Everest Base Camp Trek Day 5 March 31, 2010. (Day 1 of trekking)

Well, we finally got off the ground today and arrived in Lukla after a beautiful clear scenic 45min flight... man it was cold!!

Our first day of trek was only 2.5 - 3h to Phakding.

Altitude: 2800m to 2620m.

Everest Base Camp Trek Day 4 March 30, 2010.

We set off again for the airport this morning hoping that we might have better luck. However, much to our dismay and that of our tour guide, the weather was still bad in Lukla - rain and hail in fact! We were all pretty happy not to be flying or walking in that!

After only 4h at the airport we were advised that all flights were cancelled again! Now we were getting anxious that we may not get to Lukla in time to get to base camp as there is a minimum time that one can ascend to that altitude and we would be cutting it fine!

Everest Base Camp Trek Day 3 March 29, 2010.

We left for the airport this morning to fly to Lukla to start our Base camp trek. However the day did not turn out as planned. On arrival we were advised that the weather in Lukla was not good so the flights were to be delayed. After 6h of sitting around Kathmandu domestic airport listening to our iPods and having the occasional little nap (our books were checked in) we were advised that our flight had now been CANCELLED!!!!

Much to our guide’s dismay we now head back into Kathmandu for another night ... and another steak... to try it all again tomorrow!

Everest Base Camp Trek Day 2 March 28, 2010.

This morning our tour guide took us to Pashupatinatha temple, the most sacred Hindu Temple in Kathmandu where they perform the traditional cremation ceremonies for the deceased. It sits on a sacred river that pilgrims from India and Nepal flock to for bathing whilst in Kathmandu. Whilst there we were fortunate to witness 2 funerals and cremation ceremonies - both different in nature depicting the different ethnic groups the deceased were from.

We also visited the Buddhanatha Stupa, which is the most sacred Buddhist temple in Kathmandu. Whilst here we visited a Thanka painting school which is run by the Monastry. Thanka painting is a Tibetan-Nepalese style of painting which is intricate and extremely time consuming. The better quality paintings are detailed with 24-carat gold paint.  

Tonight we caught up with Brii’s friends again for a Steak! We decided we would need a decent feed of meat before starting our trek as our tour leader has put us on a Vegetarian diet to protect us from food poisoning whilst trekking.

Everest Base Camp Trek Day 1 March 27, 2010.

Technically our arrival day for the start of our Everest Base Camp trek. We woke early this morning to take a scenic flight across the Himalayas. We experienced first hand the delays that Kathmandu domestic airport is renowned for with our 0630 flight not actually taking off until after 0800. However, the wait was worth it! The views from the air are amazing. The sky was clear and we had very good views of Mt Everest, Makalu, and other peaks in this section.

Jack was then very excited to find the electricity on (it is variable) and the F1 Qualifying on TV.

We did a little more exploring this afternoon before returning to our hotel for our group meeting, where we met our remaining one and only group member, Carrie... a Canadian Teacher who works in Singapore.

We all ventured out to dinner with our guide leading the way to a Nepalese restaurant which was a traditional Nepalese banquet and more traditional dancing. The setting was fabulous, the meal was delicious, and the dancing was similar style but varied to the night before and very enjoyable.  

NEPAL Mar 25-26, 2010

We arrived in Kathmandu after a 3h30min flight. The airport reminded us of the Horn Island Airport, except there was a luggage belt instead of a trailer. It certainly was very small, old, and quite primitive, especially considering it is a major transit centre for trekking tourists.

The scenery during the ride to our hotel gave us insight into the chaotic, narrow streets, and how Nepal is very much still a developing country. We spent our first afternoon exploring locally around our hotel and enjoyed some delicious Indian cuisine for dinner.

Our second day was spent relaxing, after a lie in, we ventured out for breakfast and to get some laundry done. By luck later in the day we stumbled into the Rooftop Cafe and sampled their “Momos” - a traditional Nepalese snack similar to Chinese dumplings, which are apparently the best in Kathmandu! They were sensational!! We then discovered by the wonderful facebook that some friends of Brii’s were also in Kathmandu and staying not too far away. Needless to say, we caught up for a beer which turned into dinner in a fabulous little Nepalese restaurant (Thamel House). During dinner we also enjoyed some traditional Nepalese dancing.

