation to the asian culture. no shock anymore.
at the hotel i have an xxxxxl shower. very elaborate lunch/dinner at 3 pm. strolling through thamel. it's a bit too touristy after the peace and silence of the mountains. shops and popmusic, obviously i'm not used anymore to the western life-style. back to the hotel to have dinner. the hotel is quite empty. people and expeditions stay here only before and after there treks.
the first detailed look in the mirror is shocking! it's incredible, almost ugly. all muscles of the upper body are completely gone, even the upper arms and the abdominal muscles are reduced! my face is visibly changed, seems i have already entered the stage were the fat behind the eyeballs is burnt. i look like the crucified jesus himself. so that's what happens when there's no fat to burn. physical effort, altitude, sickness, exhaustion do cause some changes. i don't want to know how many kilograms i lost. maybe 6 or 7? pretty good diet for 1 week. fast decision: recovery program necessary. that means at least 2 lunches and 2 dinners per day and permanent extra food.
when we arrive in lukla the guide is visibly irritated: first i want a ticket, than i take a tea. at the airport it's the usual chaos. nobody knows what's going on but in a way it's working. it's like a chicken farm but i can't find the head rooster. then we meet the right guy. after permanent pressure i get a temporary boarding card somewhere boarding passes are exchanged. nobody can say why. i just follow. oh what excellent information policy . the strange thing is that the planes land exactly when the conditions are at its worst. asian principle? short but high-tip good-bye from my excellent guide. it's good to be 'rich'. already a few bucks can make a real difference to these people (to stop the old discussion: in case somebody thinks that the use of porters and guides shows a chauvinistic attitude; ask them how they feel about it. nobody keeps you from tipping them appropriately and generously anyway).
kathmandu. i made it. i feel like having escaped. relief to return to civilization. at the airport i'm already awaited. it's strange but i really enjoy the chaos in the streets. the smog, the heat, the dirt and the hectic. seems i have finished the adaptation to the asian culture. no shock anymore.
at the hotel i have an xxxxxl shower. very elaborate lunch/dinner at 3 pm. strolling through thamel. it's a bit too touristy after the peace and silence of the mountains. shops and popmusic, obviously i'm not used anymore to the western life-style. back to the hotel to have dinner. the hotel is quite empty. people and expeditions stay here only before and after there treks.
the first detailed look in the mirror is shocking! it's incredible, almost ugly. all muscles of the upper body are completely gone, even the upper arms and the abdominal muscles are reduced! my face is visibly changed, seems i have already entered the stage were the fat behind the eyeballs is burnt. i look like the crucified jesus himself. so that's what happens when there's no fat to burn. physical effort, altitude, sickness, exhaustion do cause some changes. i don't want to know how many kilograms i lost. maybe 6 or 7? pretty good diet for 1 week. fast decision: recovery program necessary. that means at least 2 lunches and 2 dinners per day and permanent extra food.
kathmandu.
sight-seeing day. i stroll through the city. try to find the king's palace at durbar square. i battle myself through the buzzing streets. at some time a student addresses me. ram wants to be my guide in kathmandu. why not. but not in the main streets. i want to see the backstreets. 1st we go to the raintemple (buddhist and hindu at the same time!). later to the old king's palace at durbar square. it's crazy. i like asia more and more. towards the apetemple (swayambhunath) through narrow lanes. haven't seen any tourists for a while. good. more observation of the real everyday life. exciting scenes: markets, handymen, kids, traffic, ...and the people don't mind if i take pictures of them (well i always ask to make sure i'm not to offend anybody). sometimes they're irritated but always friendly and smiling. at the impressive apetemple the monks play soccer. with the taxi we continue to the big stupa of bodunath through the chaotic traffic. yippieyahyeah. great weather, great pictures. we continue through the fields to the hindu temple pashupatinath it's harvesting time for rice again. kids are gambling for money. barking dogs,...the full program. we end up at a crematory, no cremations anymore today.
in the evening nepalese dinner at a high-end restaurant. only well-suited tourists and business people. i don't fit in with my clothes but who cares. black lentils, lamb, wild boar, chicken...i'm about to burst. but the body needs that.
back in the hotel i have a discussion (rather a monologue) with a manager from asian trekking regarding the unsuitable food and most of all the lack of 1st aid equipment. i'm really mad because it was not as professional as i expected from a company that does everest expeditions. i can't understand why they don't have medicine depots in the huts. he's shocked about the amount of pain killers i needed: in case of a high altitude sickness that could have caused an even more critical situation as the blood could not have become thinner anymore. no to speak of the effects of the extremely thin blood in case of a simple cut where the bleeding might not be stoppable. sometimes it's good not to know what could be. lesson learned for the future. at least once i was lucky. i go on to have some cappuccino and cake.
