We bought a used India guide book in the Kat. Another traveler gave me some advice I like- she said “don’t try to understand India, or you’ll go nuts, just go with the flow”. So thats my plan, go with the flow and kill em with kindness. We’ve decided to take the bus to Varanasi. We get on the overnight bus in Kat and find it to be the least luxurious bus we’ve been on...ever. Its painted like all the other buses, in a Partridge Family/Hippie style colors with “good luck” painted on every side and hindi or buddha gods on it. The seats are school bus bench style with little padding. No A/C but the windows open. It takes nearly two hours to get out of Kat because they stop everywhere. Our packs are in a back compartment which is fastened with a little peice of wire. I’m not so happy about that. We eventually make it to the “highway” but its pitch black out and we can only see the silhouette of the landscape when a lightning strike flashes. We can feel that the road is a steep descent thats very twisty, when other vehicles are encountered the bus slows to a crawl so they can pass each other. Its probably better that we don’t see what we are driving on! The road is full of potholes and the ride is a rough go. We make stops through the night and the men jump off the bus (there are only 3 women) and take a whiz- but I never see a bathroom for women. I doze off a couple times only to be jerked awake by a pothole or the slamming of the brakes. Steve sleeps a little...At 0630 we arrive to the last stop, which is a couple km’s from the border crossing at Sunali. As we pull into the station, a guy is chasing the bus and yelling something. The bus stops and the running guy climbs on the side of the bus and is trying to slide open our window- seems that he is calling dibs on us and yelling it to the other tuk tuk drivers. I ignore him. I get off the bus and go to the back to find our bags still in the compartment- I am so relieved. The crazy yelling tuk tuk man is trying to negotiate a ride for us. He is asking far too much (150rps) and we know that. Another driver comes up and says “I’ll take you for 50rps” and we go off with him. Tuk tuks are ok around the city, but down a road for a few km’s and they are just annoying- we need to catch the bus in India! We finally make it to a hotel we’ve been directed to and get our ticket finalized. The hotel guy will meet us on the other side of the border and get us on the bus. The bus is leaving later than we thought and we have time to use the squatter and eat some toast at the hotel. There is a water leak somewhere which has made a lake in the hotel where Steve sees a boy taking a pee...sanitary.
We get through customs with no problems- as we are leaving the checkpoint a man is taken to a small room off to the side and is being beaten. We get out of there. Our hotel guy gets us to the bus and introduces us to the ticket checker. He warns us “Do NOT talk to anybody, do NOT give money to anybody, the only person who needs to see your ticket is this man” and off he goes. The bus is not crowded. Its a crappy bus. But you can sit in a row with 3 seats which gives us more space. Two israeli and one japanese guy are on the bus too. The staring has begun. Its like they just can’t help it! The man sitting in front of us keeps turning around and looking at me- I finally stuff my daybag between the seats. Now, I assumed the road to Varanasi would be a highway but its far from it. Its a crowded road with people, rickshaws, and COWS all over the place. The cows just lay in the middle of the road. We seldom drove through nonpopulated areas! Just people and people and more people. I swear I couldn’t look out the window for more than five minutes without seeing someone peeeing on a wall, peeing in a gutter, peeing in a canal, squatting on the side of the road! The bus becomes full and we have to share our three seater- the bonus for me is that I always get the window to prevent any groping. Its hot/humid and its crowded. We cannot leave our seats or else we won’t have one anymore. Steve gets off the bus to pee but with no washroom I stay on and keep the seat safe. We finally arrive to Varanasi and its 7pm. We have been on these buses for 24hours! We are hungry, exhausted, sweaty, dirty, overheated, and in a new city/new country, and don’t know how to get to our hotel. Also, Steve is still bitchy about coming to India and has litterally said to me “I can’t wait to say I told you so.” This is basically a recipe for disaster. A rickshaw driver begins the negotiations with us. We agree on a ride to the old city for 50rps. I said “For Both” and he agrees. Ok, we get in the rickshaw and the Japanese guy gets in the front. We are all stuffed in there with our packs but before we leave some man is sticking himself in there giving us his card and telling us to “just come look at my place” etc etc. I am sweating and have packs on me and we kindly say no thank you but he is persistant and won’t leave us alone. Finally