Not much father down we came to a Stupa that was dedicated to Tenzing Norgay, the Sherpa who was with Edmund Hillary on the first successful climb of Everest. Soon after, we came around another bend and got our first glimpse of Cho Oyu, the 6th highest peak in the world. This would become a constant companion for the next few days as we followed the valley northward towards Gokyo, and one of those things that really makes you feel like you are some place special.

After about five hours of slow but steady climbing, we finally arrived at the village of Dole. Our guide was pretty impressed with our progress…according to him we were about an hour and a half ahead of the normal time to arrive. I spent the afternoon reading and wandering around. At this altitude the skies were not nearly as hazy, but the afternoons were bringing in clouds that covered the mountains, and the first really chilly weather we’d experienced. All heat in the lodges is produced by burning yak dung in a central stove, and I was very pleased when they finally fired it up and served dinner. It’s veggie fried noodles or fried rice for dinner from pretty much now on, but when you’re hungry it tasted like a real feast!

After coming from sea level to nearly 12,000 feet in less than a week, it was time to stop for a day and let my body adjust to the altitude. Nearly all trekkers stop in Namche for at least two nights; those who don’t have about a 50% chance of needing an expensive helicopter evacuation later on down the road! After yesterday’s uphill slog, the last thing I really wanted to do was to climb up some more, but working out sore muscles is the best thing for them, so it was off to do some exploring around the town.

Our first stop was at the Sagarmatha National Park headquarters where they had a pretty decent museum that talked about the sherpa lifestyle, the flora and fauna of the region, and the geology of how the Himalaya mountains formed. The museum doubles as an army checkpoint, and the helicopter landing pad gave us our first really good view of Mt. Everest and the other high peaks surrounding it.

The museum was only our first stop, and we headed up hill to the Syangboche airstrip, which was in even worse condition than the one in Lukla. There were two or three flights of 6 passenger planes per day in good weather, mostly ferrying rich Japanese tourists to the Everest View hotel where they can stay in rooms that have extra oxygen pumped in so they can mitigate the effects of the high altitude. We hiked up to a lodge near the Everest View where we stopped for tea and the best views yet of Mt. Everest. We hung out there for a while, just absorbing the scenery and taking tons of photographs. Eventually we decided it was time for lunch, so we headed back down to Namche for amazing pizza at a German bakery in town. The rest of the day was spent in happy relaxation and repacking as we got ready to leave the “lowlands” and really head up to the high country.

The next morning started out extremely pleasant, with clear skies and nice cool weather. Ian and I headed out at a nice clip, just lazily letting the miles go by and enjoying the scenery. The trail had a bunch of river crossings, which were made on steel bridges that had been suspended over the river and anchored into the banks with concrete. Impressive construction, and even more so when you consider that every bit of them had to be carried either on the back of a person or a yak. Many of the bridges had been designed and constructed by the Hillary foundation to replace older rope construction that had been washed out during monsoon floods many many times in the past. Modern engineering allowed the newer bridges to be built higher, avoiding this fate, not to mention just being inherently stronger. Crossing the bridges when yaks were around was always a challenge; several times we had to back up and retreat when a fully loaded train of yaks would come through setting the bridge swaying. The bridge floor had been designed to be solid enough to support the hooves, but it also had enough holes to let the worst of the yak dung fall down to the river.

After lunch, the character of the trail started to change pretty significantly. The nice gentle slope up turned into a steep ascent with lots of stone stairs. I found myself struggling more than I would have expected to at this point…being at sea level for so long had completely robbed me of my altitude acclimitazation, and this was the first time where I really felt it. I was amazed at the locals who were carrying 80 pound loads just climbing up the steps like it was flat ground…the adaptations of the Sherpas for altitude is truly amazing!

Eventually we made it up to Namche and found our accommodations for the next two nights. I went out for a wander and checked out the weekly Saturday market. That explained the large number of people and yaks we’d seen on the trail…each Saturday porters come from higher up in the valley to get their weeks supplies, and then head back up again carrying everything that all the guesthouses and locals will need for the coming weeks.

