Everest peak from Kalapathar & 2 Adventurers!
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Monday, 1 April 2013
A Few Tom Trip Tidbits!
- Around the world in just over 3 weeks.
- Seven countries, China, Thailand, Nepal, India, England, United States, Canada.
- Trip included cities of Beijing, Bangkok, Kathmandu, Delhi, London, New York, Minneapolis, Regina & Vancouver.
- 11 days on Mount Everest, 8 days up to Base Camp & Kalapathar, then basically 3 days down.
- Most exhilarating moments for me..........view of Everest from Kalapathar & Lukla airstrip landing & take-off. Really cool! (Google it)
- Biggest surprise on trip..............Dave making it to Base Camp as sick as I've ever seen anyone!
- Most interesting part...........the 3rd world living conditions in Nepal, we take a lot for granted in Canada, water, fresh air, sewage systems, health care..................and on & on!
- Encountered a lot of really different cultures in Bangkok & Kathmandu, very neat.
- Found London way more interesting than anticipated, will go back for sure.
- I puked 4 times when we landed in Delhi, not sure what hit me, emptied me right out.
- I lost about 17 pounds training for the trip, lost another 7 or so on the trip, weigh about 188 pounds, two belt notches, but bet I'll gain at least 10 or 12 back quick, seems beers & food have tasted really good since we got to London.
Really enjoyed the trip, the Everest part was harder & more dangerous than I had figured on, the rest of the trip was more interesting than I had figured.
Appreciate Dave including me on his quest to show his daughter he could do Base Camp, we had a lot of fun, no injuries or troubles other than some sickness, but all in all it was a fantastic time and Dave & I will have laughs about this forever. Cheers Dave!!!!!
- Seven countries, China, Thailand, Nepal, India, England, United States, Canada.
- Trip included cities of Beijing, Bangkok, Kathmandu, Delhi, London, New York, Minneapolis, Regina & Vancouver.
- 11 days on Mount Everest, 8 days up to Base Camp & Kalapathar, then basically 3 days down.
- Most exhilarating moments for me..........view of Everest from Kalapathar & Lukla airstrip landing & take-off. Really cool! (Google it)
- Biggest surprise on trip..............Dave making it to Base Camp as sick as I've ever seen anyone!
- Most interesting part...........the 3rd world living conditions in Nepal, we take a lot for granted in Canada, water, fresh air, sewage systems, health care..................and on & on!
- Encountered a lot of really different cultures in Bangkok & Kathmandu, very neat.
- Found London way more interesting than anticipated, will go back for sure.
- I puked 4 times when we landed in Delhi, not sure what hit me, emptied me right out.
- I lost about 17 pounds training for the trip, lost another 7 or so on the trip, weigh about 188 pounds, two belt notches, but bet I'll gain at least 10 or 12 back quick, seems beers & food have tasted really good since we got to London.
Really enjoyed the trip, the Everest part was harder & more dangerous than I had figured on, the rest of the trip was more interesting than I had figured.
Appreciate Dave including me on his quest to show his daughter he could do Base Camp, we had a lot of fun, no injuries or troubles other than some sickness, but all in all it was a fantastic time and Dave & I will have laughs about this forever. Cheers Dave!!!!!
We Made It Back!!
Well, flew from New York to Regina, got in about 11 pm last night. Dave drove back to Yorkton & I'm gonna spend a few days in Regina before back to Vancouver & work on Wednesday. This will be my last posting on the Blog, I'm going to post a few pics we missed posting, a few of my fave pics & add a few trip tidbits that might be interesting, but it' s essentially over.
So a few pics:
Aviva Worldwide Headquarters & the Lloyd's Building.
So a few pics:
Aviva Worldwide Headquarters & the Lloyd's Building.
Saturday, 30 March 2013
New York City, Last Stop, Regina Tomorrow!!
Nine hour flight on Virgin Atlantic, London to NYC. Best airline of the 8 or 9 we flew on, Thai Air was good too!
Nice to be back in North America, gotta say, we are both looking forward to getting into Regina tomorrow night. Went for a walk, Time Square just around the corner from our hotel, had a few beers & some New York pizza. A lotta people on the street, holiday weekend.
We are gonna post some pics tomorrow and we are each gonna blog our fave pic & some trip hi-lite tid bits, it' be the last posting on the Blog.
It's midnight, crawling into bed, tired, seems a bit jet-lagged!!
Last posting & pics tomorrow.