I just say “leave us alone, we are tired and want to go” he gets all mad and storms off. We make a mistake here, we havn’t renegotiated the price since the Japanese dude has jumped on- or rather the Japanese guy hasn’t sorted out his fare. We finally get near the old city (we find out later the rickshaw could have gone much further but he didn’t) and get out. Steve offers him 60rps for us (the 50 we agreed on and a little tip) he says “NO! Its 150rps! 50 each!” Steve said we agreed on 50rps for us two (meaning me and him) he is arguing saying “NO! Its 150!!” I can understand that the Japanese guy needs to pay, but we had a price for us. This is the EXACT scam Brandi warned us about- thats why I made sure it was 50 for both when we got on. The argument goes on and on. My kill em with kindness plan goes out the window. I didn’t yell, but it was a bitchy assertive voice and I couldn’t hold back “This is why people hate India. Because of people like you- trying to rip us off!” Steve and the rickshaw man look at me- the argument has ceased. Steve puts the money on the seat and we walk away. I swear I have a split personality and she is mean- I just have to fast for 24 hours, not sleep, be covered in sweat, be day one menstruating, and get mad- then out she comes. The guy was a scammer, I think he knew we would fight back so he stopped way before the boundary for rickshaws and we ended up walking a really far distance anyway. We are trying to find the Shanti House we are planning to stay at and it turns out the Japanese guy is dead weight. So Steve is all mad that he is tagging along and we are about to lose the Amazing Race because of it. I tell him to chill out. Then, a boy asks where we are going. Steve says Shanti House and the boy says he can take us there- for 200rps!!! We are following him through a maze of streets and its dark and there are cows and stray dogs and men. Steve offered the kid 10rps and they continue to negotiate while we walk. I think this is a poor tactic. We must set prices before doing anything with anyone- otherwise we are giving them the advantage. They have more control. The kid gets us to Shanti house and Steve offers him 30rps. And, like the rickshaw driver he says no and won’t take the money. Steve likes it when they do that, he says take it or leave it...he takes it. Let me give you a perspective of money here. For us to buy a bottle of Pepsi in a restaruant it costs 12rps. This is a restaurant and tourist price. So, 30rps to walk with us for less than 10 mins is not too bad! There is a room for us, the Japanese says he doesn’t like it and leaves...Steve was happy for that. We have a ceiling fan but no window so its muggy but ok. Not too bad for $3 CAN/night. We shower and go up to the rooftop restaruant. We see other travelers! Yay! We meet some druggy hippy types and share butter chicken, naan, and rice! It takes over an hour to come but its worth the wait! We sleep like logs.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Trek 15-22
Day 15: Back to Namche
Turns out yesterday we actually covered over 15km. We sleep in until 0800 and leave Pangboche at 0900. Up and down to Tangboche. Arrive to Tang. at 1130. Visited a buddhist monastery where we see monks wearing red, burgundy, and gold sari’s. They all have shaved heads and wear sandals. The monastery was much less immaculate than I imagine it would be. There are weeds growing everywhere, bird poo on windows, and its just untidy. We enter the temple and see a massive golden buddha, it was very nice. I eat pineapple for lunch and steve has fries. I’m so tired of the food. The onions and garlic make me stink worse as it all pours from my pores. The other day Steve said “mmm. I smell salsa!” as we were hiking in the middle of nowhere. I said “no dear, thats me you smell!” Anyways, I should have had more for lunch, only if I knew what the trail was like ahead of us! We descend the mountainside all the way to the river!! The old bridge is submerged, the boulder it was built on turned to its side. We cross the river and then climb back up the mountain. Its cloudy today and we spend most of the afternoon in the clouds. I’m so happy to be going to Namche Bazar- we know there is more food there :) We are at the Everest Hotel by 1630. Shower time! Once again its so hot it scalds the skin, but I don’t really care this time. There is two weeks of buildup on my skin that needs to come off! Dinner Time! We both jump off the vegetarian wagon and order chicken. Its sooo good! Steve has some chocolate pudding and I order fruit salad which has apple, banana, mango and something that looks like a plum. My eyes have been itching and burning off and on for a couple days now. Steve ( my nurse) ensures I wear my sunglasses whenever outside- he is worried I’ve had too much UV exposure and the itch/burn may be a version of snowblindness. The eyes are too sore to stay up and visit with our new friends (brazil/spain) and once again Steve helps me to bed.
