We have our fingers and toes crossed for this years AOP awards! The print is in head office along with all of the several other photographer’s entries whom Helen is facing! As a member of the AOP Helen tries to support the association where possible and the awards program is one way to do this. Plus it is one of the most highly regarded photography awards in the industry.

The second round means they get to look at the print in flesh, and thanks to The Printspace using Canson Baryta paper Helen had a 60x50cm print shipped straight to the AOP’s London head office.

We don’t know yet when the finalists will be announced, but what it means if it gets this far is a place in this years awards exhibition to be held in a London gallery later this year as well as a page in the prestigious awards book sent out to many agencies and clients looking for fresh and established talent.

We’ll keep you posted and here’s her entry taken from a temple look out site in Kathmandu, Nepal.

(Leica M9, Summicron-M 50mm f2.0, processed in Lightroom 4 and photoshop)

For our final few days left in Nepal we spent the majority of our time recuperating after the trek. Once we had our Indian visas in hand there was little else for us to arrange and so we took advantage of a pleasant room at Pilgrims and decided to do a spot of sightseeing.

On our first full day back in Kathmandu we opted to take some of our trekking gear to The Porter’s donation charity based at KEEP, where we also wrote an account of our trekking experience in their 2012 Everest Region journal. We felt good about doing this as we enjoyed reading through the notes when we first arrived.

We spent a lazy afternoon in The Garden of Dreams where we enjoyed great food and a chance to sit and relax away from the busyness of the city. We vowed to come back before leaving Nepal. The only things that got in the way of our recovery and sight-seeing time were Helen’s sore throat and Dave’s lightening bolt effect food poisoning from the falafel stand in Thamel. Eek! We were however comforted when Joshua and Amata returned and decided to stay in our guesthouse too. We were also relieved to have access to over the counter antibiotics, we know this isn’t something that should be taken for granted but it was handy in this situation.

Helen enjoyed a fantastic Paneer-Dosa with friends at Pilgrim’s Bookshop cafe, they have a nice space out the back of the bookshop. Dave opted to stay in and recover and we arranged to sight-see later on.

We took a rickshaw out to Swayambhunath, the ‘monkey-temple’ as it’s also known at around 4pm to get the low light effect. It was packed with locals going up to say their prayers and turn the hundreds of prayer wheels, the site looks down on Kathmandu and is home to shrines, prayer flags, large Buddhas and a tall crowning stupa. There are some 365 stone steps to reach the stupa lined with trees and monkeys and hawkers trying to feel tat. There is a 100rs fee for tourist entry.

The following day Dave was still ill and so Helen ventured off with Joshua and Amata to Pashupatinah, Nepal’s largest Hindu shrine.

We couldn’t access much of the site but what you do witness are hindi’s on their deathbed’s, wrapped in orange cloth on stone slabs with their feet dipped in the water (this is to drain out the remainder of their life). From there they get taken to stone Ghat’s used for cremation and there is quite a stench in the air whist bodies’ are cremated on piles of wood for all eyes to see. It was an interesting and slightly voyeuristic experience, but it was equally intense and in some ways upsetting to watch people’s emotions being played out right in front of us. Dotted around the complex are fancily dressed male Saddhu’s who wait for tourists so that they can charge for a photograph, Helen managed to get a sneaky one without them noticing.

We walked from Pashupatinah to Bodhnath northeast of Kathmandu city centre. We could see the temple as we made our way down the hill and into the urban area. It was a really nice walk ambling through village-like areas with dwelling’s surrounded by some greenery, something you don’t see in Thamel. Bodhnath is 40m in height and is the largest Buddhist stupa in Nepal, marking the centre of the country’s Tibetan culture. Always circling stupas and mani-walls on the left here a few hundred people were walking around the base of the stupa surrounded by gompas and pilgrim rest-houses and tea lodges. We walked around the top of base of the stupa also before enjoying some tea and momo’s at Dew Drops Cafe looking out directly over the site.

We enjoyed good pizza’s at The Roadhouse along with some decent Thai food on the other side of the street, and on our last day in Kathmandu we returned to the very relaxing Garden of Dreams visiting the nice Patan Durbar Square.

Patan is around a half hour south of Thamel by taxi which was the first time we’d actually left the Thamel area since we’d been staying in Kathmandu. It’s hyped to be much nicer than the Thamel Durbar Square we didn’t visit, but those guys said it was way nicer and well kept in comparison. There are 3 main courtyards in the square open to public and in one of the old palace building’s is a very good Nepalise historical museum. Many people are drawn to the square to meet with friends or to sketch the wonderful Newari-crafted architecture. It was also nice to roam the backstreets of Patan and get a feel for the place, there are many temples and shrines dotted around and more locals are simply living there rather being constantly surrounded by people trying to sell you stuff as it often seems to be the case in Thamel.

