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)

Below is a list of Notworkrelated ‘Awards’ which we allocated during our trekking adventure, some of them were reached with the aid of our trekking partners Joshua and Amata and were loving called the ‘Rutcoe-Urdan’ awards!

Here we go:

• Best Accommodation/Lodge/Teahouse – Ang Chopka, Jumbessi
• Best Dal Bhat – Moonlight Lodge, Namche
• Best Finger Chips – Moonlight Lodge, Namche
• Best Ra-ra Noodle Soup – Unknown lodge in Puiyan (left hand side further on from The Sun Shine Lodge)
• Best Breakfast – Ang Chopka, Jumbessi: Porridge
• Best Apple Pie – Worlds Highest Bakery, Khumjung 3780m
• Best Milk Tea – Ang Chopka, Jumbessi (masala milk tea)
• Best Bed – Gokyo Lakeside, Gokyo (great blankets) and Ang Chopka, Jumbessi (although we cheated and doubled up the mattresses from one of the other unoccupied rooms!)
• Best Shower – Moonlight Lodge, Namche
• Best Views on a Hiking Day – Machermo to Gokyo and Gokyo Ri
• Best Lodge Terrace Views – Everest View, Sete (No view of Everest but a lovely valley below)

Bonus:

• Hardest Trekking Days – Lamjura Pass (Steep and Hot), Chaurikarka to Namche (Long distance, relentless up hill to Namche) and Namche to Lukla (Exhaustion and distance)
• Most amount of time without a shower – 6 days
• We worked out from our guide book (the excellent “A Cicerone Guide: Everest: A Trekker’s Guide (Trekking routes in Nepal and Tibet) by Kev Reynolds”) that we in total for the entire trip we… ascended 9297m, descended 7358m and walked for a total of 173km.

Top tips:

We realise some of you may be well read on what is useful and or what should go in your trekking backpack. We were pretty organised and as well planned as we could be incorporating a trip like this within our World travels. That is until we met a few other trekkers who were way more organised and weight conscious than we!

We want to offer some advice on what to bring, what not to bring, a few top tips and so on. Here’s what we feel would be a sensibly packed trekking backpack for the Himalayas in the Spring:

• A good, lightweight rucksack; we opted for Osprey but there is so much out there. Our friends had packs weighing around 20 pounds total (9kg’s), that’s good weighing skills! Ours weighed at least 15kgs each (33 pounds!!) way too heavy, which is why we left items behind in Namche before heading to Gokyo.

The rest of the list…

• Well worn-in trekking boots
• 1x pair of flip flops
• 2x thermal long sleeve tops: 1 for trekking, 1 for sleeping
• 1x thermal trousers lightweight
• 2/3 pairs of wool trekking socks perhaps making one pair a thin pair.
• 3 pairs of underwear and 1 thermal underwear
• 1x fleece
• 1x windproof lightweight rain jacket
• 1x feather down jacket (it’s very cold in the evenings from early on in the trek) We hired one from a supplier in Kathmandu for 50rs/day per jacket
• 1x thin woollen gloves, 1x thick waterproof gloves
• 1x snood/scarf
• 1x buff
• 1x good UV protection sunglasses
• 2x t-shirts (ice-breaker/merino wool)
• 1x warm hat, 1x sun hat
• Sunscreen, lip protection
• Earplugs
• Travel towel
• Sleeping bag liner
• Sleeping bag – Duck down at least 700 Loft (it can get very cold at 5000m+)
• Water purification – we had a steri-pen (Èbought in Kathmandu for around $45) which was well worth the investment and aqua-tabs for back up – no tummy problems at all.
• Books/ Kindel (there is plenty of time to read and Kindel’s can be a little unreliable in extreme weather climates)
• Guide Book – A Cicerone Guide: Everest: A Trekker’s Guide (Trekking routes in Nepal and Tibet) by Kev Reynolds.
• Shoe laces (use as a washing line, a belt)
• Screws/nails (use to tack up a washing line in the room)
• Trekking poles (we only had 1 each but most people tend to have 2)
• Padlock and keys (in case there are no locks on the doors)
• Refillable water bottles (we chose Platypus and a metal Sigg bottle) The Platypus bottles are excellent, light-weight and squash down when empty, the Sigg bottle doubled up as a hot water bottle

Female advice:

• Try to get used to using a Shewee, it’s more discreet than squatting
• Take some wipes for those times when water just isn’t an option
• Take own Tampons and panty liners
• Take some moisturiser, this perhaps is a luxury item but it works when the dry skin sets in!