Day 16: Rest Day
We sleep in. We decide to have a day of rest in Namche as the last two days have been a pull and we are ahead of schedule. We eat eggs and chapatti with hash-browns for brunch. We walk around Namche with Tony and Laura (brazil/spain). Steve buys a Mammut jacket that looks pretty authentic...but could be a fake. Spent $1000rps (approx. $14). My eyes are burning and watering constantly.
Day 17: By Steve
Walked to Lukla in the rain. Its been a real monsoon day. Rain pours down, stops for a bit, and does it all over again. Went to Mohan’s house and saw his woman and little boy. Had awesome shower, ate a good dinner and started to wait for the weather to lift. BJ’s eyes start out good then go all red and hurt. Just the right one now. Lots of people in tea house- all Nepali.
By BJ
We make good time to Lukla...its raining and my feet are soaked- but I don’t care because we are getting outta here! I finally get some use out of the poncho I brought along, but its hot like a sauna. Steve and Horka hike with umbrella’s- which is funny to see, but all the nepali carry umbrella’s during monsoon. The trail is muddy. We are crossing a long bridge and a big cow decides to cross from the other side. We yield as the cow barges past us. We stop in at Mohan’s tea house. They give us hot lemon. My eyes are burning and I don’t know if its due to the smoke in the tea house- they cook on open fire. His son, almost 3, is running around doing karate moves. He gives us a “namaste” and then “handshake”. We go to our tea house. I have saved my cleanest clothes so I can travel and not stink too bad! My right eye is burning- feels like it has sand and soap in it. I take a shower- must go outside through monsoon rain to get to shower. Should just shower in monsoon rain! The shower is nice because I can control the heat, but not so nice because I am half blind.
Day 18: By Steve
Wake up to rain and clouds. No plane today... We start to wait. BJ’s eye is not better. We will go to hospital today.
By BJ
We hike up a huge hill to the Lukla hospital. Paid 4000rps ($60) to see an eye doctor. Dx: Conjunctivitis in right eye. The hospital is nice- we must take off our shoes and wear sandals before entering. Its neat and clean, it even smells pleasant. I am issued antibiotic eye drops, antibiotic ointment, and anti inflammatory/pain killer pills. The doctor put in a couple eye drops and I thought my eye was going to burn out of the socket. In the afternoon we lay down for a rest. Someone knocks on our door and opens it. The young worker boy says something and we interpret it as asking us if we want another blanket. We say “oh yes, sure why not...” A few seconds later the tea house owner busts through the door and yells “Make ready!! Make ready!! Airplane!!” We frantically pack our stuff. The lady yells “bag too big!” and Steve says “only 22kg” and she yells “OK!” and loads it onto the young boy who is pretty small. He runs it to the airport. Horka is with us and we rush to catch up. Suddenly we hear a plane. Half of Lukla is heading to the airport. The plane lands, it is not yeti air. It is loaded in a few minutes, I stand on the path above the landing strip and take footage of the plane flying off the cliff. What a site! I rush to the terminal and we wait. Finally an air yet flight arrives! Unfortunately it is “Yeti #1” and we are on “Yeti #2”. Yeti #1 takes off and we wait some more. We can hear a plane but can’t see it. Suddenly everyone is leaving the airport. The clouds move fast and they are too low. Yeti #2 cannot see the runway and is returning to Kathmandu. Back to the tea house. There will be no more flight attempts today. Its 1400,we eat popcorn and drink tea. We go to Lukla “Starbucks” (a complete knock off) to use the internet. Steve bargains for internet time and gets us an hour for 300rps. Later we go back to Mohan’s tea house with Horka. Mohan is out feeding his pig so we have hot lemons with his wife. Horka and Rossin (the son) drink Chang. I laugh at the thought of a western kid drinking home brew at three years old...
We return to our tea house. Eat dinner of chicken sizzler and chips, I have veg curry and rice. A Japanese group of five are having a goodbye dinner with their 15 porters/guides/cooks! They were trekking and camping...They sing/dance- its very nice and something to watch. Must wake up at 0530 to check for airplane. My eye is feeling better already! I love drugs!