Kathmandu is a mixture of several things, there is rubbish literally everywhere, the place is extremely polluted and it’s busy all the time. Having said this though it was exciting to be thrown back into a culture like this. We’ve really loved our time in Nepal and hope that the photographs and blog entries give you a glimpse of what it meant for us to be there exploring their rich culture and amazing country. Yes there is a huge problem with rubbish and infrastructure but we couldn’t help but feel a close connection to the people who really welcomed us into their beautiful country.

(Leica M9, Summicron-M 50mm f2.0, 18mm f4, 90mm Tele-Elmarit f2.8 processed in Lightroom 3)

Day 21: Flight out of Lukla to Kathmandu

Up early and ready for our exhilarating flight leaving the Himalayas behind and arriving back in Kathmandu (after 21 days of hiking) in under 30 minutes! The weather looked favorable and from the window of the Northface Lodge we could see planes landing and departing. We made the 5 minute walk through Lukla town to the airport which is quite the site to behold. You walk behind the runway and get a great view looking down the steep tarmac to the cliff as the tarmac disappears over a cliff face.

Checking in for our 7am flight was relatively easy, bags weighed and tagged, airport departure taxes paid (we paid 150rs each) security searches and then arrival into the departure “lounge”. Passenger and delivery planes arrived and departed with surprising efficiency whilst we waiting to be called. At 8am our plane arrived and we were hurried onto the 12 seater aircraft and greeted by the lone air hostess.

Takeoff is an exhilarating experience that rapidly descends downhill and as we became airborne a little cheer from one or two passengers emerged. The views are obviously exquisite and it was great to see some of the paths that we hiked and the villages that we frequented whilst hiking. The video (taken on the Olympus Pen) hopefully gives a little flavor of the experience…

Upon landing in Kathmandu we collected our bags and exited the airport with surprising speed and jumped in a taxi. Kathmandu, in the three weeks that we were absent, had dramatically increased in temperature and we were soon stripping off the mountain layers. We returned to spend the evening at Pilgrims Guest house where we had stored luggage and utilised the free safety deposit box. Dave required a haircut and beard trim before we settled back into city life which cost 150rs.

We also arranged for the collection of our Indian Visas and passports, we had left them with Deepak at Mount Fuji Adventures and Laxmi from the Indian Embassy. With a little waiting around to do they didn’t let us down and by 6pm we had our passports back with the Indian visa stuck firmly inside. We did have to return to the embassy with Laxmi earlier on that day so that they could confirm that it was indeed us applying for the visas but that’s all we needed to do. The steep fees for arranging an agent to take care of this meant that we were able to undertake our trek without the stresses of waiting in Kathmandu for several or more days.

Hiking in the Himalayas was quite possibly the highlight of our travels so far. The friends we made along the way, the locals who provided shelter and food, the mountains for such wonderful awe inspiring views, the quite perfect weather conditions and the feeling of personal and physical accomplishment was every bit we could have wished for. We are certain that one day we will be back for more!

(Leica M9, Summicron-M 50mm f2.0, 18mm f4, 90mm Tele-Elmarit f2.8 processed in Lightroom 3)

Prior to leaving Kathmandu we had arranged to leave one of our bigger bags at Pilgrims Guesthouse and we also took advantage of their free security safes at the desk and hid away our valuables. The return date written on our bag was for around the 22nd March, 21 days away! EEK!

We had a taxi pick up booked for 5.15am to take us to the main bus station for our Super Express Bus to Jiri at 6am. It was a little confusing in the dark as to which one our bus was but after asking around and a small tip to one of the vendors we found the Jiri bound bus and opted to take the first two seats behind the driver. We mainly did this so that we had space for our backpacks. One thing we’d forgotten to mention was that we weighed our packs the night before and we were at around 15kg’s each, perhaps a little too heavy!

The bus ride to Jiri was actually okay, the driver was perhaps a little crazy but he knew the roads well and we were on the Super Express after all! We had anticipated around 8-10 hours for the 190km journey but we arrived in 7.5, and this was with a fast couple of toilet breaks, an excellent stop for Dhal Baht and a small automotive repair on the roadside.

Jiri sits at 1600m and it’s quite a bustling village and we opted for the Cherdunna Hotel and Lodge which was our first taste of the basic lodges we would encounter on our trek. We enjoyed our brief time in Jiri taking in the Stupa and village overlook whilst enjoying our first trekking meal of vegetable momo’s and noodle soup. The owners are really friendly at this place and even turned on the British commentated tennis match that was taking place on TV.