Bangkok March 22-25 2010

We spent 3 days in Bangkok relaxing in a little luxury before heading to Nepal for trek. The highlight of this few days was the chance to spend some time with our great friends Ez and Matt who were on their first trip to Thailand!! 

China Day 20-22 Beijing

After our final night train in China, we arrived in the modern capital Beijing.

Our first afternoon was spent exploring Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. On our second day in Beijing we travelled for 3h to the Great Wall of China. We then proceeded to explore this extremely steep section of the wall from Gatehouse 8 -12. This was an amazing experience which was topped off by snow fall  at our highest point on the wall.

Our final evening was spent celebrating our tour leaders birthday and enjoying Peking Duck, along with a number of other delicious selections.

The next day, the small group of us who weren’t flying out until later ventured over to see the Beijing 2008 Olympic Stadium and Water Cube. These were both very impressive structures. We then explored “Snack Street” where we discovered the famous skewer sticks with live scorpions, sea horses, and a selection of other interesting combinations... no, neither of us ate any of the skewer sticks on offer! 

China Day 18-19 Xian

After a 12h train journey we arrived in Xian, the capital of the Shaanxi Province. Xian is the longest serving capital city in China’s history, being the capital for four of the Dynasties. 

It is also the home of the famous Terracotta Warriors, which were unearthed in 1974 by a farmer digging a well.

There are over 6000 of these individually hand carved clay statues of soldiers, horses, and chariots, all facing east in battle formation protecting Qin Shihuang, China’s first Emperor.

It was amazing to see the soldiers in their original location which also doubles as an archeological site where the restoration is ongoing. 

China Day 13-17 Yangtze River

From Yichang, we travelled a short bus ride to our River “Cruise” Boat port, stopping along the way at the recently completed Yangtze Dam wall. Standing 170m tall it was quite impressive.

The next 2 nights were spent cruising up the Yangtze River, where it was unfortunately cold, wet, and very foggy so the views were obscured. However, a few Thai Chi lessons in the morning, lots of cards during the day, and the odd drink at night kept us amused.

We disembarked our “cruise” and took a bus to Chongqing for the night.

China Day 12 Yangshuo

This morning we were met by the instructor from a cooking school. She lead us to the daily fresh produce markets to buy some of ingredients for our dishes - this was an experience - we even had the opportunity to buy dog meat, needless to say we didn’t take it! We then spent the next few hours cooking 3 Chinese dishes, including the regional speciality “Beer Fish”, Gang Bao Chicken, and Vegetarian Dumplings. This was our lunch today and we were both pleased with our efforts!

Tonight we boarded yet another sleeper train bound for Yichang. This train journey was filled with learning a Chinese version of “rock, paper, scissors” and shots of rice wine! It was important to catch on quickly to avoid doing shots!! However, there seemed to be a lot of rule changes each time a local lost :-0!!

China Day 11 Yangshuo

Another bike ride this morning took us along a river through the limestone outcrops, paddy fields, and local villages. Our lunch break was after a short hike to the top of Moon Rock, which gave us spectacular views over the surrounding region. 

After lunch we went caving and rode back to town. In the evening we travelled up river on a small local boat to watch the fishermen and their trained cormorant fishing birds hard at work.

China Day 10 Kunming-Yangshuo

This morning we said good bye to 2 of our group as they were on a tour that only did the first half of ours. After contact details exchanged and possibility of locum work for Brii organised (one of these 2 is a GP in rural Oz) we made our way to Kunming Airport to fly to Guilin.

From Guilin we travelled a short distance to the neighbouring town Yangshuo. We are now in the Szechwan province where the food becomes more spicy - excellent! One of the great spices that this region is known for is the Szechwan Numbing Chilli powder. This is a fabulous spice that makes your lips go slightly numb for a brief moment on eating it. They use it on all of their bbq foods.

Yangshuo is stunning. Surrounded by beautiful country side and Limestone outcrops and cliffs.