Namche is almost as touristy as Thamel, but twice as expensive. Still, its the last place to really stock up on supplies before heading out, and when you need cold medicine, or a warmer jacket it’s the best place in the world. It’s also the last reasonably priced internet service…at about a dollar for 10 minutes. Dinner was a tasty yak steak, which would be the last meat we’d have for the next two weeks.

After a couple of days in Kathmandu, I was so happy to leave that I  wasn’t even annoyed in the slightest by the 4:30 am wake-up requirement to get to the airport.   Myself, Ian, and Deepak our guide all headed out in a taxi, and I got my first glimpse of how nice the city can be before it really wakes up.  The temples were silent and empty of tourists, with only a few early morning worshipers there to add some real atmosphere.   Unsurprisingly, this didn’t extend to the airport itself which was jammed with trekkers all vying to get on a flight out to Lukla.  There are about four airlines flying the route, and on good weather days, there can be up to 50 daily flights!  This isn’t the absolute peak of high season so we didn’t have to deal with that many people thankfully.  The airport in Lukla is tiny, and the landing strip is usable only by small planes holding about 20 passengers each.  One end of the runway ends at a rock face, and the other is a 2000 foot drop off of a cliff.  Not much room for error, but luckily there hasn’t been a crash since 2008!

The flight into the Solu Kumbu valley is spectacular, with views of Himalayan peaks in all directions, including above the aircraft.  The pilots fly a complicated path into the valley, swooping down between peaks so close that you can see people in villages above you on the mountain.  Landing was interesting, with the pilot slowing down as much as he could, then hitting the brakes as hard as possible before we collided with the cliff face.

We stopped for breakfast at a restaurant just outside the airport where we met our 2nd guide and our porter.  After my first of many servings of scrambled eggs on toast, we started our first days walk towards the town of Phakding.   The overcast day was nice and cool, and as we followed the valley of the Dudh Kosi river.  We got our first looks at village life, and the way that everything is supplied in the valley.  There are absolutely no roads or motorized transport in the Kumbu area, so everything must be carried in by either Yak or human porters.  We’d pause often for yak trains coming down, and would have to huddle against the wall of the trail to avoid being accidentally knocked off into the river below. 

It was a nice easy four hour stroll to Phakding, and when we got there I was still full of energy and eager to keep moving.  I’d noticed a sign pointing to the Pema Chholing monastery high up on the valley face, and got our assistant guide to join me on another couple hours walk.  The trek was rewarding but tough, and the monastery up there was tended by one solitary monk who for a small donation let us in to wander around and take photos.   This was the quiet temple experience I’d been expecting but not finding in Kathmandu, and I was very glad that I took the time to make the extra excursion. 

Dark comes quickly to the valley, and bedtime was beckoning…we’d be up early again tomorrow for our next leg of the journey.

Kathmandu is one of the most surreal places I’ve been yet. 1700 year old statues that any museum or private collector would love to have are just sitting in open temples with absolutely no security. Hindu holy men wander around, trying to bless tourists for donations, Maoist demonstrators are rioting in the streets, and quiet peaceful courtyards are scattered randomly behind ancient doorways that provide a welcome escape from the chaos and pollution outside.  It’s magical!

 I’m staying in Thamel, the tourist ghetto of Kathmandu.  For anyone who’s been to Bangkok, it’s the equivalent of Khao San Road with lots of fake North Face gear for sale, incense sellers on every corner, touts loudly offering Tiger Balm and trekking, and whispered offers of pot and “sexy massages”.  Of course there are also a bunch of shops selling what I’m assuming are fake antiques.  I’ll probably pick a few of those up on the way out…some of them are similar to what you’d see in world market or Pier 1, but at least they’ll have a better story attached to them.