We also picked up some parcel tape along the way but our friends had Duct Tape wrapped around their pole in case of blistering and repairs. The duct tape can be strapped onto the inside heel of the boot to prevent foot blisters, or on the sock; Dave found this to be extremely helpful when it came to aiding his blister problems.

Things that helped us along the way:

• Nak Cheese – cheap and very good for a mid-trek snack
• Chocolate: Twix, Marsbar, Snickers, Toblerone, you name it we got it. We couldn’t believe how much chocolate we got through but the energy fix it gave us each time was well worth it.
• Own tea bags – for when it gets pricey higher up.
• Cinnamon and raisins from Kathmandu – helped with the porridge in the mornings.

Our budget:

We calculated that we would need around £20 ($32)/day taking into account that it would get more expensive the higher we got. Sometimes we went over budget, and by the end we had to borrow 3000rs from our friends (Thank you!!).

So we estimate that 55,000 Nepalese Rupees would be sufficient for a 22 day trek in this region. That equates to around £500 which when you break it down is roughly £22 ($35)/day. Not bad for the both of us. You could be even tighter by bringing more of your own tea bags and hot water from the teahouse and basically eat the cheapest things on the menu.

We hope that some of this information is useful to anyone considering or planning their very own trek. Any more tips or advice please feel free to add in the comments section.

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)

• Day 18: Gokyo to Mong

We were up early and breakfasted by 8am as we wanted to be on our way and get as far as we could in one day on our return to Namche. We felt ready to start heading down and Helen was starting to feel ill with a sore throat. This was our final morning with our new best buddies Joshua and Amata as they would leave a little later than us. We arranged to meet up with them in Kathmandu.

We left at 8.15am and it took us around 4hrs30mins to reach Dole. Although we were taking a few photographs along the way our main goal was to get down. We had borrowed some money from our friends to help us out with the budget; we’d gone over budget but only just. At the Himalayan Lodge in Dole we had some ra-ra noodle soup and hot lemon which was more expensive than nearly anywhere else we’d eaten the whole trek. We left Dole at 1.45pm and got to Phortse Tenga an hour later, from here we decided to head up to Mong and get the nasty uphill out of the way. We were feeling pretty shattered though and Helen was starting to feel rough so we opted to stay in Mong for the night at The Bouddha Lodge. We shared a Dahl Bat and sat in the smoky dining room with the family whilst they drank chang we watched and soaked up the warmth. We went to bed at 7pm which was probably a mistake as we didn’t sleep well at all.

• Day 19: Mong to Namche

Helen woke up with a stinking sore throat and cold, she was not the happiest of bunnies but we got up early enjoyed a pancake, porridge and tea and then set off at around 7.45am. It was a really lovely morning with clear blue skies, bright sunshine and hardly anyone on the paths. We decided to take a little detour on our way  back to Namche to visit Khumjung. Khumjung is one of the places that most people will do an acclimatisation walk to when they are staying in Namche as it sits at 3780m. We arrived there pretty early and were in search of the world’s highest bakery, which we found as we walked through the streets of the town. It’s quite a big place Khumjung and nearly every building has a green rooftop so it’s picturesque and also home to more locals than Namche.

We got to the bakery and decided to stay there a little while enjoying the hot chocolate, coffee and the best apple pie we’d eaten perhaps in the last year of travelling! It was well worth the stop. We left Khumjung via the Hilliary school and the massive mani wall that sits to the right of it. From here there are a few steep up and down hill sections which eventually lead you towards looking out over the town of Namche below.