in the evening nepalese dinner at a high-end restaurant. only well-suited tourists and business people. i don't fit in with my clothes but who cares. black lentils, lamb, wild boar, chicken...i'm about to burst. but the body needs that.
back in the hotel i have a discussion (rather a monologue) with a manager from asian trekking regarding the unsuitable food and most of all the lack of 1st aid equipment. i'm really mad because it was not as professional as i expected from a company that does everest expeditions. i can't understand why they don't have medicine depots in the huts. he's shocked about the amount of pain killers i needed: in case of a high altitude sickness that could have caused an even more critical situation as the blood could not have become thinner anymore. no to speak of the effects of the extremely thin blood in case of a simple cut where the bleeding might not be stoppable. sometimes it's good not to know what could be. lesson learned for the future. at least once i was lucky. i go on to have some cappuccino and cake.
kathmandu.
tour through the surrounding area. first to baktapur to one of the old kings' palaces. impressive wood carvings and pagodas. after a while my ability to absorb the temples decreases. names of places, persons, gods come and go. but the pictures will stay although the strong light is terrible.
shopping tour: bronze sculptures are too expensive. i stick to tankas (mandala paintings). at the first place there's nothing interesting in the beginning. after he understands that i don't look for the regular tourist crap but something special he comes up with an outstanding masterpiece. but he wants 7000$. that's a bit too special. i'm smiling mildly, is there a sign on my front saying 'take my money, i'm a stupid tourist'? at the 2nd dealer it takes 30 minutes until i find something interesting. no decision, no bargaining. the 3rd place is a drawing school where artists sell their stuff directly. after some time i find something with the right color and quality. i take 2 pieces because i can't make up my mind. a big one and a very nice smaller one with a famous symbol that was invented by the dalai lama himself (so they say. whatever). only 10% discount even after long bargaining. even my remark that 5% extra for using the credit card is illegal doesn't help. i don't have an alternative because that's above the calculated amount for souvenirs.
tour to nepal's 2nd oldest temple. a helldrive. the taxi driver speeds like crazy despite my complaints. if you can't get out of his way you die. i'm really worried, i see the kids in the narrow streets. it's a wonder that nobody is hurt. what a nightmare. the highlight: this guy speaks about a bus accident were a whole class was killed. what a humour. i'm close to punch him in the face. the temple with coloured wooden shiva statues is outstanding. back to kathmandu. not that fast this time (money talks: 'if you speed again you don't get a single rupee' is a phrase he understands).
i read the book about the disaster at the everest years ago (go and see the imaxx movie!). it's all about risk and ambition, danger and endurance, emotional and physical strength and weakness. similar feelings and thoughts. compared to them my experience is a nice sunday afternoon hike. relativity again. the hero is the russian climber anatoli boukreev who thommy met at the base camp some years ago. even asian trekking is part of the story.
shopping tour: bronze sculptures are too expensive. i stick to tankas (mandala paintings). at the first place there's nothing interesting in the beginning. after he understands that i don't look for the regular tourist crap but something special he comes up with an outstanding masterpiece. but he wants 7000$. that's a bit too special. i'm smiling mildly, is there a sign on my front saying 'take my money, i'm a stupid tourist'? at the 2nd dealer it takes 30 minutes until i find something interesting. no decision, no bargaining. the 3rd place is a drawing school where artists sell their stuff directly. after some time i find something with the right color and quality. i take 2 pieces because i can't make up my mind. a big one and a very nice smaller one with a famous symbol that was invented by the dalai lama himself (so they say. whatever). only 10% discount even after long bargaining. even my remark that 5% extra for using the credit card is illegal doesn't help. i don't have an alternative because that's above the calculated amount for souvenirs.
tour to nepal's 2nd oldest temple. a helldrive. the taxi driver speeds like crazy despite my complaints. if you can't get out of his way you die. i'm really worried, i see the kids in the narrow streets. it's a wonder that nobody is hurt. what a nightmare. the highlight: this guy speaks about a bus accident were a whole class was killed. what a humour. i'm close to punch him in the face. the temple with coloured wooden shiva statues is outstanding. back to kathmandu. not that fast this time (money talks: 'if you speed again you don't get a single rupee' is a phrase he understands).