I’ve got about 30 hours here to kill before I start my trek.  I’ve met my hiking guide and the guy I’ll be traveling with. Ian is a Brit/Aussie with an interesting story, and like me, visiting Everest is one of his big lifetime goals.   I’m spending my time just wandering around, absorbing the atmosphere and chaos.  The downside to a chaotic country like Nepal is that there is absolutely no regulation of traffic, fuel standards, safety laws, etc.  The pollution here is so bad that many of the locals walk around with dust masks over their mouths and noses.  There’s no organized garbage collection, so the streets are strewn with filth…most mornings you’ll see individual shopkeepers sweeping the street directly in front of their stall, but within a couple of hours it is hopelessly filthy again.   The poorer citizens will rummage through garbage piles looking for things to sell, but the remainder is left to rot, or to be eaten by the local stray dogs and cows that wander the streets.  Anything left over after that is usually burned in place which just contributes even more to the grey haze over the city.  In the very early morning you can actually see a hint of mountains in the distance, but by 9:00 am the pollution is so bad that they disappear completely. 

There are a couple of temples that I’ll want to visit after the trek, but other than that I can’t wait to get out of this city and into the countryside for some cleaner air!

Hong Kong seems like a nice city. I had a 12 hour layover here, and luckily they don’t require a visa to go see the city. For about 10 bucks, I got a round trip train ticket from the airport to the city itself. With only a few hours to spend, I decided I’d go up Hong Kong hill and then just wander around for a while. It was raining, so I got to see a lot of downtown while dashing from awning to awning. I finally got to the base of Hong Kong hill and caught the funicular train to the top. They’ve got a little amusement area up there with everything from an IMAX theater to a Ripley’s Believe it or Not museum. I hung out around the top for a while, and then when it became pretty obvious that the day was going to stay rainy, I headed back to the airport.

I don’t know why I waited so long to get over here! This island is so much nicer than Samui…it’s back to the old backpack vibe that I said was missing in my last post. I’ve got an amazing bungalow on a cliff overlooking the sunset side of the island.

Meg showed up this morning…she’s a friend who I’d first met in Malaysia, and we’ve kept running into each other thru SE Asia. She’s been in Australia while I was in Mongolia, and she’ll be spending the next couple of months seeing the parts of Asia she missed earlier. We’re going to grab a motorcycle and explore the island this afternoon, and then go out tonight.

Tomorrow I’ve got my flight to Hong Kong, and then a 12 hour layover before Africa. Hopefully I’ll be able to see a little of the city.

]]> http://theglobalguy.com/world-travels/asia/ko-phan-ang/feed 0 -90.0000000 1.0000000 http://theglobalguy.com/world-travels/asia/ko-samui-again http://theglobalguy.com/world-travels/asia/ko-samui-again#comments Fri, 15 Aug 2003 03:32:21 +0000 Henry Malmgren http://www.theglobalguy.com/se-asia/ko-samui-again/

Day three on Samui…so far it’s been very relaxing, but I’m a bit hungover from the full moon party last night. The mood of the island is different than the last time I was here. Last time it was mostly backpackers hanging out and being social. This time it seems to be mostly European holidaymakers out to get drunk and shag anything that moves. The "backpacker vibe" is missing, but it’s still an OK time.

Yesterday before the party I went sea kayaking at the marine park. I had done this previously, but I went with a different company this time. They used speedboats instead of large houseboat style craft. I think I prefer the other style, just because you’ve got more space to enjoy the journey out there and back.

Getting to the full moon party was wild. The promoters had sold about 10 times more tickets for transportation than there were spaces on the boats. Luckily for me, most of the people who were in line were British with their inherent need to stand in queues. With my Mongolian training, I just elbowed my way up to the front, and soon found myself waving at all the poor polite suckers who were going to have to argue with their travel agents tomorrow for refunds. The party itself was a lot of fun…hanging out with tons of new folks, watching the fire twirlers, and drinking lots of buckets of Samsung whiskey. It’s not something I’d go out of my way to check out again, but I’m glad I’ve done it once!

Korea’s been an interesting place, and it’s not just because there is no smell of mutton, and the pepperoni on the pizza is amazing! Of course I can’t really say that I’ve "seen" or "done" Korea. I’ve really just seen Seoul. And of that, I’ve really only seen the War Memorial, and the Itawon area where all the American GI’s go to pick up fat American women or Korean hookers.