We were back in Namche by 1pm and settled into The Moonlight Lodge, they welcomed us back and we enjoyed more of their good food. By the evening we were sat in front of the fire hoping that we would be able to set out to Lukla the next day as Helen wasn’t feeling very good at all. We said we would let them know in the morning and then they would be able to fix our flight ticket. They do really good finger chips at The Moonlight and they have a very sweet grandchild who is often the center of attention.

• Day 20: Namche to Lukla

We decided to push on the next day and hike to Lukla, at Moonlight they re-confirmed our flight ticket and told us which guesthouse we would need to arrive at later on in order to arrange the details. We were reassured that we didn’t have to rush though, usually people would need to arrive in Lukla between 3-4pm in order to confirm their flights for the next day but as Helen was feeling ill he said not to worry about that and to take our time.

We still felt an urgency to get there though and before dark. It took us a lot longer than the average 6 hours taken by the locals (we assume it’s the locals – perhaps they do it in even less!). We were now also fully laden with the gear we had left behind at Moonlight and straight away this was pretty noticeable. We enjoyed a good first 3 hours after leaving Namche as it was all pretty much downhill, as we passed by many porters carrying goods up to Namche for the weekend market. We enjoyed a cheese and crackers stop in Mondzo and later on, which felt like hours, we stopped in Phakding for lunch at the same place as we did on our way up. We were probably a little late getting lunch as our energy levels were in need of some rejuvenation, and fortunately for us the food was really good; noodles, eggs and chapatti, followed by a much needed Twix.

It was another 2hrs30mins before we finally got to Lukla at 5.30pm, we were spent and tired and it was a very good feeling to have made it to our final destination. We stayed at The Northface Lodge which is by all accounts a business highway of trekkers coming in or out of Lukla, they are there to sort out flight tickets and try to sell expensive food in the process. Although the food was good and the room decent for it’s price this place doesn’t have much personality. They arranged our tickets and we had all fingers crossed that we would fly out the next day. We were on the 7am 4th flight, and that morning only 4 planes had left Lukla for Kathmandu on the 6am rota so we only hoped the weather would be in our favour.

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

• Day 17: Morning hike up to Gokyo Ri 5360m

We were up fairly early and opted to have some breakfast before heading up to the peak. Most trekkers leave for the views before sunrise and enjoy the sun rising up over Everest. We had heard it can get pretty packed up on the top and so we wanted to leave it a little later so we would get up there and have the views all to ourselves.

We took it very slowly and we were all feeling the altitude slowing our bodies down. We passed many trekkers making their way down from the sunrise, some of which had started out at 4am and exclaimed that it was freezing for the most part. Even though most days the clouds close in as the afternoon arrives it’s usually pretty clear in the mornings and we were not disappointed by any means when we woke up to bright sunshine and clear views.

There are many paths all intertwining with each other as you start heading up the so called hill that is Gokyo-Ri. We took around 2 hours to reach the top and as we were on our way up we kept looking out across the lakes, the glaciers and to Everest. When we reached the top we felt emotional, this was the ultimate part of the trek, the highest we would go and we’d taken 17 days to get here. Before long the 3 French boys whom we’d travelled with on the bus out of Kathmandu had arrived to join us in our little moment of triumph. They had been to Everest Base Camp, trekked up to Kala-Pattar, crossed over the Chu-La pass and were now on Gokyo-Ri, all of this they’d done in the exact same time as we’d taken to get here! They were mountain boys though after all and we felt like we’d achieved what we wanted to. Still it was very ironic for us to be up so high with those guys and we timed it right, for over an hour we were on the top enjoying our time with no other trekkers or groups around. For a little while we weren’t sure which one was Everest and felt stupid when it was confirmed by the French lads as we’d been looking at peaks much further away!

We were a little trigger happy as the prayer flags were blowing all around us and we were just in awe of the views out across to Everest (In the below image Everest is the highest peak with very little snow). The four of us tied our prayer scarfs onto the line of hundreds that were already there and relished the moment. We even took time to enjoy a mars/snickers break.

