Everest Base Camp Trek 2017 ~ an epic adventure

The whole group at Gorak Shep. [Photo: SgTrekker]

Everest Base Camp Trek

 18 November - 2 December 2017

"   ....The only noise audible was my own heavy panting as my lungs laboured to suck in as much oxygen in the rarefied air at 5190m.  My footsteps were tiny shuffles, weighed down by my pair of trekking boots which, merely a couple of days ago felt as light as feathers, but now behaved like tonnes of Himalayan rocks bound to my feet.    

My eyes never lifted off from the ground as rocks after rocks appeared in haphazard fashion, threatening to trip my trailing foot should I be just so careless to lift it a little less high.  A few steps.  And another long pause to catch my breath.  Peering in front, the ridge led straight to Everest Base Camp.  We were not far, but time was running out for us...  "

[In this Travellogue, I have tried my best to credit all the photos to their respective photographers, and I tried my best to recall verbatim what members said during the whole trip. Most events are as I could remember them. Those who have expressed clearly to me their wishes not to have their photos shared online I have post-processed the photographs so that their faces are pixelated to protect their privacies.]


A short prologue

Some holidays were but just plain holidays.  Some were downright forgettable. Others were literally life-changing, where one was left to draw on the last reserve one had in the attempt to complete even the seemingly simplest of tasks.  Seeing how one's teammates grit their teeth to go on, and how each adapted in his or her own ways, in the face of potentially debilitating illnesses, and how they fought back against the odds of what Nature dished out to them to finally accomplish their objectives; importantly, seeing how our children learned and put into practice the true meaning of the word 'GRIT'  and how they were mentally prepared to go all out for the ultimate target of the journey, made trips like these so much more meaningful.
It had been three weeks since our return.  And even until now, I still could not distinguish what appeared to be real (but in actual fact was all artificially man-made) back here in metropolitan Singapore and what was the real reality back up in the mountains where everything was exactly how Nature had been for millions of years - it was just you, your clothing, your will against everything else the elements hurled upon you.  Every day as I drove and as I worked, flashes of memories of scenes from up in the mountain came - seeing my teammates struggling to walk, labouriously gasping for air, and remembering their expressions of relief by the end of the day.
An indescribably sense of malaise had been robed over me these three weeks.  Nothing had changed back home.  But everything else inside my heart, inside my mind seemed to have been permanently altered. The drudgery (in Adrian's own word) of life became a numbing automatic conveyor belt of events.  I have, I think, unknowingly become Himalayanised.

The 2015 Kathmandu earthquake and another one with its epicentre very near to Namche Bazaar derailed our original plan for a trek to Everest Base Camp in November that year.  Time flew, and when 2017 came, we knew the time was ripe again for the attempt.

Table of Contents:

1. EBC Trek Part 1 ~ An epic adventure.  Kathmandu to Lukla.  Lukla to Phakding.  Phakding to Namche Bazaar.   Acclimatisation in Namche Bazaar.
2. EBC Trek Part 2 ~ The air got thinner & the body got more tired.  Namche Bazaar to Tengboche & Debuche.  Debuche to Dingboche.  Acclimatisation in Dingboche.
3. EBC Trek Part 3 ~ The Final Push.  Dingboche to Lobuche.  Lobuche to Gorak Shep and to EBC and back to Gorak Shep. 
4. EBC Trek Part 4 ~ Kala Patthar
5. EBC Trek Part 5 ~ The unrelenting march from day to night - Gorak Shep to Periche.  Another long day to night march from Periche to Namche Bazaar.
6. EBC Trek Part 6 ~ No matter how tired... just go into Cruise-control mode walking from Namche Bazaar to finally arrive back in Lukla in the dark, yet again.
7. EBC Trek Part 7 ~ Flying back to Kathmandu.  Rest and Relax in Kathmandu and flying home!

Training for EBC 

Our Ironman friend Rudin Leong warned us: "Hey, for EBC you all MUST train one ok!" 

Deligence marked the characteristic of training for many of the team members.  Kai Sing has been conditioning his core and lower limbs for years just for this trip. Alex and Lai Peng have been doing their weekly runs.  Kc Tng even ran 10km after 10km while on business trips overseas.  The children were naturally the least of our worries as cross country runs, Tae Kwondo training and rock climbing dotted their weekly schedules.  I was off seasoned from all my races for the year, but I found stair climbing with loaded backpacks a great conditioning exercise.  Serene, the veteran Nepali trekker, was the most relaxed of us all, doing her usual 10km runs on a 'only-when-the-stars-are-aligned' basis.

"Alex, Lai Peng, don't worry.  Trekking in Nepal is like walking with a zone 2 heart rate all the way one. It's not siong. Very easy one," I remembered two years ago I tried convincing these two good people to embark on this trek of their lifetime.  Heart rate zone 2 all the way was probably correct.  But everything else I said was wrong.

Trekking to EBC is a serious undertaking, the long duration of the route daily, the gradient of the climbs, and the harsh and freezing environment with rarefied oxygen levels meant that it will never be a stroll in the park. That is why Lonely Planet describes this trek as a moderate to difficult trek.  Running alone is not enough.  Conditioning and strengthening of the gluteus, quadriceps and calves muscles that are crucial to climbing is important.  And at more than 5000m altitude, one's cardiopulmonary system has to work doubly hard to compensate.  So it is critical to build one's aerobic capacity.


What’s this thing about Everest Base Camp?

The old EBC was where the mountaineers of old used to set up camp to await their window period of ascent, and thus was of historical significance.  And as the Khumbu Glacier retracted over the decades, the new Base Camp is now a little further away, closer to the infamous Khumbu icefall.  We were told that in the past,  the Khumbu glacier surface was levelled with the side of the path, but as it melted it sank lower and now in order to reach the base camp one has to climb down a cliff of rocks.  At 5350m, this ancient piece of ice saw the footprints of many a great mountaineers.