Day 19: By Stevie
Got up to a weather opening at 0600. Had some tea and all of us at Lukla headed to the airport with big smiles. We checked bags and got out tickets again and started to wait for the plane. Around 0900 some people start shaking their heads and start to leave. The plane could not see the runway since the clouds rose up. We waited some more but no plane. I spent most of the day with BJ and she spent most of her day with me. We feel like we are really stranded in Lukla now. We have no board games and we have read all our books. It is really boring. We are lucky we don’t have a flight booked out of Kathmandu or we would have missed it. BJ’s eye is soooo much better already- that is good. One less thing to complain about. My beard is huge, way longer than the hair on my head. BJ still does not like it. Some monks are staying in the tea house tonight too. Since they need the cheap room we have been upgraded to a room with a bathroom. Its nicer but we miss the double bed. We met some dude from New Zealand today. He is weird but at least he speaks english. He doesn’t have any games or books either so that sucks too. At least we can talk to him if we want, but I don’t want to yet...
Day 20: Rain rain go away!
Fog at 0530. Horka gets us up at 0700 because the sky is clearing. We can hear the airplanes. Once again we all gather around the airstrip but the planes never land. :(
Fog and rain come back. I go back to bed, getting frustrated now. All we do is eat, sleep, and stare at each other. There are more stranded people now. Steve meets a brit who tells of the worst stories of his time in India. Now Steve doesn’t want to go...he says “its too much hassle”. The group of Japanese are talking about hiring a helicopter.
Day 21: Get me outta here!
Fog @ 0530. Clear @ 0630. Fog @ 0700. Fog @ 0900. Japanese are leaving by helicopter. Another loooong day. We hang out with some more brits and an american. They teach us to play spades and hearts- nice to play new card games! Good laughs. They are the funniest people we have met in a long time. Steve and I hike up to a “golden buddha”. We then go for a chocolate walk- its become a part of the routine of being stranded with nothing to do. After dinner, Horka returns to the tea house after drinking Chang. Our guide of few words is much more chatty when he’s on the Chang. He is hilarious! Only wish he would share so much about buddhism and their culture when I’m not so tired! I go to bed while they pound back the beers...
No clean clothes. No place to wash dirty clothes. Too cloudy and cold out for anything to dry outside. I stink. My towel reeks too. Everyone stinks. We have a prolonged discussion regarding leeches. They can jump from trees and run. Horka says they come in all sizes. ewww. He explains you can get hundreds of them on you at once. I’m so happy we are above the leech line. We could walk to Jiri- which is 5 days away- then take a 10hr bus ride to Kathmandu but There is no way I am walking below the leech line. Not to mention the tapeworm... A trekking group of 62 is supposed to arrive tomorrow so the planes will make extra attempts at landing. We are hopeful.
Day 22: Where are you Yeti!? By Steve & BJ
We get up at 0500 to find a semi-clear day. Have the usual RaRa noodles and BJ has a pancake. We have been offered a heli ride for $200USD per person. We said no but are worried we will have to stay because of the clouds. At 0700 we go to airport for our daily recon. We are very hopeful- they told us planes are coming. Dozens of people are waiting. It is the best weather day so far. The heli comes and picks up the people who were willing to pay for the ride. But we are still hopeful. Everyone is anxious. People demonstrate their personal squatter positions...we are so bored. At 1000hrs we go back to the tea house and eat a second breakfast because clouds have come in. We are not so hopeful. The clouds move away and they tell us planes are coming! We all run back to the airport. At 1200 a plane lands! It is not our plane but they say ours is next. A few minutes later a second plane lands but it is not ours either. We are very bummed out to see all these people leave and we have to stay here longer. They say more planes are coming but we don’t know what to believe. We are not going to leave the airport until later because if a Yeti plane does make it, we do not want to miss it! A couple hours later and another plane can be heard! Its not ours. Finally, after so many ups and downs a Yeti Air lands! Freedom!! We are all cheering and laughing and hugging! We take off- its like a rollcoaster ride! We shoot off the runway and the mountains are right beside the plane. The ride is a bit turbulent and BJ almost blows chunks on the plane. The Nepali woman across from Steve prays the entire trip. We are soooo happy to leave Lukla. Namaste Bitches! We are back in the Kat!
Your crazy, your dirty, and we love you Kathmandu!