i read the book about the disaster at the everest years ago (go and see the imaxx movie!). it's all about risk and ambition, danger and endurance, emotional and physical strength and weakness. similar feelings and thoughts. compared to them my experience is a nice sunday afternoon hike. relativity again. the hero is the russian climber anatoli boukreev who thommy met at the base camp some years ago. even asian trekking is part of the story.
kathmandu.
tour to the sacrifice ceremony during 'dasain' - some sort of a hindu x-mas. an incredible traffic jam. the people transport the animals in the cars. tourists try to organize the chaotic traffic. very funny. masses of people, it's family day. a queue for the animals which are to be sacrificed. the slaughtering goes on like at a conveyer belt. the place is flooded with blood. and the people in the middle of it. how 'colourful'. different manners and traditions. just look, don't judge. heads and bodies everywhere. strangely the animals seem not to be too worried, you don't hear much screaming. the people are in a good mood and not bothered by the camera. some even want to have a picture taken. on the way back we meet a guy from the drawing school. he looks for me because there's a problem with my credit card i don't understand. after a while i figure out that the card is expired (very professional travel preparation i must say. how embarrassing). to make matters worse: in kathmandu i sign a cheque with the whole name instead of the last name and they don't want to accept it. i change the last cheques i have and keep some money for food. i'm broke. shit, now i'm in trouble. how can i get money now? maybe maria has some leftovers. i talk with the hotel manager if there's a way to organize money. no problem. let's see.
kathmandu.
visit at asian trekking to organize another trek but i don't have the visa for india yet. amex is closed, i'm running out of money. maria and wilfried are back. visit of the ape temple.
kathmandu.
indian embassy. 1 hr before opening there's a queue. so many people and nobody knows how things are run here. short interview. it's not possible to get the visa before the day of issue. these guys are very complicated. is it an indian thing or the results of the english imperialism? whoever is responsible needs to be sued. at least they promise that i'd get the visa at the day of issue. 2nd visit at asian trekking. the financial transactions become more complicated: who's paying what in which currency. it's so funny. we organize the mountain flights to everest. only 2 seats available. the baehrs have to go tomorrow. i book a taylor-made trek to the anapurna area. to the stupa and the hindu temple.
kathmandu.
try to organize money. all banks are closed for 3 more days because of the holidays. they try their best at the hotel. in the end they offer that i can buy cash with maria's help. after lunch meeting at asian trekking. organize flight instead of bus trip to pokhara so i can do the mountain flight before. i get money. i'm rich!. quite a relief. we go to durbar square as the mountain flight was cancelled again. there's a new try tomorrow.
kathmandu, pokhara, birethani.
flight cancelled again. before my flight to pokhara we go to the hindu temple again. some corpses are prepared for the cremation ceremony. everything is going on very calm. i try to rationalize what i see. strange to see a body disappear forever in front of your eyes but in a way this ceremony makes more sense than our funerals. after a while i'm fed up. good bye from the baehrs.
flight to pokhara. it's a bit mediterranean. a mixture of california and luzern. after kathmandu a strong contrast. warm, almost subtropical, calm. at the lake restaurant there's mozart and schubert music, croissants and hot chocolate. love it. meet my porter-guide. he's hardly taller than my backpack. we drive endless serpentines up the mountains. breathtaking views down to pokhara. no time for pictures. instead of that the traditional hunking. at the exitpoint goats are loaded on a bus. after a short hike we end up in birethani where prices are all the same everywhere. communism? before dinner i change the plans: want to cover more ground in the few coming days. my guide seems not to be too happy about it. now it seems like work to him. it pours for 2 hours. a rainy trek again?
flight to pokhara. it's a bit mediterranean. a mixture of california and luzern. after kathmandu a strong contrast. warm, almost subtropical, calm. at the lake restaurant there's mozart and schubert music, croissants and hot chocolate. love it. meet my porter-guide. he's hardly taller than my backpack. we drive endless serpentines up the mountains. breathtaking views down to pokhara. no time for pictures. instead of that the traditional hunking. at the exitpoint goats are loaded on a bus. after a short hike we end up in birethani where prices are all the same everywhere. communism? before dinner i change the plans: want to cover more ground in the few coming days. my guide seems not to be too happy about it. now it seems like work to him. it pours for 2 hours. a rainy trek again?
ulleri, ghorepani.