About 80 million years ago, the Indian tectonic plate broke off from the central land mass called Gondwanaland and sped northwards until it hit the Asian plate around 50 million years ago. This impact lifted the Himalayan ranges, which used to be deep beneath the sea, right out of the water and jutted as the highest peaks in the world, the highest being Chomolangma (in Tibetan, also known as Sagarmatha in Nepali).   Despite the famous peak being named in history by the natives, the Welsh geographical surveyor George Everest was the fortunate one who (apparently with reluctance from his own self) had his name tagged to the highest peak in the world.  Until today Everest and her surrounding peaks are still subjects of many researches.  Presence of ammonite fossils found up in the Himalaya attested to the fact that this whole region used to be submerged in water.  The monsoon that brought rain and erosion from the east side of Everest wore off its height year by year, but the continual movement of the Indian plate beneath the Asian plate kept pushing the peaks higher, thus annually Everest still grew at a net gain of a quarter of an inch.  The constant pursuit of the unknown was the impetus that propelled the British expedition, and the New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary became the first person to summit Everest together with his sherpa Tenzing Norgay on the 29th May 1953.  

Why would anyone want to trek to Everest Base Camp?

We have always wanted to trek to EBC.  Summitting Mount Everest is a totally different thing altogether.  But trekking to EBC is something within the reach of mortal beings like ourselves.  After several smaller, shorter Nepal and Sabah treks, many of us in the group were ready.  And so we thought.

Some had been harbouring the thought of EBC for a couple of year as it was something that needed to be ticked off as part of their bucket list.  Some really fit ones in the team, who were experienced trekkers and mountaineers, simply wanted to trek to EBC as a relaxing holiday trek.  Some, who were new to such ventures, and perhaps not exactly physically nor mentally prepared for something of such magnitude, were still determined to give it a go, simply because YOLO.  Of course, to some who were strong advocates of YOLT, this EBC trek was even more important.  Most interestingly, some of us who signed up for the trek, most likely in retrospect, did not know what he (they) signed up for on the dotted line until it was way too deep into the trek.

For our family, doing EBC was a tour of duty.  Of the many treks in various regions in Nepal, Solokhumbu must be done.

Packing for the trip

Many websites would expound the importance of packing light and with just the essentials for a 15 day trip like this.  There was one Ang Moh woman who did the whole trek with a 50litres backpack weighing only 10kg.  Scrutinizing their packing lists, we found that they really brought only the bare essentials.  Apparently nowadays, the aviation authority in Kathmandu has reduced the individual's weight allowance for the STOL flight to Lukla to 15kg per person. Every kg of extra will cost about S$2.  Not a huge sum, but it would be wise to keep as close to the stipulated weight allowance.

"Don't pack too many unneccessary clothing," I instructed Serene

"But we must still bring bakkwa leh," said Darric.

"I also need to bring my drone mah," complained Kong Wan.

"Wah lau, packing also get stressed out! I rather pay for the excess," joked Alex.

“Should I bring an extra pair of trainer shoes?” wondered Cheng Cheng.

“Or can I bring a hard case roller luggage instead of a backpack, because I am worried for my back?” considered Mimi.

“Must buy a trekking shoes one ah?” asked Tan JK. Adrian replied: “Yeah, better. Can get a cheap one from Decathlon. Quite decently priced.”

And the discussion went on for weeks.  In retrospect, after the whole trek, I personally will bring my stuff  according to this packing list. There is really no need to sweat over the packing.  Because up there above 4000m, it would be just simply too cold for one to even want to shower, not to mention change.  Thus whatever goes out in the day comes right back into the sleeping bag at night.
For those who are not keen to buy a minus 10 degrees sleeping bag (costing about $149 at Decahtlon, weighing at about 1.25kg), one can just borrow a used one that is just as good from the local tour operators.  Same goes for the down count 900 down jacket.  This can be borrowed from the operator themselves and throwing the thoughts about cleanliness aside, this would be more than sufficient for the whole trip, with the middle fleece layer and middle down layer thrown in on top of the base layers.



EBC Trek Day 1 
18th Nov 2017

Click on the photo above to see who sent us off at 3:45am at home.

"The beginning of an adventure... and plenty of adventures with Professor Murphy to start off with."

Wow! Roydon was there at 4am to send us off at the airport!

One couldn't be blamed to harbour a dreaded sense of consternation when planned to fly on the infamous Malaysia Airlines.  Granted the price at S$450 a person for a transited flight to Kathmandu was a real great deal, we managed to suppress our anxiety just below the water level upon our tour leader's repeated reassurance.   Everything went on smoothly, too smoothly for comfort, knowing well the notoriety of Prof Murphy striking several of our SgTrekker's previous trekking trips.  We enjoyed our breakfast with little suspicion of what was to come.

The Kaans and the Ng's were all ready to go!

Spirits were high and the team members looked and felt ready for the back-breaking trek.

Group photo: sans Mimi, Zaid, Cheng Cheng, Leong, Jason and Matthew.

Ah Leong and Kai Sing were so happy to have that extra leg room.

KC Tng, Patrick Papin and Darric looking forward to some mountain action.

Professor Murphy did strike not long after we took off from SIN to land at KLIA for the transit. For no reason, Ka Lin and five of us from our family got bumped off the next flight MH 170 to Malindo Air OD184, scheduled to arrive one hour later at Kathmandu.  No amount of table banging would help as the equally confused transit counter staff guided us unsuccessfully to the first originally promised lounge that rejected us, and we ended up in another CIP lounge for some measly breakfast while the rest of the group took off.   Ka Lin was a great help.  Her fluent Bahasa lubricated the whole process for us, and four and a half hours later we set foot on the grounds of Kathmandu Tribhuvan Airport, only to find a Telegram message from Lai Peng on my handphone waiting for me:

 "We have 2 bags missing n cannot find yours. Our luggage confirmed MIA. Raymond's luggage also missing.  Stressful.  Adrian has already brought the rest to the hotel.  Now it's Alex, me and Raymond in the airport waiting outside for you all. Officially 10 pieces of luggage missing!"

I Telegrammed back while still stuck in the queue applying for our visa on arrival: "Aaaaw man, this is really an adventure!"

Alex: "My adventure also started. 2 out of 3 missing. 😢"

After a while, we decided that the easiest method of communication was with the walkie talkie.  So we turned on our walkie talkies and Alex, myself, Kai Sing we started all radio-ing each other inside and outside of the immigration area, like officials working in the airport.  Well, at least the walkie talkies came into good use right from the beginning.

