Made to (5,350m)on the 20th December A spectaaacular journey that was personally the hardest physical challenge ever. Managed to avoid altitude sickness as we acclimatised at 2 points along the way. Despite the lack of evidence of a base camp('tis winter and climbing Everest starts again in the spring), therefore the ground was shale, no snow, but the most arresting feature was the glacial ice formations at the bottom of the incline. Alongside the absolute silence the colours of the formations were highlighted by the sun shining through, absolutely unforgettable. The base camp is also on the Khumba Glacier but the site is covered in shale and dust and only identifiable as a glacier if you scrape away the layers or slip on the ice, which needless to say I did with great style!
We (my guide Phodi and Nema, the porter) came down to Lukla by the 26th and until then the weather held and was clear and sunny - daytime temperatures reached 20C but nighttime went down to -15C at the highest lodge/tea house, 3 hours from base camp. Fortunately had taken advice from Pam and Steve (archers) and purchased a down jacket which I wore day and night (after trekking) though it was a tight squeeze in the sleeping bag but necessary for survival. Christmas Day was celebrated whilst walking the last 3 hours to Lukla, I gave various renditions of Christmas carols I could remember the words to.At Lukla the weather broke and it sleeted and froze, I was convinced I'd be stuck for days before a plane could land, but my luck held and I flew out the next morning. The experience of taking off from Lukla was pretty similar to how I imagine it would be taking off from an aircraft carrier, the runway was the same length and dropped away to nothing at the end. Took full advantage of looking through the cockpit window as this 16 seater Douglas 227 (?) took off as it did not even have a curtain between the pilot and passengers. We waited to board hanging around on the tarmac watching other similar planes land - all very informal and in keeping with the Nepali 'Heath Robinson principle. After one days R&R will be going to a 4 day retreat run by the Osho organisation at Topoban, a few miles outside Kathmandu, and then a final 10 day trek to Jomsom before India. Am looking forward to meeting some of the people from the Everest trek at Pokhara, for dinner at the Jazz Cafe at Lakeside on the 3rd before flying to Jomson. Have many photo's of the amazing scenery from this trek and will be including them when I reach Thailand.
Photo 1 Everest Memorial to a group of climbers who died on Everest, sadly there are many of these in a 'Memorial Park" on the way to the last village, Gorak Shep, on the way to base camp.
Photo 2 Lukla Airport and the 16 seater Douglas 227 that flew me down to Kathmandu
Photo 3 Lukla Airport Very small and very cold!
Photo 4 Sagarmatha Gate (on its side, unable to right it!)The entrance to the National Park, Everest is part of this park.
Photo 5 Everest (middle peak) on way to EBC from Gorak Shep, viewed from about 5,300m. elevation.

Greetings

Happy Christmas and New Year

Greetings to all my friends and family who have supported me on this Journey

My best wishes to you and I will be thinking of you all.

Much love and best wishes

Sue

Finally started this 20 day trek at 05.30 on 8th December - my guide Reshi collected me from the Kathmandu Peace Guest House (am tending to stay there in- between treks etc) at thios godforsaken hour to catch the plane to Lukla. Said plane didn't take off until 07 15 as they waited for dawn and clear skies as the Nepali system does not have radar, as well as a very short runway at Lukla. We were the only 2 passengers on the plane and the other 12 seats were taken up with cargo - this whole country runs on the 'Heath Robinson' principle! Landing was sudden and bumpy but unlike some landings we did not bounce once. Spectacular views as we climbed up through valleys, often we were lower than the mountain tops.

We met our porter at Lukla after having grabbed our bags from the trolly and without much ado we made for a guest house, had breakfast and were off, first stop Phadring, only a 31/2 hr hike, at 3218m whereas Lukla is 3,300m. Day 3 we arrive at Namche Bazar at 3,600m following our first view of Everest. Unfortunately the first guide got sick and I have another guide, Phadi, a pleasant 24 year old with more than 30 treks to Everest behind him, and also he was involved in the organising the Skydive from 29,000ft of 38 skydivers, landing at Namche Bazar heliport.