There were a few French-men on our bus who were ready for a big trek and we knew that when we started out our first day of trekking the next day we wouldn’t be seeing them for a while. The route itself is easy to find and thanks to the Cicerone Everest Guide to trekking in the region we had a really well described guide to the trail. There is a big blue sign and an orange dot that marks the start of the trail and so that was that, we were on our way to Namche in the Mid-hills.

Here’s how we did the first 4 days of our trek from Jiri to Sete:

• Day one: Jiri to Shivalya – 4 hours with a high point of 2400m

Many people go further than this but we wanted to see how we would get on with the backpacks and it seemed like a logical place to stop. This first day of walking was beautiful, we were surrounded by terraces, farmland and views of the valleys around. We walked through more smaller villages along the way and were welcomed by many orange/red circles which indicated the trail. We did get it wrong a few times though and locals came along to point us in the right direction. In particular at Mali when we managed to miss the path completely but were called back by some happy homeowners who sent us on the correct steep downwards path. We also had our first glimpse of snow-peaked mountains in the distance, we had a long way to go yet!

We crossed over a swing bridge and then as we approached Shivalaya we crossed another swing bridge which took us straight over to The river Guest House, located on the right as your enter the village. For 100rupees we had a room and we opted for a deal baht lunch with noodle soup later on. We met a handful of trekkers, some were pushing on quickly whilst others were already dealing with stomach bugs. Shivalaya is a picturesque village and we managed to buy ourselves a few bananas and suntala (oranges) for the next day.

• Day two: Shivalaya to Bhandar – 5 hours with a high point of 2705m

We were up early and trekking by 7.30am after a sound breakfast of porridge and bananas. So far our bills were low and we were paying around 1500-2000 rupees for accommodation and food. The first section when leaving Shivalaya (still accompanied with orange circles for the trail marking) is steep and gave us a good taste of what lied ahead of us. We once again enjoyed fine views back down the valley and to the village before making our way over and beyond to a high point at 2705m for lunch in Deorali. From here we looked down upon Bhandar which was our next port of call.

In total we trekked for 5 hours including the lunch break and we wound up in Bhandar at 1pm choosing the Shobha Tea House and Lodge. The lady owner here is quite a character and a little pushy but we were happy to be led into making our dinner order. This time we had one daal baht and a potato curry, no frills here though and a potato curry is what it says on the tin! We had our first encounter with a group of lads from Singapore and we had a feeling we would be bumping into them along the way. Bhandar village has a lot of charm and the locals are really friendly, the group of girls were more than willing to pose for the camera.

• Day three: Bhandar to Sete – 6 hours with a high point of 2575m

We started out fairly easy on day 3 although we knew some of the worst was to come today! The hike from Bhandar is downhill and fairly easy, especially after some tasty apple porridge for breakfast. We found the trail once more and took a few hours to get to Kenja, this could be another stop over point for trekkers but we were prepared to start the steep climb to Sete in order to break up a big hike over the next few days. We met the Singapore lads again in Kenja who were worried that they were going too slow.

Lunch was at The Buddah Lodge in Kenja, where we sat and watched the locals prepare for a market and we found some more suntala to boost the non-existent fruit intake. The food was good and cheap and we were ready to start more steep climbing upwards to Sete. This is where we would say it got tough! For 3 hours we were hiking up a steep hill which was relentless, dry and hot. We also knew by this point that we were carrying too much gear and so this made us grumble a little! Still you can’t help but be rewarded by the views over the valleys. We passed porters carrying goods up and down hill and again saw some of the Himalaya mountain range far far away.

We opted for Sete as our overnight stay at this point and arrived at around 2.30pm, greeted by a friendly American couple who we’d seen sign in on the check point sheets. They were moving on upwards but we thought we’d see them again also! So the Singapore lads carried on and we enjoyed a very nice afternoon on the terrace of The Everest View Lodge, looking out over the distant hills and close-by terraces. This was accompanied with a pot of milk tea and a warm foot bath. The family at Everest View are really friendly, we enjoyed more Dhal Baht and an apple pie, something that is commonly on the menus in this part of the world. The rooms at Everest View are really basic and we were happy to be the only guests staying as the rooms are packed in with lots of gaps all around.

(Leica M9, Summicron-M 50mm f2.0, 18mm f4, 90mm Tele-Elmarit f2.8 & Olympus PEN, 17mm f2.8 & 100mm f2.8, processed in Lightroom 3)

There was some misunderstanding between us and Pilgrim’s Guesthouse in Kathmandu; we’d tried to book a room but didn’t have any response and so when we arrived at the airport we decided we would head there first of all to see if they had any rooms. When we arrived they said they had a taxi waiting for us at the airport with our names written on a sign! We were none the wiser, it would have been a free pick up but their forms are way out of date, and we didn’t get an email to confirm this.