Nice to be back in North America, gotta say, we are both looking forward to getting into Regina tomorrow night. Went for a walk, Time Square just around the corner from our hotel, had a few beers & some New York pizza. A lotta people on the street, holiday weekend.
We are gonna post some pics tomorrow and we are each gonna blog our fave pic & some trip hi-lite tid bits, it' be the last posting on the Blog.
It's midnight, crawling into bed, tired, seems a bit jet-lagged!!
Last posting & pics tomorrow.
Good-bye Piippa, Hello Big Apple!
Well, Dave & I had two days & two nights in London. We found ourselves too thirsty to sightsee during the day & to tired to sightsee in the evenings.. So, we sat in a few pubs during the day & went to bed before 8 pm both nights. Managed to squeeze in a trip to Harrod's to buy much needed clean clothes. A bit different than Kathmandu shopping. Dave also got a haircut at Harrod"s, over $50.
Ate some real English food & a few English pints as well. Dave even had a few Jack Daniels.
Ate some real English food & a few English pints as well. Dave even had a few Jack Daniels.
Thursday, 28 March 2013
Off To See The Queen - London
2 hour flight from Kathmandu to Delhi, India, 3 hour lay over & 9 hours to London on Virgin Atlantic ( great airline). Time change of 6 hours, quite a long day. Out for a pint & some fish n chips, in bed by 8 pm, sleeping in one minute. Air is clean!!!
Dave & I just woke up at 2 am, seems we are a bit messed up time wise. It's Good Friday, not sure what will be open, we are staying right across the street from Harrod's department store, both need some new clothes, hoping it's open.
Awwwe the life of Adventurers.............we are gonna jump on a double decker bus for a bit today & see a few London sights, maybe have a few pints & spend one more night in London, then off to New York on Saturday. I'll try post a few pics tonight.
Dave & I just woke up at 2 am, seems we are a bit messed up time wise. It's Good Friday, not sure what will be open, we are staying right across the street from Harrod's department store, both need some new clothes, hoping it's open.
Awwwe the life of Adventurers.............we are gonna jump on a double decker bus for a bit today & see a few London sights, maybe have a few pints & spend one more night in London, then off to New York on Saturday. I'll try post a few pics tonight.
Third World in Rear View Mirror
Well, we survived White water rafting in Kathmandu, gotta admit, the 3 hour mountain road drive was by far the most dangerous part of the trip. It's hard to explain, but suffice it to say, when Dave tipped the driver 1000 rupees ($12), it was worth it, we both almost kissed the ground when we got to our hotel.
Aside from the narrow mountain road, oncoming gravel trucks, buses, goats, dogs, chickens & kids on the road, the scenery was pretty neat. Again, very hard to explain how poor this country is, suffice it to say, the $200 average annual income, doesn't buy much even though stuff is cheap. We were soaked when we got back to the hotel, so we literally had a few thousand American dollars drying out on the beds. Dave called a porter to change our tv (wasn't working..........go figure)' anyway, the poor porter was in shock when he saw our money drying, most cash he had ever seen. Dave & I, feeling bad, went out for numerous beers, fajitas, pizza & stir fry. That was our last night in Kathmandu.
Kumar (Our most excellent Guide) met us in the morning at 5 am & arranged airport transportation, he saw us off..........after 14 days in Kathmandu, a bit sad as we said good-bye! A good guy, really working hard at his Trekking business, nice to see entrepreneurship in a country that lacks so much.
GOOD -BYE NEPAL!
Aside from the narrow mountain road, oncoming gravel trucks, buses, goats, dogs, chickens & kids on the road, the scenery was pretty neat. Again, very hard to explain how poor this country is, suffice it to say, the $200 average annual income, doesn't buy much even though stuff is cheap. We were soaked when we got back to the hotel, so we literally had a few thousand American dollars drying out on the beds. Dave called a porter to change our tv (wasn't working..........go figure)' anyway, the poor porter was in shock when he saw our money drying, most cash he had ever seen. Dave & I, feeling bad, went out for numerous beers, fajitas, pizza & stir fry. That was our last night in Kathmandu.
Kumar (Our most excellent Guide) met us in the morning at 5 am & arranged airport transportation, he saw us off..........after 14 days in Kathmandu, a bit sad as we said good-bye! A good guy, really working hard at his Trekking business, nice to see entrepreneurship in a country that lacks so much.
GOOD -BYE NEPAL!
Tuesday, 26 March 2013
Kathmandu Is Quite a City!