It took us an hour to get back down to the lodge where we chilled out for the rest of the day. We were happy to be in Gokyo at our little lodge with our quirky lady owner entertaining us! Later on we were joined by a loud group of American, Brazillian trekkers with their highly accomplished guides and porters (their head guide had summited Everest 12 times). They spoiled our little haven but we were amused by their bragging stories of guru’s, buddhism and the Vietnam War.

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

• Day 14: Phortse Tenga to Dole with a high point of 4084m

We had now been on the go for 14 days making our way to Gokyo, 14 days of trekking! This is the longest either of us had hiked with our backpacks from place to place, valley to valley, mountain to mountain. We were loving every minute (nearly). So this would be perhaps our easiest day of hiking in terms of distance and landscape. We did have a fairly steep up hill section out of Phortse Tenga which leveled out as we got closer to Dole. Most of the trekkers left at around 8-8.30am but we found that having a slightly later start meant we didn’t bump into so many groups meaning we often had the paths all to ourselves.

We arrived in Dole quite rely before midday and opted to stay at The Dole Resort on the other side of the village heading on the path outwards. We had the place to ourselves, the owners are friendly enough and so we opted for an afternoon of reading wrapped up in our thick blankets until they put the yak-dung fuelled fire on. The main reason why this went on as more trekkers were arriving with a guide and porters and we assume that they call ahead to say they’re on their way. The other thing we witnesses was a local trekker getting seconds on ra-ra noodle soup!! This never happens being a tourist trekker! By the evening though we were pretty snug in our dining room den. We were pretty lazy that day once we’d settled but the best advice is to do next to nothing when you arrive at your new altitude, so we were merely following the rules! It was snowing for most of the afternoon and evening and so we felt good to be next to a hot fire.

• Day 15: Dole to Machhermo with a high point of 4465m

By now we were starting to have unsettled sleep, for some reason we felt like we were almost trying too hard to get air to breath in order to feel like we were getting off to sleep. It’s a weird feeling and the mind definitely plays tricks on you. Helen was getting headaches, but during the night they would subside, whilst Dave was still struggling with his blistered feet. Our bill in Dole for 2 breakfasts, lunches, dinners and tea came to 3130rs.

We really enjoyed the 3 hour hike to Machhermo, suddenly we were presented with new mountains and valleys to gaze at. We felt like ants in this massive mountainous environment. The mist and snow had cleared from the day before and although the winds were cold the skies were blue and the sun very strong. We also noticed that over the past 2 days we’d crossed the tree line, there were no longer trees just rock, some shrubbery and bits of grass. We drank plenty of water along the way and had a few snack breaks too.

Machhermo is a pleasant place with lodges dotted all around. We opted for Namgyal Lodge, quite a big lodge in comparison to the rest but we thought is there were more people staying there they’d get the fire going earlier. We did a little bit of clothes washing with a pot of water costing 50rs and sat in the sun soaked dining room. The rooms at the lodge are really nice and well insulated and they are built around a garden/patio area.

By this point a small pot of tea was costing 550rs and so thinking a little bit about our budget we opted for a pot of hot water at 350rs, as we carried some extra tea bags with us. At 3pm we went to an altitude lecture which we’d felt encouraged to go to when the volunteer doctors came around earlier on to let us know that it would be taking place at the rescue centre that afternoon. They are a porter charity offering food and lodgings to the many porters hired by individuals and trekking agencies. We were pretty shocked to learn that up until recently most porters would sleep in caves if there were no beds available in the lodges. Plus there were a few incidences of porter neglect at altitude and so this charity is there to support the scheme as well as offering medical and rescue care for trekkers in the region. We felt reassured that our altitude gain had been sensible and we all donated 100rs each to do an oxygen saturation test. Amata came out top with a whopping 96%, Joshua was next with 94% and Dave 91%, this is excellent for the current altitude, Helen’s sat more averagely at 86%. Based on the talk though both Helen and Joshua opted to take Dymox to help with the restless nights and mild altitude sickness.

After some fairly good dal bhat and potatoes with veg and cheese we were ready for bed. Dave felt he’d been discriminated against as there were no seconds on the dal bhat (this is usually a guaranteed bonus of having the local dish).