i shout nutella at breakfast for some guys. it's funny: they all think i'm crazy to carry that with me. but they don't mind to eat it. surprise, blue sky. through the rice fields and the forest. very nice. i feel my powers coming back. after all the relaxation the guide is going to 'pay' for that. i lead so i can determine the speed. acclimatisation and physical training pays off now. the relief that i can hike without pain gives me an extra boost. i'm sorry for my guide but i have to beat the old frustration. the way from birethani to ghorepani is excellent. very clean small villages. great weather, excellent views. a bit like the alps. for the first time i sweat. i have to work out. the trek gets steeper. endless steps up to ulleri. i get food after a long while. well two courses take time. the last part is crazy. a noisy jungle with waterfalls and ferns. in the end i'm pretty exhausted. in ghorepani it's very cold. i'm starving. i eat nutella with a big spoon as the food takes time to arrive. a girl recognizes the nutella jar: 'hey, somebody has got nutella!!'. heads are turning towards me, interesting how fast you can attract the attention of a whole lodge....i share my nutella with her to shut her up. i'm too nice. it's interesting how friendly people become when they get nutella. everywhere. global peacemaker nutella. dinner is pizza, burrito and nutella pancakes. people are irritated about the amount of food i eat but it would take too long to explain.
poon hill, tandanpani.
starting off to poon hill at 5 am. this time i pass the others. have to erase the shame of gokyo. we arrive before sunset. it's like at a fair with all the crowd. but i sit in the first row. and freeze. it gets light. perfect: the whole anapurna-range in an incredible light. i meet the nutella girl and the french-canadian guys from yesterday's hike. i share the holy nutella for breakfast again. i'm definitely too nice. in return i get some medicine against the coughing. ok, that makes me a calculating person :-).
we continue to tandanpani. first up the hills through rhododendron forests. after a while it turns into jungle again. descending quickly along a waterfall. my guide has given up to stop me. at noon we stop at tandanpani. i agree to stay here as the sight is much better in the morning. there's a market place in front of the lodge. i join the frech-canadian guys and a group of american girls i met in kathmandu before. they think i'm funny because as a german i don't drink beer and i don't have modern things like microwave or a vcr. i order hot chocolate while the girls have beer. that makes me almost a pervert. good laugh.
we continue to tandanpani. first up the hills through rhododendron forests. after a while it turns into jungle again. descending quickly along a waterfall. my guide has given up to stop me. at noon we stop at tandanpani. i agree to stay here as the sight is much better in the morning. there's a market place in front of the lodge. i join the frech-canadian guys and a group of american girls i met in kathmandu before. they think i'm funny because as a german i don't drink beer and i don't have modern things like microwave or a vcr. i order hot chocolate while the girls have beer. that makes me almost a pervert. good laugh.
ghouranpani, langdrung.
brilliant light in the morning. descending through the woods. excellent views to anapurna and fishtail. we reach gouranphani in record time. organize a mountain flight to everest. tour is shortened by a day. we're double as fast as originally planned anyway. in the heat of noon the hike gets quite tough. descending to the river and ascending almost vertically the opposite slope. the sun burns brutally. the guide is challenged visibly. he doesn't get the usual relaxation due to the high speed i demand. that's probably not what he expected from guiding tourists but i try to push me to the limits again. all the time i hear 'slowly'. but i have to go my normal speed again after all the crawling at gokyo.... the ascend is tough but the views are awesome.
we reach the village that was supposed to be the end of today's trek at noon. too early to stop. the villages are still very authentic. less billboards, ads and plastic. a pretty little girl wants me to take a picture of her. i can't resist. i give her a few rupees although as a principle i don't pay for pictures. her reaction is one of the most shocking moments i've ever had: she completely freaks out and runs through the village, screaming, waving the bill in triumph. then she sees her mom and runs to her, presenting the money with lots of explanation. the women is visibly surprised and waves. i just smile and wave back. this must be like xmas and birthday for the kid. she doesn't calm down. where else can you 'buy' such a smile for 5 pence? nice but sad at the same time. but trouble arrives fast :-) ...the news that there's a chance to become rich spread through the village. now a whole crowd wants a picture taken. i don't have any change left. sorry. it takes more than a kilometre and endless 'sorries' until the kids understand.
after 2 more hours we reach langdrung. when i'm asked where we came from today i earn only shaking heads and disbelieve. it seems that we've covered an unusual long distance. well, i admit it was quite a good hike. my guide talks to the locals and the other guides. the names of the villages we went through appear again and again. same reaction: laughter and shaking heads. it's not really clear if he complains about the crazy tourist or if he's proud of his work. i guess he'll remember this day for a while. in the evening i have dinner with some really freaky us-guys. again laughter because of the no-beer attitude. when i tell them that i have to go to my backpack to get my nutella they can't stop laughing: 'you're crazy. that's funnier than the 'extremely soft' hiking tour we heard of'. well i think that 'extremely soft' is a really funny term. maybe i should move to marketing where you're paid for nonsense.