Well a few days in Kathmandu was kinda cool, temp is about 29 degrees, a bit dusty, so we Adventurers happened upon a few pretty good watering holes. Great little outdoor terraces with pretty good food & good local beer. I'm not a big beer drinker, but Dave seemed to enjoy! LOL!
Everything is very inexpensive here. Dave & I had about 5 beer each & great lunch in a terrace street cafe, bill was 1700 rupees, or $20. Dave (big tipper) gave 800 rupee tip.
National holiday here yesterday, so loud street party atmosphere. Couldn't walk down the street without getting water balloons & coloured water dumped on you from 3 or 4 floors above, pretty neat, you just had to go with it! People all really friendly, very easy going, fun.
Feel like Indiana Jones here!
Arranged a white water rafting trip for today, 7 am till 7 pm, should be neat to see the countryside, we have about a 3 hour van ride to the rapids. We'll blog the details when we get back.
Keep the comments coming, muchly appreciated.
Apparently a few protests\riots here, unstable government, a few of these around!
Everything is very inexpensive here. Dave & I had about 5 beer each & great lunch in a terrace street cafe, bill was 1700 rupees, or $20. Dave (big tipper) gave 800 rupee tip.
National holiday here yesterday, so loud street party atmosphere. Couldn't walk down the street without getting water balloons & coloured water dumped on you from 3 or 4 floors above, pretty neat, you just had to go with it! People all really friendly, very easy going, fun.
Feel like Indiana Jones here!
Arranged a white water rafting trip for today, 7 am till 7 pm, should be neat to see the countryside, we have about a 3 hour van ride to the rapids. We'll blog the details when we get back.
Keep the comments coming, muchly appreciated.
Apparently a few protests\riots here, unstable government, a few of these around!
Monday, 25 March 2013
Stuck In Nepal
Well, good news & bad news.............we are stuck in Kathmandu until our regular scheduled flight on the 28th. Dave tried everything, Brittany (Dave's travel agent) even worked extra, but we are stuck.
Good news, we found the only KFC in Nepal, Dave loves Zingers. Also found a Pizza Hut, gonna try it today.
Kumar (our guide) loved the beef jerky. He and Todd Hochban (Vancouver) seem to be conversing longe range thru our comments section on Blog.
Really appreciate reading the many comments, we are bored.
Delhi, London & New York in next few days!
Kumar...........Our guide & Trekking Company Owner:
Take care & keep comments rolling, we enjoy them!
Good news, we found the only KFC in Nepal, Dave loves Zingers. Also found a Pizza Hut, gonna try it today.
Kumar (our guide) loved the beef jerky. He and Todd Hochban (Vancouver) seem to be conversing longe range thru our comments section on Blog.
Really appreciate reading the many comments, we are bored.
Delhi, London & New York in next few days!
Kumar...........Our guide & Trekking Company Owner:
Just A Few More Everest Pics!
Below: A couple happy Trekkers! Last 8 hours down, long day!
Back to Civilization...........Sort of, Kathmandu!
Flew into Kathmandu this morning from Lukla, most dangerous airstrip in the world (google it). Lucky to make the flight, lots of cancelled flights, weather conditions.
So, a few Everest Tidbits:
- We did 62 kms up to Base Camp & 62 kms down..........the up sucks!
- Elevation at Base Camp 5365 meters.
- Elevation at Kalapathar 5545 meters.
- Took Dave & I 7 days to reach Base Camp, 3 days to get down, the down included Kalapathar for me.
- We did the trip 2 or 3 days faster than normal, in hindsight at least one more day would have been better, an extra acclimatization day near the top may have helped Dave when he got elevation sickness. ( for the record, our guide had scheduled the extra day & Dave cancelled it.) Apparently the Yorkton guy knows better than a seasoned Everest Guide?
- Dave was the sickest I've ever seen anybody..............and still made it.
- I'm sure I had food poisoning for about 12 hours, cleaned me out good!
- Only 30 percent of Kalapathar Trekkers make it to top.
- Best part of trip for me, view of Everest peak from Kalapathar ( Lukla flights a real close second)
-Temp at Base Camp probably about - 25 plus the wind, total blizzard.
-Temp at Kalapathar was -51 plus the wind. (Confirmed with mountain electronics)
- Both Dave & I made the goals we set out to reach, and both never intend on trying anything like this again. (I'm hanging up next time he says he has something he wants to run by me!!)