The first group was on the way to the hotel while Alex, Lai Peng, Raymond waited in the airport for their missing luggage.
[Photo: Darric]

The VIDEO: Arriving at Kathmandu

Adventure in Thamel
Most everyone visitor to Kathmandu will find himself/herself spending plenty of time in this 'Orchard Road belt' of Kathmandu, where shops abounds- from butcher shops, vegetable stalls to bookshops, coldwear/hiking shops, restaurants to even modern supermarkets with POS systems.  I never failed to be amazed by the buzzle of Thamel.
It was always a good idea to leave a few items to be acquired in Thamel, as the obligatory roam of the streets would take us from shop to shop. For our family, as well as Tan JK, Raymond, Ka Lin and Alex. Lai Peng, who have all lost our luggage, this shopping trip was of even more importance as we were mentally prepared to wear what we had and a little more additional that we were buying for the next 15 days.



The VIDEO: Buying up a storm in Thamel!

I had always loved the sights and sounds of Thamel.  The earthquake of 2015 probably hadn’t changed Thamel much,  but from what Adrian and Cheng Cheng said later, the devastation of the earthquake was still apparent at Drubar square.  Things might have become slightly more expensive after the earthquake of 2015 but bargainability remained unchanged, especially when in the company of the likes of Darric, KC Tng, Adrian, Alex and gang.  

Winter wear and hiking equipment 

Admittedly I had one of the most enjoyable evenings in Thamel with KK and Leong haggling with the stall owner Binot over their pants, Zaid and Mimi trying to bargain with him to bring their buffs down to 100NPR, and Darric, Kc Tng and Kong Wan threatening to walk out when their friendly ‘demands’ were not reciprocated... and Alex and Lai Peng found a cheaper store further down the road.  Poor Tan JK was left with only his jeans and some T-shirt and Adrian’s paternal instinct kicked in in grabbing a 2200 NPR set of ‘North Face’ base layers and a 1650 NPR North Face fleeced trekking pants, both of which I also acquired.

Kai Sing had the foresight of getting everything in Singapore, thus Ka Lin was partially spared the trauma of last minute acquisition.  Ah Sing and Ah Li were also fortunate as they both cleverly carried a full set of middle and outer layers including base layers in their hand carried luggage.  Thus, Serene, Fann and I were the only ones left without most of our middle and outer layers.  

“Look,” I told the family. “We will buy what we can buy here with the expectation that we will not receive our luggage up in the mountains.  We should be able to last three days until Namche with what we have right now.  If we are so unlucky to totally lose all our luggage up there, then we will buy some more clothes in Namche Bazaar.  Meanwhile, three of let’s just make do with the down jacket rented from Mountain Delights.”

While everyone else was clearing the stall keeper Binot’s stock of 600 NPR (S$7.80,  some I heard managed to bargain down to 500 NPR) trekking sticks, we made a decision to stick it out without the sticks for the first two days of trekking first.

NCell SIM Cards 

Getting our phones NCell-SIM-carded up at Thamel. [Photo: KC Tng]

Nepal is definitely not amongst the most advanced countries when it came to mobile communication.  But the telcom NCell did provide relatively reasonable reception for Kathmandu up to just before Dingboche along the trek.  There was totally no signal from Dingboche upwards, through Lobuche up to Gorak Shep.  The NCell SIM cards were available everywhere in Thamel, one just needed one’s passport.  Prices did vary a little from vendor to vendor.  At 1300 NPR (S$16.90) for a 5Gb data SIM card or 900 NPR (S$12.10) for a 2.5Gb data SIM card for a 30 days period, I felt it would be good enough for most of us.  Apparently at EBC some of the guys even had signals on their NCell cards.  Some of the teammates ended up buying a 600 NPR 200Mb Everest trek link, a paid WiFi Service amongst the guest houses at Dingboche and further onwards just to have some form of link with civilization.  Enough for Darric, Patrick, Kong Wan (represented by Ryan) and I to put in our predictions for the EPL for the weekend!

"You are very familiar with Nepal, Raymond?" I asked him while waiting for the NCell card.

"Well, that last time when I was here in Nepal was 20 years ago, I climbed ABC," came his reply.

Wow! A seasoned Himalayan climber here!  Such a humble man, this Raymond was.  I would never have known.  Thinking back, this explained his pace throughout the whole trek.  He was almost always in front with the fast boys and girls.  My respect.

Back in Kathmandu Garden Hotel...

I had the opportunity to have a good chat with Matthew.  So he and Jason were army mates, and while this was Jason's first trek, Matthew himself had done plenty of treks in Europe, climbing the alpine slopes and tackling even steeper slopes.  An avid trekker he was.  In addition to that he rock-climbs a mean 6B high wall.  So we had in our team, plenty of good and experience trekkers and climbers.  I was sure this was going to be great fun.

EBC TREK Day 2

19 Nov 2017

The kindness of the teammates touched our family when Mimi, Cheng Cheng, Khim and KC started offering disposable underwear and heat packs to the girls and myself.  Losing our luggage wasn’t exactly the best way to start the trek. But knowing that we had such caring group mates, among all the others who offered their help, was comforting.

I did not recall us ever leaving the Kathmandu hotel so early at 4:30am to make our way to the domestic airport. In retrospect I now knew why. The early start ensured us a pole position in the push towards Lukla. Summit Air operated the 19 seater propeller plane that took us all in two flights up. The weather was with us that morning.  And although Ah Sing was separated from our family by being pushed to the second flight, the smooth landing gave all of us the much needed relief, both heart-wise and bladders-wise.  The apprehension I had on my first round six years ago ok this Lukla-bound flight evaporated with the sight of the pretty air stewardess. I was quite sure that apart from Ah Li, everyone else was quite calm.

Landed at Lukla. [Photo: Ah Li]

From the fences. [Photo: Kai Sing]

The day just broke as we walked, bladders decompressed, out of Tenzing Norgay airport and surprisingly breathlessly up the path towards the Main Street of Lukla. At 2800m, there should be generally not much effect.  Somehow the slightly thinner Air did had an impact. Namaste Lodge found the whole group seated, dole-eyed round her dining hall, with Adrian giving a final briefing before setting off.