Getting back to Kat was great! People everywhere, horns honking, garbage in the streets, dogs running around- and we are happy! We return to the hotel we were in when we first arrived. We have decided to stay only one night and then move to the “Kathmandu Guest House” where the people we met in Lukla are staying. Our hotel is boring, no other people, no action, no fan, most of the lights are burnt out, and this time we encounter a super bad ant infestation. We return our rented gear (down jackets, boots, water bottles) and jump back in the action in Kat. There is an energy in this city that I can’t put my finger on, but its here! People are friendly, we feel safe, and we meet travelers- all with an interesting story! Us stranded passengers now friends, meet at the Everest Steak House for some steaks- delicious! Everyone is showered and people are surprised by how Steve looks without the mountain man beard. The day after our return, Horka took us to some sights around the city. We went to the “Monkey Temple” which isn’t about monkeys, they just live there and its easier for tourists to say Monkey temple as opposed to its real name. And, I think the idea of monkey’s draw tourists who have to pay 100rps to enter. The monkey’s are lil’ creepers. They will take food right out of your hands! They are not shy. To reach the temple we climb stairs up up up! Its hot and we are soaking in sweat. Beggars line the steps. The temple is ok, but the view of the Kat is great! Worth the hike!.We walk through the temple park and get to a busy road. Horka gets us on a public bus- which is like a VW van type thing. The driver’s side kick is yelling “Botha!! Botha!!” And soon the bus is PACKED. I am sitting face backward beside an old old woman. She looks like the type to be photographed for the cover of National Geographic...very traditional and wrinkly and interesting. The van door stays open as we swerve through the streets and the sidekick yells for more passengers going to Botha. The old lady pats my leg and through body language she tells me she is getting off and that Steve (who is crammed into the far back with Horka) can come sit with me. I relay this to Steve and he just waves his hand and says no- its all good...she thinks thats funny and laughs, she climbs over me and several other people and off she goes. The public transit is a great way to see the people...but its soooo hot! The sweat is running down my legs. We finally make it to the largest stoopa in Kathmandu and get off the bus. Near this place, Horka and his friends own a shop that makes and sells Thuka (don’t know spelling) paintings. These are traditional buddhist art. We see the painters and students working on the Thuka’s. We sit down for a coke. Its airconditioned. I appreciate the art- the detail is absolutely amazing! Some of the paintings take four months to complete. Now, so far in our trip I think we have been open to other cultures and accepting and respectful..etc. But the sales guy is trying to sell me one- and they are really beautiful, but I really can’t see myself having a painting of a god I don’t believe in. Its the same when the Hindi holy men come up and try to “bless” me with red paint on the forehead- absolutely not! So, I finally see one that is of gold writing in a circular pattern on black paper. The writing is a meditation phrase/mantra that sounds like “oh ma neh pat me om” which we always hear being sung. Its also very pretty. So I decide it is a neutral piece and buy it. We go for lunch on a rooftop and people watch. After our late lunch we walk around until monsoon rain comes. It was a nice day to spend with Horka. We spent time with the brits, american, and they introduced us to some guys from Bangledash- we toured more of Kathmandu and went to well known places like the Yak & Yeti to gamble and to Rum Doodle and Fire & Ice to eat. We had a whoot! I would try to tell some of the stories, but they just wouldn’t soung funny...had to be there!
Turns out yesterday we actually covered over 15km. We sleep in until 0800 and leave Pangboche at 0900. Up and down to Tangboche. Arrive to Tang. at 1130. Visited a buddhist monastery where we see monks wearing red, burgundy, and gold sari’s. They all have shaved heads and wear sandals. The monastery was much less immaculate than I imagine it would be. There are weeds growing everywhere, bird poo on windows, and its just untidy. We enter the temple and see a massive golden buddha, it was very nice. I eat pineapple for lunch and steve has fries. I’m so tired of the food. The onions and garlic make me stink worse as it all pours from my pores. The other day Steve said “mmm. I smell salsa!” as we were hiking in the middle of nowhere. I said “no dear, thats me you smell!” Anyways, I should have had more for lunch, only if I knew what the trail was like ahead of us! We descend the mountainside all the way to the river!! The old bridge is submerged, the boulder it was built on turned to its side. We cross the river and then climb back up the mountain. Its cloudy today and we spend most of the afternoon in the clouds. I’m so happy to be going to Namche Bazar- we know there is more food there :) We are at the Everest Hotel by 1630. Shower time! Once again its so hot it scalds the skin, but I don’t really care this time. There is two weeks of buildup on my skin that needs to come off! Dinner Time! We both jump off the vegetarian wagon and order chicken. Its sooo good! Steve has some chocolate pudding and I order fruit salad which has apple, banana, mango and something that looks like a plum. My eyes have been itching and burning off and on for a couple days now. Steve ( my nurse) ensures I wear my sunglasses whenever outside- he is worried I’ve had too much UV exposure and the itch/burn may be a version of snowblindness. The eyes are too sore to stay up and visit with our new friends (brazil/spain) and once again Steve helps me to bed.