we reach the village that was supposed to be the end of today's trek at noon. too early to stop. the villages are still very authentic. less billboards, ads and plastic. a pretty little girl wants me to take a picture of her. i can't resist. i give her a few rupees although as a principle i don't pay for pictures. her reaction is one of the most shocking moments i've ever had: she completely freaks out and runs through the village, screaming, waving the bill in triumph. then she sees her mom and runs to her, presenting the money with lots of explanation. the women is visibly surprised and waves. i just smile and wave back. this must be like xmas and birthday for the kid. she doesn't calm down. where else can you 'buy' such a smile for 5 pence? nice but sad at the same time. but trouble arrives fast :-) ...the news that there's a chance to become rich spread through the village. now a whole crowd wants a picture taken. i don't have any change left. sorry. it takes more than a kilometre and endless 'sorries' until the kids understand.
after 2 more hours we reach langdrung. when i'm asked where we came from today i earn only shaking heads and disbelieve. it seems that we've covered an unusual long distance. well, i admit it was quite a good hike. my guide talks to the locals and the other guides. the names of the villages we went through appear again and again. same reaction: laughter and shaking heads. it's not really clear if he complains about the crazy tourist or if he's proud of his work. i guess he'll remember this day for a while. in the evening i have dinner with some really freaky us-guys. again laughter because of the no-beer attitude. when i tell them that i have to go to my backpack to get my nutella they can't stop laughing: 'you're crazy. that's funnier than the 'extremely soft' hiking tour we heard of'. well i think that 'extremely soft' is a really funny term. maybe i should move to marketing where you're paid for nonsense.
pokhara, kathmandu.
returning to pokhara. steep descend through rice fields and forest. down at the road the guide seems to be successful regarding a taxi. the drivers around him are almost upset. i love these games.
excellent flight back to kathmandu, window seat and clear sky to see the whole himalayan range. in kathmandu i can see the mountains for the first time. i've got to get rid of the rupees. and there isn't much more to do than eating and testing the restaurants. maybe not the worst before the trip to india. at dinner i test the humour of the nepalese again: after i asked for the bill somebody wants my table for a big group. 'no problem. i just wait for the bill.' i continue reading. meanwhile they move the table away and i sit in the middle of the room with nobody and nothing around me. i just grin and read on. the other tourists laugh, i pretend as if i'm not aware of the action around me. the whole restaurant laughs. that's when the waiters finally understand the comic situation and give me a new table.
excellent flight back to kathmandu, window seat and clear sky to see the whole himalayan range. in kathmandu i can see the mountains for the first time. i've got to get rid of the rupees. and there isn't much more to do than eating and testing the restaurants. maybe not the worst before the trip to india. at dinner i test the humour of the nepalese again: after i asked for the bill somebody wants my table for a big group. 'no problem. i just wait for the bill.' i continue reading. meanwhile they move the table away and i sit in the middle of the room with nobody and nothing around me. i just grin and read on. the other tourists laugh, i pretend as if i'm not aware of the action around me. the whole restaurant laughs. that's when the waiters finally understand the comic situation and give me a new table.
kathmandu.
visa day at the indian embassy. 2 hours before opening i'm there. everything goes smoothly this time. my interview takes 20 seconds. paying the fee turns out to be a bit complicated: i don't understand their accent. and they want the exact amount. which i don't have. bad luck for them they have to bend their own rules to get money. india will be very funny when it's like that.
kathmandu.
mountain flight. fog over kathmandu. waiting. not yet cancelled. with one hour delay we're allowed into the waiting hall. i meet this german climber who pretends to have climbed everest twice without additional oxygen. it's interesting that a guy like him is impressed about the tooth-story. seems that tooth-ache is a worst-case scenario nobody wants to face in the mountains. in the end i must be happy to have such an outstanding experience? looking at the size of his boots he must have been through much tougher things: looks to me as if he lost his toes. i sit at the wrong side of the plane and in front of the engine. well, no pictures then.this is so much less interesting than the hike. it lacks the emotional and physical commitment and challenge. i don't mind that it lacks the pain though. everybody is allowed into the cockpit. it's chaotic, people push. a waste of money.
ok. let's go to india!
ok. let's go to india!