At Namaste Lodge

Things hadn’t changed much over the past 6 years. Lukla still remained unchanged. Except that the fake Starbucks was no longer in existence, being replaced by another Cafe.

The VIDEO: Flying to Lukla!




The Trek from Lukla to Phakding

[From Lukla to Phakdin]

Waiting at Namaste Lodge to start the trek.

The start of the trek from Lukla. [Photo: KC Tng]

This was the easiest day of the whole trip. From Lukla at 2800m to Phakding at 2600m, there was a net descent of 200m.  Of course in between there were plenty of ups and downs.  At 2800m, it was not common to suffer any altitude sickness.  Thus most of the difficulties encountered were simply the climbs and the descents.  Right from the beginning, among our family, we have already promised each other to keep a comfortable pace.  Technically what we would term, a zone 2 heart rate pace.  I made a pact to trek with Serene and not away from her.  And I kept that promise right to the end.

Mimi and Jeffrey taking it easy. [Photo: Ah Li]

In all honesty, on this day's trek, very soon, I lost sight of KC Tng, Jeffrery, Patrick, Darric, Alex, Lai Peng, Kai Sing, Zaid, Ka Lin, KK, Ah Leong and DTan.  Ah Sing was also quite ahead of the rear group, once in a while appearing and then disappearing again.

Lunch time!

Trekking is thus.  Every single trekker had his or her own pace.

"Remember, this is NOT a race.  Please trek at your own pace!" was Adrian's constant reminder.

I only managed to see the great majority of the group when we stopped for lunch.  Dal Bhat was my usual order.  It was a great rest.  And soon, we were on our way again.

Here is the Relive video of our trek:

Relive 'Everest Base Camp trek Day 2 - Lukla to Phakding'

Here is the Strava Flyby of this day's trek.  Just click on the image below, play and zoom in to see how fast the boys and girls were cheonging WAAAAY ahead of me.

Click on the Strava Flyby image above to see a realtime trek amongst all of us who were on Strava.

Walking to Phakding also quite siong one. [Photo: Ah Li]

I simply loved the prayer wheels [Photo: Serene]

Crossing one of the bridges. [Photo: Cheng Cheng]

I kept a close watch on my Garmin Fenix 3HR watch, and I kept my heart rate at an average of 104/min, with a maximum of 140/min during some climb.  This was only day one.  Conservation was the key.

A very cute video of us resting by Kong Wan.

The weather from Lukla to Phakding was in the early teens.  Although we started off with our full layers, very soon we were all down to our base layers as it got warmer.

Plenty of Mani stones. [Photo: Serene]

[Fann]

My take of the Mani stones.

Click on the above for my Strava of this Day 1's trek.

Total moving time was 3 hour 40 mins from Lukla to Phakding.  Well, it could have been faster.  But hey it was only the first day. 

The VIDEO: Finally trekking! From Lukla to Phakding.



Beer Garden Hotel

Photo: Ah Li

Arriving at Phakding's Beer Garden Hotel at around 5:15pm.  The weather was turning a little cold as the sun dipped.  Trekking the whole way without trekking sticks and on just what we had with the loan down jackets, we decided that roughing it out was the best option.  So we simply wet-wiped ourselves and powder bathed.  But man, was it cold.  I hated cold.
The boys and girls were in good spirit at the dining hall when we gathered for dinner that evening.  I felt so naked without my medical kit (still lost somewhere in Kuala Lumpur).  Glancing around, all looked alright.  Strangely I myself had a headache.

"Cannot be AMS lah," laughed Adrian.

"Don't know leh.  It felt like AMS to me." maybe I was simply paranoid.  Most of the team were already on Diamox.

"Aiyah.. go take a Panadol lah" OK lor.  Thus on the records, I must have been the first among the whole team to suffer AMS, and at a mere altitude of 2600m some more!

"No lah.  It's because of the stress of being bumped off Malaysia Airlines, and losing your luggage and maybe not enough sleep lah." someone consoled me.  Well, hopefully it was just that.

Time to sleep at Hotel Beer Garden

EBC TREK Day 3: From Phakding to Namche Bazaar
20th Nov 2017

Here is the Relive video of our trek from Phakding to Namche Bazaar:

Relive 'Everest Base Camp trek Day 3 - From Phakding to Namche Bazaar'

Here is the Strava Flyby of this day's trek from Phakding to Namche Bazaar.  Just click on the image below, play and zoom in.  The discrepancies between the fast trekkers and the slow trekkers were very obvious.  And yes I was one of the ones right at the back.

Click on the Strava Flyby image above to see a realtime trek amongst all of us who were on Strava.

Here is my Garmin Connect's record of the trek.  Total elapsed time was about 9 hour 30 mins, bringing us to Namche Bazaar just around 5pm.

A very cold face wash and teeth brushing at just before 5am at Beer Garden Hotel

Setting off at 7:30am

The day's trek started at 7:30am.  Adrian made sure everyone was out and walking early because this was one of the tougher days with plenty of climbs and long long routes.  Being right at the beginning of the journey, many might not be psychologically conditioned yet.  Memories from 6 years ago taught me that this was really a challenging climb (at least for me and Serene) especially when we climbed up towards Monjo and on the last stretch up to Namche.

The Phakding Bridge!

The old Sunrise Lodge

Morning was cold at freezing point right out of Phakding.  Very soon we reached the famous Phakding bridge just beside the infamous Sunrise Lodge.  A right turn took the trek into an upward spiral.  Through rhododendron trees on each side we trekked.  And Dropkyos and mules constantly interrupting the momentum of our trek.  Suspension bridges abound.  I still remembered those that our Civil Engineer Kai Sing complained had no lateral stabilizing cables and thus were prone to swinging.  All I knew was that Ai Lin was rushing me from behind.

"So scared already, you still walk so slowly. Quickly quickly walk and get out from the bridge!" rushed Ai Lin from behind me on one of the bridges, as I pulled Ah Li up to the other side.

The Dudh Koshi. [Photo: Fann]

Ryan was the youngest and naturally the most free-spirited and mischievous trekker.  His favourite pastime would be to wait for Serene at every single one of these suspension bridge and jump as she tread gingerly on them, knowing very well that she was frightened of suspension bridges.