• Day 16: Machhermo to Gokyo with a hight point of 4750m

We both slept restlessly once again but Helen’s headaches seemed to have gone and it didn’t feel as cold mainly because the rooms are well insulated at Namgyal Lodge. Again we left a little later than most which worked in our benefit as we trekked towards Gokyo. This would be our penultimate day of hiking before reaching the dizzy heights of Gokyo Ri.

We loved the walk to Gokyo, it was full of contrasts. We were welcomed with wide open plains, the wild river below, more 6-8000m peaks and the totally awesome presence of the Ngozumpa Glacier (36km/22miles the longest in the Himalayas) with Cho Oyu (8,200m / 27,000ft) dominating the upper valley. At the first lake which was the only lake not frozen we met thousands of rock cairn monuments built by the trekkers who have passed through the area. It felt a little like a spiritual graveyard representing each and everyone of us who have journeyed onwards to Gokyo. It did feel quite special.

We took the day slowly and marveled at the views whilst also joining Joshua and Amata for some celebratory snacks along the way; teriyaki beef jerky (enjoyed by all but Helen) and some ginger dark chocolate which they had lovingly carried with them since leaving America for their trip. We passed by the 2nd and 3rd lakes which were both totally frozen and snowed over and then we were in Gokyo, a place now occupied with tea houses and lodgings. There aren’t any locals living here other than to run their guesthouses.

We had been given a card for The Lakeside Lodge by a Japanese hiker whom we’d bumped into in Thame. So this is where we ended up. It’s pretty much the first lodging that we got to but we thought we’d go with it, plus the lady owner had lots of personality and said to us in a whisper that if we stay with her she’ll give us a room for free! How could we pass that offer? The food was good and for the first night we had the place all to ourselves. 4750m would be the highest we would be sleeping at. We were running out of money but decided we would spend 2 nights in Gokyo so that we could hit Gokyo Ri the next morning and then rest before making longer days to get back down to Namche and onwards to Lukla.

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

• Day 11: Namche to Thame with a high point of 3950m

We opted to take a 2 day acclimatisation period by hiking from Namche to Thame which is an elevation gain of around 400m. It is recommended to do this perhaps more so if you’re flying into Lukla but we wanted to take advantage of the time and also the walk sounded really nice. Amata was still struggling with a cold and so we set off at around 9am perhaps later for the 3 hour hike to Thame, and we left a good few items behind which would make the journey a little easier for all of us.

This particular hike is a really beautiful one taking in the valley north-west of Namche through a few smaller dwellings and pine forests. There are some impressive mani-walls and scripted paintings on the cliff along the way and we stopped for our consistent cheese and crackers snack which did mean that we took a little longer to get to Thame. Dave was also in trainers which mean’t he had a pain free walk.

The hike into and upwards towards the Thame is again really rewarding with parts of the river frozen below and the mountains that engulf the village covered in snow. We crossed through a gate and before long we were in Thame opting the stay at The Sunshine Lodge, where we enjoyed a basic room, it was pretty dirty but the mattresses were soft which was fast becoming one of the most important things when we were getting a bed for the night. The food at Sunshine is pretty good, and the main lady put the fire on nice an early too.

That same afternoon we hiked upto the monastery overlooking the village of Thame, from here we enjoyed vistas looking back to the vast mountain ranges ahead of us, plus we had a further elevation gain of around 60m. When the weather started to close in we made our way down and got ready for an evening around the fire, dahl bat and random chat.

• Day 12: Thame to Namche

We woke up to snow and a moan from Dave about the uncertainty of getting back to Namche through the snow wearing trainers! The whole of the valley was in a blanket of snow and we watched Amata and Joshua playing outside whilst Dave worried about his feet! He’d purposely hiked in trainers to give his feet a break from the boots but now he was thinking he wouldn’t make it back and would be stranded in Thame! All was not as bad as it seemed though as we came up with the ingenious idea of plastic bags around his feet and lots of tape! Plus the snow is very dry in this part of the world so it wasn’t too slippery under feet and so Dave managed to get his rhythm going again leaving us all at the back of the line!