-Harder than we thought, more dangerous than we thought, about 50 percent physical & 50 percent mental, no joking, toughest thing both of us has ever done. ( excluding a bit of army stuff I did when I was young).
- Most unbelievable part for me , was that Dave reached his goal with elevation sickness setting in, then basically his body shut down for 24 hours, then made 3 days down, almost a helicopter ride!
So, a few Everest Tidbits:
- We did 62 kms up to Base Camp & 62 kms down..........the up sucks!
- Elevation at Base Camp 5365 meters.
- Elevation at Kalapathar 5545 meters.
- Took Dave & I 7 days to reach Base Camp, 3 days to get down, the down included Kalapathar for me.
- We did the trip 2 or 3 days faster than normal, in hindsight at least one more day would have been better, an extra acclimatization day near the top may have helped Dave when he got elevation sickness. ( for the record, our guide had scheduled the extra day & Dave cancelled it.) Apparently the Yorkton guy knows better than a seasoned Everest Guide?
- Dave was the sickest I've ever seen anybody..............and still made it.
- I'm sure I had food poisoning for about 12 hours, cleaned me out good!
- Only 30 percent of Kalapathar Trekkers make it to top.
- Best part of trip for me, view of Everest peak from Kalapathar ( Lukla flights a real close second)
-Temp at Base Camp probably about - 25 plus the wind, total blizzard.
-Temp at Kalapathar was -51 plus the wind. (Confirmed with mountain electronics)
- Both Dave & I made the goals we set out to reach, and both never intend on trying anything like this again. (I'm hanging up next time he says he has something he wants to run by me!!)
-Harder than we thought, more dangerous than we thought, about 50 percent physical & 50 percent mental, no joking, toughest thing both of us has ever done. ( excluding a bit of army stuff I did when I was young).
- Most unbelievable part for me , was that Dave reached his goal with elevation sickness setting in, then basically his body shut down for 24 hours, then made 3 days down, almost a helicopter ride!
Saturday, 23 March 2013
2 days down, 1 to go!!!
As Tom said the last few days were tough on me. You can't describe the conditions that we were living in, to say this is a third world country is an understatement. We haven't showered for a number of days, you can't even stand your own smell! Bathroom conditions can't be put down in this blog! One thing we both agree on is the people are nice although there is a language barrier. As I write this Tom is having his first beer in over a week. We actually just ate our first full meal in 4 days, a pizza. You never appreciate home, family and friends until you do something stupid like this(lol).
In two days we fly out of the Lukla airport. Toms a little nervous but I will help him through this time as he helped me at the base camp with my altitude sickness issues(was kind of like having shelley around but different)
Ttyl.
In two days we fly out of the Lukla airport. Toms a little nervous but I will help him through this time as he helped me at the base camp with my altitude sickness issues(was kind of like having shelley around but different)
Ttyl.
Kalapathar , Elevation 5545 Meters
Dave & Lakpa (porter) head down from Everest Base Camp first thing in the morning, Dave needs to get get lower to get rid of elevation sickness.
Tom & Kumar Lama (guide) head up to Kalapathar ( 5545m), couple hundred meters higher & then down to catch up with Dave.
Everest Base Camp Trek with Kalapathar pics attached, cold & nasty, really good views of Everest. It truly is the highest of all the mountains!
Tom & Kumar Lama catch up to Dave & Lakpa around lunchtime, Dave already on the trail to recovery.
Jack Daniels & Beers not far off. Should take us 3 days to get off this mountain. Both really excited to be Harding lower and outta here!
Tom & Kumar Lama (guide) head up to Kalapathar ( 5545m), couple hundred meters higher & then down to catch up with Dave.
Everest Base Camp Trek with Kalapathar pics attached, cold & nasty, really good views of Everest. It truly is the highest of all the mountains!
Tom & Kumar Lama catch up to Dave & Lakpa around lunchtime, Dave already on the trail to recovery.
Jack Daniels & Beers not far off. Should take us 3 days to get off this mountain. Both really excited to be Harding lower and outta here!
On Top of The World!!
After 3 grueling days & nights, we reached our goal, Mount Everest Base Camp , elevation , over 5364 meters. Blizzard on the day we reach the camp, see pics.
Dave made it even though he got elevation sickness on the day we hit Base Camp. Really bad stomach, head ache , in bed from 4pm to 6:30 am. I have never seen a man that sick, gotta give him a lot of credit for making the final push! His dream come s true!