Sherpa population of Solukhumbu

We passed villages after villages.  The buildings were typical Tibetan/Sherpa squarish houses with the unique square Tibetan/Sherpa windows.  The villagers were really a hardy lot.  The cold bothered them not.  Not even the little toddlers.  There was one stop where we saw a young lady in socks and rubber sandals with just normal clothing washing vegetable outdoors at a flowing tap, while our teeth were chattering from the freezing temperature.  We were impressed by her resilience to the cold.

Local houses. [Photo: Alex Kaan]

Each time I passed by a small village, my heart rate would rise a tad.  Along treks like these, I had always loved to walk pass the local Sherpa village.  Sherpa is a Tibetic ethnic group native to the Himalaya.  Their ancestors originated from Kham in Tibet and crossed the Nangpa La to migrate to the Himalayan region in Nepal.  Little known to us, the oldest Sherpa village in Nepal is actually Tengboche.

A shy little local girl [Photo: Lai Peng]

This boy couldn't help but caught my attention because he was smiling all the way as he walked with his Mother.

The word Sherpa or Sherwa, means East (Sher), people (wa).  Sherpa people live mainly in the eastern part of Nepal. There are also Sherpas living in China, Bhutan, Sikkim,  West Bengal near Darjeeling district.  Their Tibeto-Burman language is a dialect mixed of Eastern Tibetan and Lhasa.  Strangely, the Sherpa language is not understood by Lhasa Tibetans.  Genetically, the Sherpa people are closely affiliated with the Tibetans and the Hans in China, and also with the Rais in Nepal.

Portraiture of a local Sherpa child. [Photo: KC Tng]

continuing with our trek...

[Photo: Fann]

KL was one of the first to be ill on this trek, having brought back some Suzhou E.coli gastroenteritis a few days back.  Amazingly she did well on this second day of trek with some of her own medication.  The tough genes ran in her family.  Like brother, like sister.

The village Monjo held a very special place in my heart because that was where I distinctly remembered myself and Serene suffering terribly 6 years ago when we literally dragged out feet up to the top of Monjo, where the Sagarmatha National Park building was.
Just right before the climb, we would come to a waterfall where on our previous trip, we set up tripods and took long exposures of the tiny waterfall.  This was also where Adrian took his virgin bath 6 years ago in the streams beneath the waterfall.

The waterfall before the climb up to Monjo

I saw no one setting tripod this time round.  Kai Sing, Jeffrey, Alex, Lai Peng, Kong Wan, Darric and all the usual hard-core photographers were right ahead and gave only a perfunctory glance at this quite beautiful little natural structure.

"OK Dar, this is it.  The climb up to Monjo.  Slowly ok?"  I instructed Serene as I slowly led her up.

"Wei, slow down! I can feel my heart beating very fast!" the reprimand came fast and often from behind me.

Sagarmatha National Park

To be most honest, I never thought we would arrive at the top so quickly, and with relatively lesser effort from what I could recall from memory.  I praised Serene on a job well done.  All the years of cycling and running ever since the last time we step foot here had done both of us some good.  Fitness-wise we were both in a better condition, although adipose tissue distribution seemed to have gone a little astray in Serene's case due to age.  My issue with the climbs was that many of these were rocky climbs and the paths were simply rocks haphazardly arranged and one needed to watch where one's feet landed.

The dancing duo Jason and Matthew. [Photo: Ah Li]

Right after Monjo was a descent that brought us right down to the level of the Dudh Koshi River and another suspension bridge.  Another climb and another descent would bring us to Jorsalle, the lunch point.  I remembered Jorsalle with plenty of trepidation because this was our last comfort point.  After lunch, the trek would linger along the banks of Dudh Koshi for a short way before the non-stop climb to Namche Bazaar. 

"Wah lau eh.. Alex, Lai Peng, you both are cheongsters! No lasa one ah.. So fast you all!" complained Serene as she stepped into the small eatery.  But she was correct.  These two were on their Lonely Peak trekking shoes (though the low cut ones, as their mid cut ones were still missing somewhere in KL).

"Alex and Lai Peng are really very fast.  They just walked right in front like that.  Really no lasa one." even Kai Sing, our muscle man, concurred. 

Waiting for the Dzopkyos to pass

"Wei, Khim, you must eat leh.  Wait later you will have no strength for the climb," urged Darric.  Khim had no appetite during lunch and could hardly eat.  I could understand how she felt.  It was a combination of fatigue and a little bit of altitude setting in.  But still, some form of force consumption must take place because the road ahead was energy-sapping.

As we waited our turn for the toilet at lunch point, Alex, Kai Sing, Raymond and myself counted the number of hours our luggage had gone missing, and were counting the potential compensation that the insurance company would pay up.

"Until now, there is no news about your luggage," said Adrian. "I am really hoping that we will be able to get some updates this evening at Namche."

I was sure those ten of us with missing luggage were just as anxious.  Having to go through the next thirteen days with next to nothing more than what we had wasn't the best way to do an EBC trek.  Personally, I was more concerned about all the medical kits and medicine that we would potentially need as we progress further higher.

Walking along the banks of Dudh Koshi. [Photo: Serene]

Walking on the rocky paths next to the Dudh Koshi was fun.  Fann and I had so much fun releasing our bladders in the open just behind some bushes next to the raging river that we didn't mind being a little slower right at the back of the troupe.
As we finally started the climb up towards Namche, the altimeter started at 2996m and the gradient became more and more unbearable.  Very soon we arrived at 3000m, my watch told me we had arrived at one of the most memorable spot where six years ago Mahesh uttered his famous words: "Ok, it's 3000m here.  Go slowly from here onwards."  And it was also here that I remembered the pine tree that I took a picture of Serene to remember the 3000m by.

"Sloth speed!" cried out Serene behind again.

The exact same spot I took a shot of Serene 6 years ago at 3000m.

I kept glancing at my watch.  My heart rate was averaging at 115-117/min.  Not too bad.  I was still able to control my pace so that I would not bust my lactate threshold.  My only fear was Ah Sing may have busted hers way in front with the fast boys Jason and Matthew.  Fann and Ah Li were guai guai walking with us slowly.