The prospects of reaching base camp are good as the weather is holding and it is sunny and warm during the afternoon, and the high pressure system is predicted to last for the next week or so. If all goes well we should reach base camp on the 19th December. Succeeded and the weather held, but the effort was very great and lost 1/2 stone in the process, purely through the effort of breathing!
Photo 1 Ice flows at EBC (Khumba glacier)
Photo 2 The site of EBC NB No snow at this time of year - or tents.
Photo 3 Crazy ex-British soldier - plays a mean game of poker!
Photo 4 Rome Cathedral (should be elsewhere but unable to change it....)
Photo 5 Everest (middle peak) from viewpoint of Kala Pattar

May have confused anyone reading the Pokhara blog entry re Everest, the mountain visiblke from Pokhara is Machupuccre known locally as 'Fishtail' , Everest is much further East and will be, if all goes well, trekking to within sight of it by the 14th - 15th December. Am back in Kathmandu amidst the smog and pollution - definitely a city that could have survived better without the internal combustion engine. 5 days here and am preparing for a 20 day trek to Everest base Camp (EBC), my guide has a greatly improved , compared to the last one, command of the English language. Temperatures here have dropped since I first came in October, though midday it is about 21C, but nighttime is chilly. Must not complain as it has been in the 30's centigrade up until a week or so ago in Pokhara.
Have had an opportunity to catch up with some Nepali friends I met in October, and have had the chance to visit some of the sights of Kathmandu and the surrounding countryside, from the back of a motorbike, again!

A 14 day trek from Pokhara to Annapurna Base Camp (ABC) started on 18th November with high hopes of success, sadly the weather was against us and at Himalay (2900m) a blizzard caught us out and the 3 of us (my guide, Diness and porter, Dil) attempted to move upwards towards Duarali but the ice and snow were too difficult to traverse and at 3,200m we turned back. However the scenary was spectacular, alternating between forests of bamboo, banyan and conifers and lower down many fruiting banaana trees, as well as , much to my surprise, rhodedendrum trees. During the day we turned back the mountain rescue helicopter past us on its way to rescue some trekkers, we felt we had made the right decision.
The highlight of the remaining trek was Poon Hill at sunrise, which necessitated getting up at 04.45 to join a torchlight procession climbing 320m up the hill in time for the dawn. Our luck was in and the sky was clear and the stars were brighter than you will ever see them in the UK. At dawn we (there were about 200 people) were greeted by a view of many Himalayan peaks, including all 3 Annapurna peaks and the first shaft of sunlight as it caught the highest. See some of the many photo's of this when I can load them! On the climb down you could then see that the landscape was bathed in frost, lit by the newly risen sun, an unforgettable sight which some people here compare to being at ABC and argue it is a better view. During the trek we came across many varieties of butterflies, some , for example the small blues are common to the UK. The buzzard was also seen on more than one occasion, recognisable by their distinctive call, and today in Pokhara I saw many swallows flying around the Phew Lake.
The 15 day trek was very strenuous, climbing, descending and climbing again often more than 1000m ascending in a day. Accommodation was at 'tea houses' along the way, basic and with no hot water in most or you arrive too late for a hot shower as there is limited solar heated water and others beat you to it - a cold shower at 06 00 is an excellent wake up call to a sluggish body first thing! Nepal is fairly limited as to washing and toilet facilities, and you are continually being reminded not to go to the toilet whilst in the wild within 50m of a water course. This is not as easy as it sounds, as Nepal has a lot of water courses including some awe inspiring waterfalls. The country is still without electricity in many places or daily power cuts are common, so my wind-up torch has proved very useful.
We arrived back in Pokhara on 1st December, a day early, and my porter and guide left and I have spent time relaxing and catching up on emails etc. The hotel is luxurious compared to the last 2 weeks with a proper bathroom (perhaps more aptly described as a wet room) and a TV that spews out some dreadful Indian programmes but includes BBC world news, which I value. Whilst trekking I was able to tune in to the Indian vs England cricket , but sadly only on one occasion so do not know the final score - could someone let me know, probably best by email.
Tomorrow am taking the tourist bus to Kathmandu as opposed to the rough and tumble 0f the local bus. It takes 6 hours but for a little extra lunch is provided.
Am not looking forward to Kathmandu (for 5 days, before tackling Everest Base Camp for 20 days), due to the pollution levels being far higher in Kathmandu than Pokhara. Will probably be back to Pokhara if for no other reason than it has many great second hand bookshops which will do part exchanges. Whilst meeting people from all over the world is stimulating, am finding a quiet read of many books I have wanted to read and not had enough time, is also great.
Photo 1 view of Fishtail and Annapurna 1 Mountains from Phew Lake Pokhara
Photo 2 2/3 of way up to Annapurna Base Camp, about at Bamboo
Photo 3 The morning after the blizzard that sadly led to our turning back.
Photo 4. View of Fishtail Mountain from Sinewa, on the way back down.