The walk back was mainly in the snow and it was really nice to see the valley and mountains in a different way, up until now we’d enjoyed sunshine most days and so it made a change. When we got back to Namche it started snowing again and after checking back in The Moonlight Lodge we sat in the dining area and watched as Namche became lost in cloud and snow. By late afternoon it had all cleared and once again we could look down over the town.

• Day 13: Namche to Phortse Tenga with a high point in Mong of 3973m

From now on we were on strict altitude gain wanting to stick to the rule of 300-400m elevation gain per day. We were all feeling well acclimated after trekking in from Jiri plus spending a few days in Namche and Thame but at the same time we didn’t want to risk altitude sickness. This time we left Moonlight with a considerably smaller bill and we were lighter again by leaving a few things behind. On this particular part of the hike we started out on the Everest trekking highway and after leaving Kyangjum we came to a sign heading to Gokyo, this was the valley where we would be trekking for the high point of the trip. We couldn’t see Everest anywhere but had great vistas of Ama Dablam, Nuptse and Lhotse some of the highest peaks in the world. (Lhotse is the 4th highest peak at 8501m)

There are some ups and downs on this part of the hike and a long traverse towards Mong where we enjoyed a decent lunch and tea at one of the lodges called Snow Land View Lodge, home to a very friendly lady owner who tried to coax us to stay the night by offering 3 extra servings of Dahl Bat and a free room! This was a tempting offer but we wanted to push onto Phortse Tenga for the night. From Mong it isn’t that far to Phortse Tenga which sits much lower at 3643m, a little higher than Namche. Opposite and further up is the larger village of Phortse which would take you to the other side of the valley.

In Phortse Tenga we stayed at The River View Lodge along with several other trekkers and guides making their way up or down to and from Gokyo. We weren’t anticipating meeting so many people on this part of the trek but it made for a good atmosphere at the Lodge even though the rooms felt like we were in a very dingy hospital ward. We even had to link up the wires on the lighting to give us some light in the room. The food here though is good and it was warm and cosy around the dining room fire. We were a little mischievous and ended up sharing a shower, mainly as we were steadily eating into our budget and the showers were 350 rupees each! We met several other Americans, English, Ozzie’s and Kiwi’s at this lodge.

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

• Day 6 Bupsa to Chaurikarka with a high point of 2900m

By now we were averaging long days to cover the miles on the trek. We really wanted to make it to Namche on our 9th day of trekking and so pushing through to Chaurikarka seemed like a good idea. Our bill at the lodge in Bupsa came to 1780 rupees and the host didn’t charge us for our rooms. He was also really kind in giving each of us white prayer scarfs to wish us a safe journey up to Gokyo Ri. We all decided we would leave them up there once we’d made it to the peak of our trek.

The highest point of the day came at Khari-La (2900m) and all the while we could spot our route as tea houses would crop up along the way. We also passed mani-walls and lot’s of prayer flags. We weren’t too far from the Lukla to Namche trekkers highway and so we were holding onto every moment we had on the paths before we met the busy pathways ahead.

In Puiyan we enjoyed an excellent lunch at one of the lesser known lodges, here we had what we jointly voted was the best ra-ra noodle soups to date plus we couldn’t help but lap up the fried eggs! Even Helen who isn’t an egg lover enjoyed one!

As we approached Chaurikarka it had been a really long day and we got there at around 5pm joined by a few other trekkers. We can’t remember the name of the guesthouse we stayed at but it’s at the top of the village past the Stupas and the Hilliary school. In fact right in front of the lodge is a sign on the pavement; down to Jiri onwards to Namche, also upon leaving the lodge to the left there is a Mani-gate so we hope this helps in identifying which lodge we stayed at, for anyone who’s interested! After dahl bat times 6 we enjoyed another early night in our cosy tea lodge.