The War memorial was amazing. I wasn’t intending to see it at all…I thought it would be something like the American memorial to the Korean war in DC. Just a simple statue with a plaque. Nope, this was huge. It’s more like the ANZAC memorial in Canberra. It’s got a list of all the people killed in the Korean war; Korean, American, and all the other allies. It’s got a museum tracing Korea’s military heritage from the Bronze age to the present. Of course a lot of it is dedicated to the Korean war. I think I learned more about the war yesterday than I did in all my American history classes in both High School and University combined. This was especially interesting since my Grandfather was involved in the war back in the day.

Today I went out to visit the DMZ. It was one of the best tours I’ve done, and was really the reason I even stopped here. First we visited a tunnel that the North Koreans had dug under the DMZ to try to infiltrate the south. Apparently there are 4 known tunnels discovered from 1978 all the way up to 1990. This one had the capability to move 10,000 troops an hour to within 30k of Seoul! After that we went to the DMZ proper. It’s a really beautiful area, and it’s a shame that it’s only so amazing because of an un-ended war The group visited the building where talks are held between the two Koreas. It’s actually bisected by the border, so I got to go into North Korea for a few minutes…granted, it was only about 5 feet, but it was interesting.

Tomorrow I’m flying to Bangkok, and on Tuesday I’m headed to Koh Samui. I’m really excited about the beach!

Well, the last few days in Mongolia were amazing. Monday and Tuesday I spent exploring the museums I’d never gotten a chance to visit. Mongolia won again when I was at the National history museum. Gin was giving me a tour and we’d gotten to the last of the Khans when the power went out in the museum leaving us in complete darkness. Luckily the Thai restaurant down the road had power, so the day was saved.

Last Friday was my last time at the Steppe Inne. I never would have thought that an embassy could be so much fun. I’m glad to see that the Brit’s still have a sense of hospitality!

Last night after my final hash, we moved to the local amusement park. Drunken roller coasters are a blast, although I can’t imagine how a place like that stays open. Safety was a joke, but apparently not that many people actually get hurt. Lawsuits would have closed that place down years ago if it was in the states. After that we ended up going clubbing and dancing till the early hours of the morning. Finally there was a sad farewell to Gin, and my flight to Korea. I’m sorry to be leaving such great folks, but I’m really excited about Africa!

So now I’ve finished my official project in Mongolia. That means I’m outta here in 5 days…it’s going to go by quickly. There are a ton of things I have to do between now and then, including sightseeing in all the museums I’ve been putting off. I’ve also got to go to the black market to look for fabric samples for my Mom, and I also need a new pair of shoes.

Hopefully before I leave I’ll be able to squeeze in at least one more hash, and one more visit to the Steppe Inne. I’ve had a blast at both places, and I’m really going to miss them.

I also just went out to Terelj national park one last time with Virgina. We’d been wanting to get out to the countryside together, and this was our last chance. We had a blast racing each other, and our 14 year old guide. He was riding a horse that had taken 2nd place in Naddam a couple of years ago, and still had a lot of spirit to him. We ended up near a private ger camp that focused on dinosaurs as it’s main tourist draw. Coming into the valley that its in from a certain angle can make you think you’re approaching an offshoot of Jurassic Park.

]]> http://theglobalguy.com/world-travels/asia/mongolia/done-with-work/feed 0 -90.0000000 1.0000000 http://theglobalguy.com/world-travels/asia/mongolia/death-march http://theglobalguy.com/world-travels/asia/mongolia/death-march#comments Thu, 24 Jul 2003 03:43:28 +0000 Henry Malmgren http://www.theglobalguy.com/mongolia/death-march/

This past weekend I went out with my co-workers on a 5 day countryside trip. Most of Golomt bank shuts down for long weekend and the whole company goes out on a team building exercise. The staff was divided into about 5 teams each with their own matching outfits and backpacks. I was expecting it to be a nice trip out with a few days of doing day hikes. WRONG! It turned out to be 5 days of backpacking with 40 pound packs for about 15 miles per day.