Much has happened since Kathmandu. Finished a13 day trek between Tressilu and Gorkha. Averaged 18 kilometres a day walking with my guide, Deepak, and a young porter, Ram. We walked up and down the undeveloped rural area of the Himalayan foothills, staying in cafes in villages or in farmhouses or barns. The conditions were quite primitive in some cases and most houses did not have running water (water from village tap) and the electricity supply was unreliable at best or non-existent. Most people had seen very few tourists, so the children were often quite excited by a pale skinned Brit with short hair, most people were welcoming. Washing was infrequent and basic as most people, men and women would wash themselves and their clothes at the village water tap, and there is quite a taboo about covering oneself so it was difficult, and at times frustrating, particularly after a long arduous trek in temperatures reaching 39c by mid afternoon.
The hillside farms are not mechanised as the steep inclines were terraced and many hillsides were forested with pine, banyan, banaanas and mandarin orange and papaya trees. Sadly my favourite fruit, mango, was out of season! Farm animals are plentiful, most farmers will own goats, now is currently the time of year for breeding and saw many 1 -2 day old kids. The main method of ploughing is using buffalo and they also provide milk, in rural areas diary cows are not seen. Have grown to like buffalo milk, fresh from the beast but boiled.Most people in Nepal own some land, even if urban dwellers, they will arrange for other family members to farm the land.
Took many photo's at this time though still no success with uploading photo's, internet cafe's here cannot cope.
Pokhara was reached on 15th November by bus from Gorkha which took 3 and a half hours, on a local bus - not the most comfortable but a real eye opener as to how most rural dwellers travel. The bus was always full of not only people but sacks of rice ('tis being harvested at the moment), various goods and chattels that the UK buses would not take!
Pokhara is a lovely town and the hotel is on the Lakeside area with a stunning view of Everest and Annapurna from my bedroom balcony. It's a much more cosmopolitan place tha Kathmandu as it the launch point for trekking to th above. Even had a pizza with Deepak before I changed guides and he went back to Kathmandu. I can't begin to describe how good it was after a diet of Nepali food with copious quantities of plain boiled rice and lentils. Am making the most of Pokhora before trekking to Annapurna base camp starting tomorrow and have purchased the obligatory down jacket as it is pretty cold up there , and managed to negiotiate a good price. Will be back in Pokhara on 2nd December, and then Kathmandu - so no further blogs until 2nd.
Photo 1ATATA bus: note the truck chassie, well suited to the poor roads
Photo 2 View of hydroelectric damn (built by the Indian Govt) and the countryside around Tressuli, W aNepal.
Photo 3 TATA Bus - where much of the Scunthorpe steel goes!
Photo 4 A typical haystack complete with a backview of Deepak, my guide.
Photo 5 An elderly Nepali couple, who gave up their beds for the night for us. No electricity or toilets or running water in the home (only at the village tap and communal loo).
Photo 6 A herd of buffalo wandering down the road. The only milk available in this area is fresh from the buffalo.
Photo7 A typical bridge crossing, this one was in better repair than many.
Photo 8 and 9 Staying in Deepaks village, Achone, with his brother and wife. The photo's are of aunts, cousins, 2nd cousins and family friend's, all of whom made me very welcome, even to the extend of lending me a sari, NB they are worn wrapped around the waist, unlike other areas where part of the fabric is worn over the shoulder,very comfortable in the heat.
Photo 10 nDeepak 'holding up' a maize stack, avoiding wandering goats and buffalo eating the winter supplies.