Anyway it all worked out okay, we were excited when we first arrived. The streets were busy, full of bikes, pedestrians, cars and buses, and we were back in the land of horn honking! In this part of the world it’s okay to beep your horn at a person, a car, a truck whomever it may be to let them know you’re there. Makes sense in some ways. It’s really polluted in Kathmandu and we noticed this straight away, a soft haze is around all the time with only a 4km point of visibility.

So we checked into Pilgrims and agreed a price for 3 nights with the owner, a frank Nepalese man. We were happy with our room although failed to notice the schedule for electricity and hot water. Every place has a schedule we later learned. It was much cooler than where we had come from and so had our winter clothes at the ready.

For our first 3 days in Nepal we did little but focus on the trek. We were hoping to fit in some sight-seeing but we couldn’t quite fit this into our days of planning. Our plan was to start the Everest region trek from Jiri, the original route from which all Everest treks began before the days of the Lukla airstrip. We were aiming for a 20 day-ish trek taking in the heights of Gokyo-Ri and flying back out of Lukla.

First on our agenda though was to organise our Indian visas for the next month. We were ready for the queuing and thought we would need about a week to arrange this, but as we looked into it and with our time-frame we opted to pay for someone to organise our visas for us. This was obviously the more costly option but it did mean we would be able to start our trek by the end of the week, safe in the knowledge that our visas were being dealt with. It also meant we had to leave our passports behind in Kathmandu with our agent Deepak at Mount Fuji Adventure and Laxmi from the Indian embassy. We were very reassured though that we could put our trust in them and we felt that the steep $90 fee each was enough to confirm this.

So with the visa in hand we had to organise our TIMS trekking permits and find ourselves some gear as well as try to arrange for a one way open flight ticket from Lukla to Kathmandu. Although we were happy to do the Jiri walk in, we most certainly didn’t want to have to walk it out too!

TIMS is straight forward enough, just make sure you know the opening times of their office at the Tourism Board building, 10-4pm we think. It’s (1200rs) for the TIMS permit which is what you need if you’re not trekking with a group or guided tour. There is the 1000 rupee fee for entering the Everest Solukhumbu National Park and we were also told we would need to pay 1500 rupee each for a permit to trek in parts of the Jiri region. We didn’t have any knowledge otherwise and so paid for all 3, perhaps the Jiri one can be avoided, but hopefully it all goes to preservation and conservation of the local areas so for a small fee its worth it.

We rented some down jackets from Guide Himalaya Trekking Shop in Thamel and were happy with the standard of the jackets. We also bought some thicker gloves, a snood each and splashed out on a steri-pen, something we’d been advised to buy if budget could stretch to it. Little did we know how good the steri-pen was until we started using it and so it was well worth the $45 splurge.

Lastly our bus tickets to Jiri and the open flight ticket was bought through another agent who was working at Pilgrims. They don’t work for the hotels’ they’re just agents who pop in to see who they can sell their services to. Most of them are ex-guides and so have extensive knowledge of the system. We thought we would get our tickets through one of these men, he had a fairly decent deal on the table and it was easier for us to organise the tickets in one go. We were booked onto the 6am Super Express Bus from Kathmandu leaving on the 1st to Jiri, and we were told it would only take 6 hours! Hmmm we had our reservations about that one. We also paid $135 each for the open flight ticket from Lukla to Kathmandu, if you arrange a fixed ticket the price should be around $116 if bought in Kathmandu.

Our photographs from our first time in Kathmandu are a handful of street photography images, as we were gathering information, ideas and equipment for the trek. This was for either of us the biggest trek we had done in one go and we decided sight-seeing in Kathmandu would come at the end. We mainly enjoyed food at Pilgrim’s and during the day at other restaurants around Thamel. Very soon we would be venturing out into the mid-hills to start the trek of a lifetime.

(Leica M9, Summicron-M 50mm f2.0, 18mm f4, 90mm Tele-Elmarit f2.8 & Olympus PEN, 17mm f2.8 & 100mm f2.8, processed in Lightroom 3)

We wont be on here for a little while as we’re off exploring parts of the Everest Region. We start our trek in Jiri and will be making our way to Gokyo Lakes and Gokyo Ri. We hope you don’t miss us too much!

Thanks for following, and we’ll be updating when we’re back and resting from our epic hike!

Helen and Dave x