• Day nine: Chaurikarka to Namche with a high point of 3446m

We were once again ready for a long day, leaving at just after 8am (most trekkers tend to up and leave at around 6-7am but we preferred to have breakfast and get ourselves ready before heading off). As we left the village we were hiking through village upon village, with pathways lined with mani-stones and walls. When we reached Cheplung we finally joined the Lukla to Namche highway which is the path most people take when they fly into Lukla and start their acclimatisation walks.

We had lunch in Phakding at the second lodge we came to on the left of the path, there is a nice outdoor seating area which always marks highly on our scores! By now the four of us seemed to be marking the standard of food in relation to the best meals we’d been enjoying along the way. We knew some awards would be given out at the end of the trek (hypothetically that is!). Dave and Joshua had been chatting pretty much all the way about food and so it deemed right to stop at this point. The Singapore lads passed us as we sat there, this time they had their friend with them who’d flown out to Lukla to join them for their trek to Everest Base Camp. It had been really nice bumping into them most days.

We had a good break for lunch and then continued onwards, stopping in Mondzo (Munjo) to buy a few choccie bars that we thought would help us out later on in the climb to Namche. We then passed the checkpoint had our names entered into the log book and we were suddenly in The Solo-Khumbu National Park. From here there is a steep downhill climb and several villages to pass through whilst criss-crossing over the rivers on large swing bridges. After leaving Jorsale there are no more villages until Namche.

There is a fantastic swing bridge taking you over from one side of the river to the other which then leads you into a really steep and dusty climb. This climb doesn’t stop until Namche Bazaar, and it is pretty relentless. Amata was struggling with a head cold and sore throat and so all the dust being blown up around didn’t help. Dave was on good form with his duct-tape socks but we all needed our little chocolate boost along the way. We also got our first real glimpse of Everest from an abandoned tea house in ruins. This last part of the climb is tough coming in from Chaurikarka and Helen felt it was the hardest day to date, the elevation in this section is around 800m or so.

The sight of Namche was welcomed indeed, we were just a little annoyed by all the steps and such getting into the village. Once we did there was some music playing from one of the many shops along the street and so Joshua and Helen broke out into a little celebratory dance, Amata filmed us and Dave just did a cool head nod! We opted to stay a little way out of the busy area of Namche at The Moonlight Lodge one of the higher lodges, which also meant more stair climbing. But it was worth it, Moonlight is a great lodge, the owners are helpful and the food was some of the best we’d had so far. Showers are on the pricey side at 300 rupees but it was a very hospitable place to be.

• Day 10 Namche rest day

We did very little on our rest day; washed clothes, showered and ate! We enjoyed the luxury of a coffee and hot chocolate as well as a danish pastry later on in the day. Amata was mainly trying to get over her cold, but all four of us were happy just to chill, read and chat in the Moonlight dining area. It was also a good place to check emails and stock up on a few essential snack items for the treks ahead of us (200rs for 30mins in an internet cafe). We decided to do an acclimatisation hike the next day to Thame sitting at 3800m and we wanted to stay there. This meant we could leave some gear behind at the lodge and make it a nice 2 day hike with a small load. Our final bill at the Moonlight Lodge came to 7450 rupees, this was our biggest and perhaps most indulgent bill to date!

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

• Day four and five: Sete to Junbessi (rest day) with a high point at Lamjura La 3530m

The upwards slog from Sete continued for a long long time. We knew these past two days of steep uphill trekking was going to be tough but we were always welcomed by fantastic views. After a sturdy porridge and ginger tea breakfast we made our way through some of the higher villages on the climb including Goyam where we stopped to enjoy some hot lemon and were entertained by the hyperactive children.

When we left Goyam we went higher still and eventually we came across snow and ice on the path. At Lamjura-La (3530m / 11,581ft) which was for both of us the highest point we’d ever trekked to, we were greeted by a large Yak or Nak and a fantastic Stupa dressed in prayer flags. It was really cold on the pass, misty and atmospheric with a lovely dog following us all the while. Just before the pass descended we stopped for some noodle soup and poorly made chapatti at the last tea house on the pass. We were ripped off when she told us our bill was 900 rupees! Ah well she was an entertaining chef to watch.