Arrived on 29th October following an overlong journey from Rome, however at Delhi airport met a delightful Nepalese couple who have since then shared their Tihar "brothers' festival with me. The whole family have made me feel very welcome and with their business connections have facilitated, in a matter of days, a 32 day trek to Annapurna base camp at a reasonable price. Remal's family are attending the Hindu Temple today and have invited me, and tonight they are giving a dinner for me and others in their family who helped arrange the trek, to send us on our way on Monday (3rd).
The first full day in Kathmandu was spent on the back of a motorbike seeing the layout of this surprisingly large city. My guide took me to the 'Monkey Temple' a Buddhist temple on a hill overlooking the city which gives the appearance of being overun with red faced monkies. When approached they are not friendly, though they seem to live in relative harmony with the monks and the many dogs living at this enormous temple (one walled side is approximately 3/4 mile long).
Kathmandu is a surprising city in which to spend time, a mixture of third world facilities and environment and 21st century living. There is a great sense of activity in the narrow streets and the noise from car amd bike horns is incessant and loud. The motor bike dominates the mainly single lane roads which are largely dirt tracks or unrepaired metalled roads with enormous pot holes,that is, once you move off the main roads. Narrow roads with 3-4 storey buildings are crammed with vendors selling from small stalls or shops. There are many shops selling beautifully embroidered and colourful fabrics, and for trekkers, shops selling cheap kit - I purchased two walking poles for 1100 Nepal rupees (ten pounds ), but will not need a down jacket until Pokhara, for the higher altitudes. Other than these 2 items have managed to bring the right kit!
Walking back to the Kathmandu Peace Guest House in the early evenings has proved challenging as the electricity is cut in areas of the city, apparently on a rotational basis, and the experience is fairly hazardous due to motorbikes and cars and the lack of pavements.
Sadly the uploading of photo's is still proving difficult and annoyingly will need to wait for another time, in the meantime am tempted to place all photo's on a disc.
Given that the trek will mean the internet is inaccessible for much if not all of the time , it may be December before this is updated.
Photo 1&2 The Brothers and Sisters Festival at Ram Rimal's home.

This 40-ish hour journey to Kathmandu consigns Rome to my memory file. A great experience despite the need for prophylaxis for strep meningitis when my room mate had a nasty episode. Fortunately 2 of us managed to persuade the ambulance crew that A was in need of treatment and was suffering more than 'flu symptoms!
The penultimate day in Rome was not finding the route to the Appian way but by default touring the Roman cathedral of San Giovanni. The cathedral's bronze doors were another example of the re-cycling of ancient Rome's artifacts.
My third attempt was successful in walking part of the Appian Way, the bonus was visiting the St Cecelia Catacombs. This experience finished the Rome visit on a high note.
Photo 1 The main Square in Kathmandu

5 days in this city are fast disappearing.
The accommodation, whilst basic enables me to meet many young and older people (mainly young) also travelling . The dorm I'm sharing at the moment is a reflection of the Commonwealth, an Aussie, Kiwi, and Canadian, all are in the middle of their travels.
It reminds me of being in a YHA hostel with the added luxury of an en suite! So far have taken the tourist route of visiting the Colosseum, Forum and Trevi fountain in one day and the Vatican, Sistine Chapel and St Pietra Basillica on the second day. Day 1 was spectacular and the Forum worth a second visit. The Vatican was breathtaking and took some time to absorb the truly amazing artwork.
Tomorrow will be a chance to visit the Appian Way and a catacombs if all goes well.
Achieved both and despit difficulty in locating catacombs did finally go down to level 2 of St Catherines catacombs after walking about 2 miles down the Appian Way from Circus Maximo.
Photo 6 The Trevi fountain
Photo 5 The palatine Hill with its jumble of palaces built one on top of another.
Photo 4 The Colosseum
Photo 3 The Roman Forum
Photo 2 The Appian Way
Photo 1 Leaving Rome for Nepal, Termini Stazioni.

An interesting day spent bellringing and attending the St Mary's church service, my last in the country for some time. Following an hours walk along the River Thames, seeing herons, swans and cormorants, I reflected on some of the good memories of my grandchildren, Josh and Chloe, and my daughter, Kate, given that all is not well between us . Helped Josephine and others count monies for the Macmillan charity collection .
Josephine(sister-in-law) and Desmond have made me feel very welcome in their home for an unexpectedly long stay, given the delay in leaving on my travels. I am very grateful for their unstinting hospitality.
Have now booked 2 tours in Rome, for the Colosseum and the Vatican, and am relishing the thought of spending 5 days in Rome.