Day 16: Rest Day
We sleep in. We decide to have a day of rest in Namche as the last two days have been a pull and we are ahead of schedule. We eat eggs and chapatti with hash-browns for brunch. We walk around Namche with Tony and Laura (brazil/spain). Steve buys a Mammut jacket that looks pretty authentic...but could be a fake. Spent $1000rps (approx. $14). My eyes are burning and watering constantly.
Day 17: By Steve
Walked to Lukla in the rain. Its been a real monsoon day. Rain pours down, stops for a bit, and does it all over again. Went to Mohan’s house and saw his woman and little boy. Had awesome shower, ate a good dinner and started to wait for the weather to lift. BJ’s eyes start out good then go all red and hurt. Just the right one now. Lots of people in tea house- all Nepali.
By BJ
We make good time to Lukla...its raining and my feet are soaked- but I don’t care because we are getting outta here! I finally get some use out of the poncho I brought along, but its hot like a sauna. Steve and Horka hike with umbrella’s- which is funny to see, but all the nepali carry umbrella’s during monsoon. The trail is muddy. We are crossing a long bridge and a big cow decides to cross from the other side. We yield as the cow barges past us. We stop in at Mohan’s tea house. They give us hot lemon. My eyes are burning and I don’t know if its due to the smoke in the tea house- they cook on open fire. His son, almost 3, is running around doing karate moves. He gives us a “namaste” and then “handshake”. We go to our tea house. I have saved my cleanest clothes so I can travel and not stink too bad! My right eye is burning- feels like it has sand and soap in it. I take a shower- must go outside through monsoon rain to get to shower. Should just shower in monsoon rain! The shower is nice because I can control the heat, but not so nice because I am half blind.
Day 18: By Steve
Wake up to rain and clouds. No plane today... We start to wait. BJ’s eye is not better. We will go to hospital today.
By BJ
We hike up a huge hill to the Lukla hospital. Paid 4000rps ($60) to see an eye doctor. Dx: Conjunctivitis in right eye. The hospital is nice- we must take off our shoes and wear sandals before entering. Its neat and clean, it even smells pleasant. I am issued antibiotic eye drops, antibiotic ointment, and anti inflammatory/pain killer pills. The doctor put in a couple eye drops and I thought my eye was going to burn out of the socket. In the afternoon we lay down for a rest. Someone knocks on our door and opens it. The young worker boy says something and we interpret it as asking us if we want another blanket. We say “oh yes, sure why not...” A few seconds later the tea house owner busts through the door and yells “Make ready!! Make ready!! Airplane!!” We frantically pack our stuff. The lady yells “bag too big!” and Steve says “only 22kg” and she yells “OK!” and loads it onto the young boy who is pretty small. He runs it to the airport. Horka is with us and we rush to catch up. Suddenly we hear a plane. Half of Lukla is heading to the airport. The plane lands, it is not yeti air. It is loaded in a few minutes, I stand on the path above the landing strip and take footage of the plane flying off the cliff. What a site! I rush to the terminal and we wait. Finally an air yet flight arrives! Unfortunately it is “Yeti #1” and we are on “Yeti #2”. Yeti #1 takes off and we wait some more. We can hear a plane but can’t see it. Suddenly everyone is leaving the airport. The clouds move fast and they are too low. Yeti #2 cannot see the runway and is returning to Kathmandu. Back to the tea house. There will be no more flight attempts today. Its 1400,we eat popcorn and drink tea. We go to Lukla “Starbucks” (a complete knock off) to use the internet. Steve bargains for internet time and gets us an hour for 300rps. Later we go back to Mohan’s tea house with Horka. Mohan is out feeding his pig so we have hot lemons with his wife. Horka and Rossin (the son) drink Chang. I laugh at the thought of a western kid drinking home brew at three years old...