Luckily the scenery was amazing. We trekked up and down mountain passes, across streams, and through beautiful valleys. Our final destination was a small completely isolated lake in the middle of nowhere. This lake was beautiful with crystal clear waters, and fish that practically jumped out at you to catch. We spent about 24 hours swimming, fishing and just being lazy. The hike back was more of the same, except we found the lair of the Mongolian horse fly. For nearly two days we endured constant attacks from these guys, and no one had thought to bring any insect repellent.

We finally got back to base camp where the army trucks that the bank had rented were waiting for us. Of course before we headed back we had to have a party. Lots of vodka was consumed, and since I was the only westerner there, they had to see me ride a horse. I’m glad I’d been riding a good bit during my time here, because several of them told me that they were impressed with how well I was able to handle the animal. Coming from a Mongolian that’s high praise! We didn’t leave base camp for UB until about midnight, and between trucks getting stuck in the mud and other mechanical problems we didn’t arrive until about 4am. I was awfully glad to get back to my apartment and a hot shower, and I slept for almost 20 hours afterwards.

From July 11th thru 13th the city of UB shuts down for the annual celebration of the “Three manly sports”. These include Archery, Horse racing, and wrestling. We went out to see a little bit of all of these, plus the 4th not so manly sport of anklebone shooting. The festival starts on Friday morning with a parade thru the streets where horses and people dressed in traditional costumes march from the main square down to the main stadium. The opening ceremonies were incredible. They featured fireworks, skydivers, acrobats on horses, shamanic dancing and speeches from the Mongolian government. I’d seen Mongolian wrestling before, so after the main ceremony we headed over to the archery stadium. It was impressive to watch the archers in their traditional costumes, but I wasn’t as impressed with the skill. The arrows tended to wobble in flight, and seemed very unbalanced. Hitting targets seemed to me to be more luck than any real skill.

The next day we went to watch the finals of a horse race. The horses race up to 26k, and usually have 4 or 5 year old children as their jockeys. This is done to insure the winner is the best horse, and not the best jockey. The event seemed to be a lot of sitting around, until all at once the crowd started to get excited. We pushed ourselves to the front of the crowd and got to see the first horses arrive. Some of them were barely walking, and a few even died at the finish line. There were two or three horses that arrived without their riders. Apparently one or two children jockeys die every year during the races from falling off of their speeding animals.

That Saturday night we went out on a Hash pub crawl. The evening was a blast, and we accidentally saw the closing ceremony parade. We were crawling from one bar to another when suddenly the streets were filled with the costumed riders carrying the ceremonial horse tails and flags back to the statehouse for another year of storage. It was a great way to end the weekend!

Brrr! Our last night camping was also the coldest one we’ve experienced so far. Every night we’ve been able to stay in either a ger campground, or in our tents near a river. We’ve always had plenty of firewood laying around to easily keep ourselves and our food nice an hot. Tonight we had to camp on the open steppe with no trees or wood anywhere to be found. Luckily, it being Mongolia, there is always plenty of alternative fuel everywhere, if you just look for a few minutes. As soon as we’d set up our tents, Oogi taught us the basics of finding good yak dung. It had to be dry, easily crumbled and the older the better. It didn’t take long at all before we had collected a nice sized pile of the stuff. While it lit and burned, I can’t say much for the amount of heat that it put out. I think we were all glad that we only had to deal with one night of this!

The next day on our way back to UB, we passed a small car that was being driven by some sort of police official. He didn’t like being passed, and waved us over to the side of the road. When he got to the driver’s side window, immediately Oogi and the cop started nearly screaming at each other. Oogi stepped on the gas, leaving the cop to hang on to the outside of the van for a few meters before he decided to let go. He ran back to his car which was filled with his family and started chasing us. We outran him after a while, but we spent a good bit of the way back practicing the Mongolian phrase for "I want to talk to my embassy!"

Finally we arrived back home, tired and smelly but really happy with the outcome. It’d been a great trip, and I was going to be sad to have to return to work the next day.