Mimi and Ka Lin in fantastic form! [Photo: Kai Sing]

A brief sighting of Everest at 3000m. [Photo: Kc Tng]

Kai Sing and Alex enjoying the climb thoroughly. Power man! [Photo: Kai Sing's iPhone]

The rocks on the path were unrelenting and many a times unreasonably random, if they could be such described.

"Just look for the easiest and smallest step," said Fann, who, as a rock climber, had a natural instinct about rocks.

It was easier said than done.   Without our trekking sticks, we were literally depending on our quadriceps and gluteus to climb.  The sticks would have made it easier for us.  But for the time being, we just had to make do without.  We entered the shades of the forest as we ascended closer.  And finally made it to the vantage view point with the public toilet.  In our hearts we knew it was getting nearer, but how much nearer we didn't know.
Khim rendezvous with us at this point.  It has apparently been a tiring stretch for her post-lunch, as she was low on energy.  An energy bar or two pushed into her hands would give her the much needed boost for this last part.  But she had to be really slow, and pace herself like everyone else, including myself and Serene.

"Khim, 加油!" I shouted out to her as I breathlessly moved out from the Viewpoint for the last attack on Namche.

The climb after climb after climb. [Photo: KC Tng]

The only monster who were not slow were most of the Ang Moh trekkers.  They would walk so fast overtaking us, and even while doing so, were engaged in intense conversation with each other, as though this was a stroll in their neighbourhood.  I really could not imagine what these Ang Mohs were made of.  How could anyone be so fit, and at such altitude?

The walkie talkies were going off like crazy with Alex, Kai Sing, Kong Wan and the rest announcing their respective arrival at Namche Bazaar.  These were almost as monstrous as the Ang Mohs.  The paces with which they trekked were unbelievable.

Getting nearer and nearer to Namche Bazaar.

My watch indicated 3100m, and then 3200m and finally 3300m.  We WERE near.  And the row of houses with blue roof finally appeared.

"Oh look!" I told Cheng Cheng, who was walking with us. "After this row of houses, there will be a short stretch in front before we will make a right turn.  If my memory serves me well, right after the turn we will see the entrance to Namche Bazaar."

Just a collage of some of our boys and girls upon arrival at Namche. There are more of our team members but
these can be found in the video below.

And it didn't fail me.  At 5pm, we all arrived at the highly anticipated village.  I wondered how it had changed ever since the 2015 earthquake that had the epicentre not far from Namche.  But the sky had turned dark, and I would not be able to find out until the next day.

Panorama of Namche Bazaar. [Photo: Serene]

Walking up, we could see quite a lot of changes.  Some of the water features were new, and to our shock, very modern looking boutiques with high-class fashion.

"I don't like this," lamented Fann.

"Hmmmm.... I agree with you.  This is not what Namche used to be like.  This has become so much more touristy after the earthquake." I said.   But fortunately, I was to be proven wrong the next day as I found many parts of old Namche Bazaar still preserved the way they had always been. 

The Green Tara Hotel

This lovely hotel was our shelter from the increasing cold for the next two nights.  For 500 NPR (S$6.68) per person with towel, we got to take a hot shower each.  We all did.  Serene and I the first and second night, while the girls on the second night.

"I suggest no more hot shower after Namche," instructed Adrian. "Because it is going to get much colder and the chances of you catching a cold is very high."  Everyone guai guai followed his instruction.

The elapsed time on my watch showed 9 hours 30 minutes, and a moving time of 8 ours 4 minutes.  It was long enough a day.  Thankfully the next day was an acclimatisation day.   A short trek was in store.  But it would be a relaxing day indeed.

The girls were asleep even before dinner came. [Photo: Serene]

8:20pm.

"Guys! Your luggage have caught up with us finally!" announced Adrian to a round of cheers.

Our missing luggage! Finally!

During dinner that evening...

All the missing luggage had been flown from Kathmandu into Lukla and a group of porters specially tasked to carry them in double time up from Lukla to Namche.  A group of our porters had gone downwards to meet them half way to help carry the luggage up.
Having all our clothing and equipment back was such reassurance.  We were all relieved.

Checking everyone's oxygen saturation.

Now that I was finally equipped, I began my round of checking every one.  I was glad I could finally start KL on the needed antibiotic for her gastroenteritis.  And as I monitored the oxygen levels, I was shocked to find almost everyone's Oxygen saturation at 80% on the pulse oxymeter, even after warming up the fingers.  Everyday at sea level back at home, all my patient's SaO2 were 99-100%.  Anything below 90% back at home was alarming.
On this evening, aside from finding most of our team member's SaO2 at 80+%, I was shocked to find TJK's SaO2 (Oxygen Saturation) to be at 73%.  I took a look at this 57 year old man's face.  No clinical signs.  But up here in the mountains, we could not wait.

"Hey, you better quickly go get Diamox from Adrian," I warned him. "Your oxygen is so low your risk of AMS is very high."

It was only later at Lobuche that I found some of the important information that I needed on this handwritten chart hung on the wall of the guesthouse.

So it meant that at the altitude of 3400m at Namche Bazaar, most people's blood oxygen saturation should be about 85-90%.  Anything lesser we should be careful.  And on that night, quite a number of us were indeed in the 80% zone.  Ashley herself was in the 70+%, like TJK.  And she was feeling winded after the long climb up to Namche.  I passed CC one of the pulse oxymeter to keep measuring her oxygen levels through the night.
Some of us were already starting to have symptoms of food poisoning and respiratory symptoms.  Fann herself had been having watery stools,  and I left nothing to chance by starting her on Ciprofloxacin antibiotic and made her sleep with Serene and I for both nights.  The rest with upper respiratory symptoms were treated quickly.  But the most worrisome ones were those with early signs of possibly AMS.

The children's SaO2 were good. At around 90%. [Photo: Ah Li]

Ah Li's was around 91%. [Photo: Ah Sing]

Ah Sing was so cute.  Totally knocked out she was.. with gloves, middle and outer layer and beanies and all.

Sleep came very easy that night, as most of us were shagged out.  But some ended up tossing and turning a little as mild AMS begun to set in.