This was a long day of trekking, we were on the go from 7.30am until 4pm and the long downward walk to Junbessi felt like it took forever. We did pass some fantastic mani walls and stones and the weather was nice and moody by this point. We certainly welcomed the sight of Junbessi though and with school children singing their way up the valley on their way home we were enchanted by this beautiful place. We already knew at this point that we would have a rest day in Junbessi.

Thanks to KEEP (Kathmandu Environmental Education Project) we’d made some notes prior to the trek whilst we were staying in the capital. They have notes from trekkers recommending places to stay on the trek, gear, porter and guide advice and so on and we’d jotted down a few of the recommended tea houses and lodges. In Junbessi we wanted to stay at the Ang Chopka as it sounded rather special from the write up. We were welcomed in and actually stayed in Sir Edmund Hilliary’s room, which was so far the nicest room we’d come across.

The family are really welcoming at Chopka and on our first night we were joined by Joshua and Amata who we’d met the day before in Sete. Little did we know they would be our trekking companions for the rest of our trip. We enjoyed some fine food in the family kitchen and by the time our rest day came along we were well and truly fitting in with the furniture. Even more so on their sunny veranda! This is where we spent most of the day in fact, washing clothes, eating, drinking tea, reading and chatting with our new buddies. More trekkers joined us that night including the Singapore lads and a few other solo hikers. There was a good little vibe going on at Ang Chopka.

• Day six: Junbessi to Nuntala with a high point of 2930m

By this point we felt like our bodies had enjoyed a good relaxing day in sunny Junbessi and after a fairly early start we journeyed off with Amata and Joshua for the day. This was perhaps one of the easiest and quickest days of trekking as we pretty much chatted the whole way and time just flew by.

We enjoyed an excellent Nak cheese and crackers stop at the first official place where Everest can be viewed from. The only thing for us was that Everest was in cloud, still we had a really good taste of the vast peaks awaiting our presence in the distance. Plus the little lady at Everest View was very sweet, how could we not buy cheese from her?

Along the trek we stopped in Ringmo for lunch as the wind blasted by us and each of us picked up a mars bar for a later treat. We enjoyed this straight after the pass on our way to Tragshindo. The monastery at Tragshindo is a nice place to stop for a little while along the way. We picked up on the fact that we were probably a little slower trekking with our new friends, mainly as we were chatting about food…A LOT! And we were taking in more sights (and mars bars).

We got to Nunthala at 5.30pm and stayed at the Shangri La Lodge. It’s American/Nepali owned and one man runs the place which did mean that the food service was slow, especially for those ordering momo’s. Our fellow Singapore trekkers were also staying there the night. It’s a pretty over the top colourfully decorated place.

• Day seven: Nunthala to Bupsa

By this point we were undoing a lot of the uphills we’d been trekking earlier in the trek by going down! Much of the trek was averaging at around 2-2500m but on this day we hit a low of 1676m, lower than our starting point in Jiri! However all of the training and going up and down was great for acclimatisation and we knew it would be helping us later on in the trek. After leaving the bizarre Shangri La Lodge we carried on along the easy to find path and criss-crossed through more terraces, tribal villages and donkey trains. We enjoyed more of the wonderful Nak cheese and milk tea before stopping for lunch at the top of Kharikhola.

Kharikhola is a lovely largish village with many options for accommodation. We wanted to continue further though to Bupsa which we could see perched on top of the hill in front of us. So we went up from 2072m to 2350m in a one hour or so hike steeply uphill. We had another long day of trekking and arrived at The Kwangde View Lodge at 4.15pm to the sun going down all around us. It was a lovely golden light across the valley.

Our hosts here were super friendly although the macaroni dishes were a little poor, should have stuck to the Daal Baht! Joshua gave us a great tip about using duct tape in the boot or on the back of the sock for Dave’s bad blister that was taking quite a battering from all the walking in his boots. The evening’s were getting pretty cold, perhaps at around 2C (36F) or so and our down jackets were getting lots of use. Dave also worked out for us that evening that we would be trekking around 170-190km on the trip and by the end of it all of the meters climbed would equate to over the height of Everest!

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