China Day 9 Lijiang-Kunming

Today was spent on a bus travelling from Lijiang back to Kunming. The trip notes said this was a long but pleasant ride through the countryside. However when you are hungover, the windy mountain roads combined with constant nausea makes it only LONG and not so pleasant!

Our night in Lijiang prior to this bus ride was spent celebrating 2 of our group members birthdays. After a fabulous meal in a local market square (where we were the only non Chinese people) we made our way to the “Amsterdam Bar” where the local dutch bartender Jacque poured drinks like he would pour his own (very generous portions)... the night was made even better when Jacque offered us some “Edam” cheese (after Brii had mentioned that she really missed cheese). 

China Day 6-8 Tiger Leaping Gorge

After a short bus ride from Lijiang to Qiatou (small town near the Gorge) we travelled to the start of our 3 day trek through the Tiger Leaping Gorge.

This Gorge is approx 15km in length and is a contender for the worlds deepest river canyon. It is located where the Yangtze river passes between the 5,596m Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (which still had lots of snow on it) and the 5,396m Haba Xueshan (which also was still snow capped)... making it quite chilly.

It is named such because legend says that to escape from a hunter, a tiger jumped across the river at its narrowest point (which is still 25m).

We took the high road which entails walking up and down a series of peaks, most of which were on Day 1. This route is approx 22km. 

Along the way we stayed at the “Halfway House” and “Tina’s Guest house” which are trekking huts owned and run by the Naxi people (the local minority group). The Halfway house is famous for its views, especially from the toilet! Although it has to be said that this view makes for a very cold toilet encouter :-)!!

On Day 2, after quite a short 2h walk between guest houses, we took a little side track down into the Gorge to the river’s edge. This was a very steep descent but well worth it! The views were amazing! The Yangtze at this time of year is also stunning. Apparently in summer it is a lot deeper and turns quite a muddy colour. The ascent was also an experience to say the least! To get back up the climb included 2 cliff face ladders. Yes, steel ladders somehow attached to the rock without any safety rails - the idea was slightly concerning. The first ladder was about 20-30m long and the 2nd only about 10m. However we made it and were grateful to reach the road back to the guest house after the 1.5h steep climb back up.

Unfortunately to leave the gorge we had to go by bus due to construction and subsequent landslides which made it to dangerous to walk.

We then changed buses and travelled back to Lijiang for another night.

China Day 5 Lijiang

This morning we took the bus from Dali to Lijiang, still within the Yunnan Province.

Lijiang is a very popular tourist destination for Chinese tourists so the old town itself is very well kept and obviously continually refurbished. In saying that it is still very pleasant to walk around.

China Day 4 Dali

Most of today was spent bike riding through Dali and a little fishing village on the lake. We stopped for lunch at a friend of our tour guides home - this was the best meal so far!!

Oh and Dali Beer is the best beer in China!

China Day 3 Dali

We arrived in Dali at 0430, 2h ahead of schedule. Thankfully we were able to go straight to our guest house and climb into bed for a couple of hours of warmth and rest.

Our guest house was situated a short walk from the old town walls. Our street was lined with little alcove shops which were predominantly woodworking shops... so as you can imagine... Jack was in heaven! Each shop appeared to be slightly different in its function. There were chair makers, then carvers, then polishers etc.

The old town was touristy but still quaint with cobbled streets lined with shops.

The afternoon was spent horseriding up into the mountains that surround Dali - the poor horses were exhausted by the time we reached the top! We climbed to an altitude of ~2300m to a temple. Interestingly on the way up the mountain we noticed lots of graves/ headstones. This is apparently a common practice because of Chinese fengshui - it is good fengshui to have a mountain to your back and to look out over water. (The other side of Dali is an extremely large [100km dam] inland lake). It was a great afternoon but our bottoms were very happy to be off the horses by the time the day was over.

China Day 2 Kunming

We looked around Kunming over the following day and tried our first street stall food - Meat skewers - which were meant to be beef but we were not convinced.... they tasted great though and we have lived to tell the story :-).

Our second night in China was spent on the infamous Chinese Sleeper trains in a 6 Berth Cabin (bunks 3 high on each wall). I think the poor chinese people who were in our cabin were wondering what they had done wrong to score 4 very large backpacks + 4 Day packs in the tiny cramped cabin.