I made it to Kalapathar, elevation 5545 meters, temp was -51 degrees Celsius without windchill, wind was at least 100 Kim's, coldest I've ever been in my life.
Approx. 10 -15 helicopters a day taking Trekkers off the mountain, bizarre!
Anyway, we made our goals , both of us never intend on anything this crazy ever again!
Dave made it even though he got elevation sickness on the day we hit Base Camp. Really bad stomach, head ache , in bed from 4pm to 6:30 am. I have never seen a man that sick, gotta give him a lot of credit for making the final push! His dream come s true!
I made it to Kalapathar, elevation 5545 meters, temp was -51 degrees Celsius without windchill, wind was at least 100 Kim's, coldest I've ever been in my life.
Approx. 10 -15 helicopters a day taking Trekkers off the mountain, bizarre!
Anyway, we made our goals , both of us never intend on anything this crazy ever again!
Sunday, 17 March 2013
Day Off,,,,hike to 12,300 to acclimatize
Had the day off but we had to hike to 12,300 feet, stay and hour so we adjust for the next few days. We then descend to 11,000 feet to sleep for the night.
Logging off now talk to very one within a week. All The Best!
Dave & Tom.
PS. Tom and Kumar Lama have sobered up so we should be okay tomorrow!
Logging off now talk to very one within a week. All The Best!
Dave & Tom.
PS. Tom and Kumar Lama have sobered up so we should be okay tomorrow!
Reality Sets In
Bad night for Tom, I spent the night sitting on a freezing toilet seat with rumbling guts. I ate the same things as Dave did except an egg sandwich,,,,big mistake. I thought I was losing my small intestines,,nasty. Naturally Dave had no sympathy.
Trekked all dat, 7am until 3pm,,,straight up! Tons of rock steps which did not go well for Dave's knees, luckily he is tough and stubborn,,,kind of like a mule! Lots of yaks & mules on the trail. Hauling up everything you can imagine. Biggest surprise was what the locals hauled on their back, unbelievable.
Biggest highlight of the day was our first sighting of Mt. Everest,,,incredible!
Biggest eye opener was when Dave bought 3 oranges and an apple for $21 dollars,,,killed him but we were starving.
Made it to camp, small village. 300 people, about 11,000 feet elevation. Got to shower and blog for the last time for a week. We have to stay here for altitude acclimatization, really noticing that the breathing is getting tough when we walk around.
ps. I never take pills not even vitamins, this $350 Dave spent on pills has saved my ass literally! We are both feeling really good, taking a handful of pills twice a day. Dave's doc & pharmacist come through big time! We are also watching what we eat very carefully, beef jerky & goldfish crackers are our staple diet.
Trekked all dat, 7am until 3pm,,,straight up! Tons of rock steps which did not go well for Dave's knees, luckily he is tough and stubborn,,,kind of like a mule! Lots of yaks & mules on the trail. Hauling up everything you can imagine. Biggest surprise was what the locals hauled on their back, unbelievable.
Biggest highlight of the day was our first sighting of Mt. Everest,,,incredible!
Biggest eye opener was when Dave bought 3 oranges and an apple for $21 dollars,,,killed him but we were starving.
Made it to camp, small village. 300 people, about 11,000 feet elevation. Got to shower and blog for the last time for a week. We have to stay here for altitude acclimatization, really noticing that the breathing is getting tough when we walk around.
ps. I never take pills not even vitamins, this $350 Dave spent on pills has saved my ass literally! We are both feeling really good, taking a handful of pills twice a day. Dave's doc & pharmacist come through big time! We are also watching what we eat very carefully, beef jerky & goldfish crackers are our staple diet.
Everest Experience Begins
Short flight from Kathmandu to Lukla at the base of the Himalayan mountains, 45 minutes of absolute exhilaration, truly breathtaking. Small 10 passenger plane, straight up and straight down,,,literally. The runway was only 1600 feet long on a 12 degree grade so you can stop. (Google most dangerous airports in the world,,Lukla is number 1. It was wild. good news for Dave he never got sick,,,,yet!
Our guide flew in with us, and our porter met us there. We started trekking, poor porter had to carry all of Dave's hair & emergency medication, along with beef jerky, protein bars, wine gums, cans of tuna and a bunch of other staples that we are eating to survive.
Our guide flew in with us, and our porter met us there. We started trekking, poor porter had to carry all of Dave's hair & emergency medication, along with beef jerky, protein bars, wine gums, cans of tuna and a bunch of other staples that we are eating to survive.
Saturday, 16 March 2013
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