The VIDEO: Climb and climb and climb and finally climbed to Namche Bazaar





EBC TREK Day 4: Happy Acclimatisation Day in Namche Bazaar!
21 Nov 2017

It was customary to rest one extra day in Namche Bazaar for acclimatisation.  This acclimatisation thing was important for long treks and especially for those not used to high altitudes.  Skipping an acclimatisation day could mean all the difference between making the objective and developing debilitating AMS.

"Huh? Tomorrow morning still must climb meh? Not rest in Namche and go shopping one meh?" asked a bemused Ai Lin.

Well, that was the whole idea about acclimatisation.  One would climb high, ideally to the next altitude that one would want to attain, and then descend and rest.  By thus, the body would be forced to adapt to a higher altitude and yet be given a chance to rest.

"Yes, we will be climbing to about 3800m to a nice vantage point above Namche Bazaar and then towards Syangboche, and then come back. Then you all can go shopping after that." announced Adrian.

Here is the Relive video of our acclimatisation trek to Syangboche:

Relive 'Everest Base Camp trek Day 4- acclimatisation hike to Syangboche and back'

Here is the Strava Flyby of our acclimatisation trek from Namche Bazaar upwards.  Just click on the image below, play and zoom in.  This was really one of the happier treks, because almost everyone was smiling.

And here is the Garmin Connect of our acclimatsation trek to Syangboche today. A really short one, 3 hours 45 minutes.  But good enough.

The VIDEO: Acclimatisation Day in Namche - a really Happy Day!


First thing in the morning, Cheng Cheng reported back to me that Ashley's SaO2 the whole night through was around 80% something. That was quite reassuring.   I was really grateful to Cheng Cheng for being the nurse for the night.

The night before Adrian re-emphasized that it would be a minus ten degrees Celsius early moning as we move out at 8am, and that we would all need to be in Full Battle Order - by that he meant in all layers - base layers, middle layers (as many as we needed) and the outer shell.  With that expectation, we were all ready for a freezing day.  It was indeed freezing  Namche at 3400m was cold early in the morning, below freezing point.  But the sun rose quickly and once the warm rays hit us, the layers started coming off.

All on Full Battle Order as per Adrian's instruction. [Photo: Fann]

The unique characteristic of this village Namche Bazaar was, everywhere you went, it was uphill climb and the only way of commute was by climbing steps after steps.  Early morning at 8am, even merely climbing the well chiselled steps of the village, we were already feeling breathless.  It was nostalgic of exactly what we went through 6 years ago.  That walk up towards the vantage point was really breathless.  The steps seemed never ending.  Serene and I were kao-beh-kao-boo-ing all the way.  The thinner air at 3400m most likely contributed to our breathlessness.

At this altitude, the oxygen level in the air was 64% of what we were used to at sea level.  And our lungs had to work harder.  Keeping a close tab on my watch, I kept my heart rate at an average or 108/min.  Sincerely I was surprised that my heart rate never went too high.  Kai Seng shared my sentiment:

"Yah, I am surprised.  My heart rates are all very low... 90+ something, 100 something like that only. But I pant like crazy," said Kai Sing.

KC Tng taking a shot of Namche Bazaar from on top. [Photo: Patrick]

There laid the difference between a conditioned and a slightly not-so-conditioned person.  At such altitude, with only 64% of the usual amount of oxygen, the body would push the respiratory system, often taxing the lungs to breath harder and increase the respiratory rate.  The hyperventilating end-effect of Diamox would certainly add on to that.  And everybody would be panting like yaks, and breathing twice as rapidly as usual.  By taxing the respiratory system, the heart could still work at its normal rate.  Therefore our heart rates remained.  Unless one pushed really really hard, or if one's fitness wasn't really sufficient, then the heart rate would start to rise - never a good sign as it meant that lactic acid would start to accumulate.

Anybody was more than welcomed and encouraged to give the prayer wheel a spin in
a clockwise direction.  For blessings and as a form of respect to the local people and
the mountains.  [Photo: Fann]

We continued to climb until we reached the top of Namche Bazaar where a prayer wheel was.  This point was the intersection where we would return to time and time again, from the Namche Viewpoint to Syangboche, and on that fateful night trek back to Namche Bazaar days later.

The panorama from atop . [Photo by Alex]

The Sherpa Cultural Museum

Yours truly panting my lungs out even walking on relatively flat slopes up towards
Namche Viewpoint. [Photo: Fann]

The climb towards the vantage point took us through some rocky paths and through a nice shady path with pines and rhododendrons on each side, and finally to the top of the view point where one could catch a glimpse of a small part of Everest hiding slight behind and beside Lhotse.  Located there was the Sherpa Cultural Museum.

Everest on the left, and Lhotse on the right. At Namche Viewpoint. [Photo: Fann]

Group photo at Namche Viewpoint [Photo: Adrian]

I found this museum most intriguing and the information and exhibits that they presented there were most informative.

Here is the link to the page I have created with the exhibits of this museum.

Onwards to Syangboche!

Coming down from the Sherpa Cultural Museum, most of us thought that was it.  End of acclimatisation.  But no.  Adrian and Babu had other plans for us.  We were to climb up to Syangboche at 3860m as the final destination of our acclimatisation climb on this day.  THIS was the actual real climb.

“That’s the direction towards Syangboche airport,” pointed Babu.

Now this acclimatisation climb was not less taxing. The usual zig-zag rocky paths right from the start at 3500m brought on the panting in many of us. Serene in particular had to walk and stop, and whalk and stop again.


The problem with climbs like these was, you looked up and see the zig-zag route and inside you would curse and swear, but you still had to go on.  So you grit your teeth and followed the one in front of you, one foot ahead of the other.  By now, many of us had learned that deep breathing using the diaphragm, or in a simpler term, belly-breathing, would deliver air deeper into the lungs and send more oxygen.  But 2-3 days of diaphragmatic breathing had brought on pain on the lower part of my chest, something that M.Ashley herself also kept complaining to me.  It was un-accustomed usage of our abdominal muscle for repeated deep breathing.

Alex and Lai Peng showing how to ascend the correct way. [Photo: Patrick]

So the route continued its zig zag ascent and you kept looking up, seeing what you thought would be the top, only to realise that there was a higher ground when you came to it.
The vegetation was just shrubs at 3800m.
Even the Ang Mohs who were trekking up with us were panting.  So this was indeed quite a climb.  For more than a couple of times, I found my left foot landing wrongly and mildly twisted my already weakened ankle.  If not for my good trekking boots, I believed I would have sprained it worse.  Mimi and Khim and all of us just made our gradual ascent.  The boys were already walkie-talkie-ing from way in front, telling us they have reached the top.