London pre-travel

6 days in London staying with Josephine and Desmond in Barnes whilst waiting for the passport and visa. Spending time in Barnes is very much a reminder of the 11 years I have spent here whilst working in South London. Being here without working has a different feel to it and is infinitely more relaxing.
The two achievements today were booking the flight from Auckland NZ to Lima, Peru, am now booked for 2/3rds around the world, and the passport has now reached Grimsby and is on it's way to London. I can't begin to describe the relief after the trials and tribulations of the past 16 days, it has taken exactly one month to process!!
So now the fun can begin.... am flying to Rome on 22nd and then to Kathmandu on 29th October, all being well, that is.
Will be able to attend an ex-colleagues leaving party tomorrow and hope to ring the bells at Barnes church on Sunday, and in the meantime take advantage of the river walks along the Thames between now and Tuesday..

Dorset

The coastal path and Durdle Dore

Dorset Journey

6 days in sunny Dorset have been very relaxing and ennervating. Gareth has been an excellent host and we have taken advantage of the brilliant weather (average temp 22 C in October!) and walked part of the Dorset coastal path. Attending bellringing practice in Cattistock has enabled me to catch up with old friends in the area. Friday night supping a few beers with the ringers in the local hostelry reminds me of past times in the village with many happy memories.
The train to London is on Tuesday and the flight out to Rome on 16th October.

Travel beginnings -update

Today is a good day. Promised arrival of passport and visa on Monday 13th October , plan C is to start by journey to Rome on 16th Oct. Sadly have had to cancel stay in Venice, but will leave that to another journey sometime in 2010.
My frustration levels have reduced and there has been enough time to recoup some losses whilst staying with Maggie in Grimsby - she has been a brick and given me the space and facilities to email etc to my hearts content. I have been asked to up the profile of the Grimsby stay by adding the following:
' best place - Grimsby;best view - Grimsby; best company - Grimsby; best humour - Grimsby'
- Maggie!!!
Yesterday we re-visited our childhood holiday memories and walked from Cleethorpes to Humberston fitties. It could be described as 'bracing' and Gareth, a Dorset person's perception as 'BIG SKY'.
Wednesday, 8th Oct will be travelling to Dorset for a 5 day stay, but more of that later...

Today is not a good day, still no news of arrival of passport /india visa. 3 days before leaving UK, appears increasingly unlikely that will be delay in setting off on 6/10/08. However there is still 1 working day left. May need to activate Plan B starting Sunday!!

Train time

Hi Lou,
Eurostar leaves at 12.30.

Travel Itinerary 6/10/08 to 1/4/10

6/10/08

Travel Eurostar via Paris to Venice.
7 nights in Venice, sightseeing.



15/10/08

Train to Rome. 4 nights in Rome and vist Coliseum etc.



20/10/08

Fly to Delhi via Doha
5 nights in Delhi.


25/10/08

Fly to Kathmandu
Book treks including Everest base camp.



16/1/09

Fly to Delhi. 2 night stay.



18/1/09

Fly to Bangkok.
Overnight train to Chang Mi
Staying at friends flat as a base and visiting Wats in N Thailand, Cambodia, and possibly Laos

4/09

Fly to Christchurch NZ via Sydney
Trekking in Southern mountains
Travel; through South and North Island to Auckland, ringing at churches on the way

7/09

Fly from Auckland to Fiji

8/09
Fly to Brisbane.
Overland travel to Cairns and visit Great Barrier Reef

10/09
Fly to Lima via Santiago
Join party for Cusco to Machu Piccu trek.
Visit locality around Cusco.
Travel overland by train/bus to Aquitos, N. Peru
Amazon river journey to Belem at Amazon estuary
Travel overland from Belem to Rio

1/10

Belem to Rio de Janeiro
Stay in Rio with friends
2/10 Rio Carnival

4/10
Fly home

Travel planning is a continuum that currently does not progress in an orderly forward direction. If only it were so easy, but it is not so.
Departure date is set for 6th October 2008, a month away from this posting.
Before this date a home is to be converted into a house for renting, work on said house is a game of 3 steps forward and 2 back.... But progress is being made.
The travel planning side is somewhat impaled on Indian and Nepalese visas. You do question the need for some of the information requested for the first visa, an example is, supply 2 referees based on the Indian subcontinent. Given the fact that it is the first time this area has been visited by me how the .... are you supposed to know anyone who can furnish you with their personal details.
However the travel bookings are looking more positive despite the re booking of a Delhi to Kathmandu flight 3 times with a subsequent price hike.
Finally the wind up to going is becoming a reality when you meet friends and acquiantances who remind you that this is the last time you will see them until April 2010.