Round the corner along the perimeter of Everest Sherpa Resort to reach the Syangboche view point. 3861m.

A view from atop the Viewpoint towards Everest Sherpa Resort, wherre Darric was ready to make his descent. [Photo: Kai Sing]

A panorama of the smooth meadow at Syangboche. [Photo: Serene]
Click on the image to see another Panorama by this wonderful photographer.

With our Chief Guide, Babu.

The ground smoothened out into a flattish but still up-sloping meadow.  And the walk became more pleasant, no longer having to watch over which rock to avoid.  Far ahead there was a small little house.  That was actually a guesthouse in Syangboche (Everst Sherpa Resort) that looked over to the highest point.  Rounding the perimeter of the guesthouse finally took us to the top.  3860m.  Job done.

A wonderful GIF of a series of photos of our family taken by Kai Sing (and one by myself)
at Syangboche.

Courtesy of Kai Sing using Serene's iPhone for this wonderful family portrait at Syangboche

Was this acclimatisation trek tough? Yes, for me it was.  Because I was letting my gluteus do most of my climbing.  And I knew my body was most likely still not acclimatised to 3800m yet.

But for Cheng Cheng it wasn't tiring at all as she still had energy to jump!

"I was so glad I carried my daypack on the acclimatisation climb and pushed my body hard on this climb, so that on the actual day of continuing forward without the daypack, I would feel so much better," remarked Kai Sing.

Yeah, this trek must have been tiring.  Because the children fell asleep right after lunch...

Ah Li sleeping in broad daylight. [Photo: Ah Sing]

Back in the hotel, the boys and girls are hanging up their solar panel to charge their powerbanks. [Photo: Ah Li]

The porters were curious about the finger Pulse Oximeter... and their SaO2 levels? In the HIGH 90+% levels. Perfect!
[Photo: Ah Li]

Roaming the streets of Namche Bazaar


Namche Bazaar still retained its old charm despite new buildings and new changes after the earthquake.  There were many parts of Namche that remained the same.  We had had the obligatory tea at the famous German Bakery, enjoyed the coffee and pastries.  Some went to the real North Face shop to pick up some real stuff.

The famous German Bakery. [Photo: Kai Sing]

Serene and I went shop-hopping from one to another, those little shops run by the locals, selling cold wears and such.  And very much enjoyed ourselves being soaked in the Namche atmostphere.  Multiple shops selling tinklets of Buddhist artefacts and souveniors.  By 4pm the temperature started dipping rapidly, and Serene and I rushed back to the hotel with whatever additional base layers and trekking pants we could find.

Having a last comfortable tea before all the suffering really started was Ai Lin, Ryan, Kong Wan, Darric, Khim and Jeffrey.

Kai Sing bought everything for us to enjoy!

Patrick and KC really not frightened of the cold, even as it was starting to freeze outside the German bakery.

Raymond, Matthew, Jason and DT enjoying their warm tea in the cold air.

Echoing Kai Sing's words, I would love to spend a few more days simply exploring Namche Bazaar.  In fact, it was after the whole trek that Kong Wan actually raised this very interesting notion - we could actually plan to extend our stay for a few more days just in Namche Bazaar to soak in the atmosphere and enjoy a relaxing holiday, post-trek, of course.

Well, I must say one of the highlights of the trek was meeting the famous Singapore mountaineer Khoo Swee Chiow who was the first  Singaporean to summit Everest.  He was leading a group to EBC and to summit Island Peak.

"You look familiar! You are the famous Singapore mountaineer, but I cannot remember your name!" was Lai Peng's first words to him when she caught sight of Khoo Swee Chiow.  And the rest was history.

Who else should we meet but the famous Singaporean mountaineer Khoo Swee Chiow at Namche!

That evening...

The next day would be a tough day ahead, as we would breach the 4000m barrier to arrive at Dingboche 4410m.  This last night at Namche Bazaar would be most probably the last night of what little comfort we could afford, for the next seven days, until we arrive back at Namche again on our way back.

As I finished dinner, I saw Raymond whip out his notebook and started writing.  I was impressed and I asked him what he was doing.

"Oh I am just writing down my thoughts for the day, as a record of our trip," came his reply.

"Wow.. that's really good.  How I wish I could do that," I said. "Why don't you write it into your own blog?"

"No lah, for years I have kept my diary and I'd rather keep my stories in my own books" said Raymond.

Very impressive.  One who keeps a daily record of his life would always be one who thought deeply and would do a lot of retrospection.


Blue lips, Alex?

Walking out of the dining hall, suddenly Lai Peng noticed something strange on Alex's face.

"Hey... how come your lips are so blue ah?" Lai Peng was very very sharp.

"Got meh? My lips blue meh?" a puzzled Alex.

I drew my face closer and indeed his lips appeared cyanosed.  A quick check of the SaO2 found that he was on the low 80%.  Hmmm... the day's trek up to 3860m might have pushed his body a little bit harder.  AMS often just come out of a sudden and an early pick-up like what Lai Peng observed was critical in preventing further deterioration.  Alex and gang had been diligently consuming their Diamox twice a day.  But this was time for something a little aggressive.   Tomorrow would be a long day.  I got Serene to pass him a Dexamethasone tablet one for the night and one for the next morning.  This would work.  And it did.  Heng ah!

So we slept.  But at this altitude, AMS was already starting for some... and some had already begun to toss and turn a little in bed struggling to sleep.  I knew Serene and I had to start to be a little more mindful and be more alert to early clinical signs.

Namche Bazaar by night. [Photo: KC Tng]

Whatever it was.  No one could beat KC Tng that night as he had on a super warm bootie for the freezing night.

Well done and well prepared, KC Tng! [Photo: Patrick]

Click here to continue to:
EBC Trek Part 2 ~ The air got thinner & the body got more tired.  Namche Bazaar to Tengboche & Debuche.  Debuche to Dingboche.  Acclimatisation in Dingboche.