We return to our tea house. Eat dinner of chicken sizzler and chips, I have veg curry and rice. A Japanese group of five are having a goodbye dinner with their 15 porters/guides/cooks! They were trekking and camping...They sing/dance- its very nice and something to watch. Must wake up at 0530 to check for airplane. My eye is feeling better already! I love drugs!
Day 19: By Stevie
Got up to a weather opening at 0600. Had some tea and all of us at Lukla headed to the airport with big smiles. We checked bags and got out tickets again and started to wait for the plane. Around 0900 some people start shaking their heads and start to leave. The plane could not see the runway since the clouds rose up. We waited some more but no plane. I spent most of the day with BJ and she spent most of her day with me. We feel like we are really stranded in Lukla now. We have no board games and we have read all our books. It is really boring. We are lucky we don’t have a flight booked out of Kathmandu or we would have missed it. BJ’s eye is soooo much better already- that is good. One less thing to complain about. My beard is huge, way longer than the hair on my head. BJ still does not like it. Some monks are staying in the tea house tonight too. Since they need the cheap room we have been upgraded to a room with a bathroom. Its nicer but we miss the double bed. We met some dude from New Zealand today. He is weird but at least he speaks english. He doesn’t have any games or books either so that sucks too. At least we can talk to him if we want, but I don’t want to yet...
Day 20: Rain rain go away!
Fog at 0530. Horka gets us up at 0700 because the sky is clearing. We can hear the airplanes. Once again we all gather around the airstrip but the planes never land. :(
Fog and rain come back. I go back to bed, getting frustrated now. All we do is eat, sleep, and stare at each other. There are more stranded people now. Steve meets a brit who tells of the worst stories of his time in India. Now Steve doesn’t want to go...he says “its too much hassle”. The group of Japanese are talking about hiring a helicopter.
Day 21: Get me outta here!
Fog @ 0530. Clear @ 0630. Fog @ 0700. Fog @ 0900. Japanese are leaving by helicopter. Another loooong day. We hang out with some more brits and an american. They teach us to play spades and hearts- nice to play new card games! Good laughs. They are the funniest people we have met in a long time. Steve and I hike up to a “golden buddha”. We then go for a chocolate walk- its become a part of the routine of being stranded with nothing to do. After dinner, Horka returns to the tea house after drinking Chang. Our guide of few words is much more chatty when he’s on the Chang. He is hilarious! Only wish he would share so much about buddhism and their culture when I’m not so tired! I go to bed while they pound back the beers...
No clean clothes. No place to wash dirty clothes. Too cloudy and cold out for anything to dry outside. I stink. My towel reeks too. Everyone stinks. We have a prolonged discussion regarding leeches. They can jump from trees and run. Horka says they come in all sizes. ewww. He explains you can get hundreds of them on you at once. I’m so happy we are above the leech line. We could walk to Jiri- which is 5 days away- then take a 10hr bus ride to Kathmandu but There is no way I am walking below the leech line. Not to mention the tapeworm... A trekking group of 62 is supposed to arrive tomorrow so the planes will make extra attempts at landing. We are hopeful.
Day 22: Where are you Yeti!? By Steve & BJ
We get up at 0500 to find a semi-clear day. Have the usual RaRa noodles and BJ has a pancake. We have been offered a heli ride for $200USD per person. We said no but are worried we will have to stay because of the clouds. At 0700 we go to airport for our daily recon. We are very hopeful- they told us planes are coming. Dozens of people are waiting. It is the best weather day so far. The heli comes and picks up the people who were willing to pay for the ride. But we are still hopeful. Everyone is anxious. People demonstrate their personal squatter positions...we are so bored. At 1000hrs we go back to the tea house and eat a second breakfast because clouds have come in. We are not so hopeful. The clouds move away and they tell us planes are coming! We all run back to the airport. At 1200 a plane lands! It is not our plane but they say ours is next. A few minutes later a second plane lands but it is not ours either. We are very bummed out to see all these people leave and we have to stay here longer. They say more planes are coming but we don’t know what to believe. We are not going to leave the airport until later because if a Yeti plane does make it, we do not want to miss it! A couple hours later and another plane can be heard! Its not ours. Finally, after so many ups and downs a Yeti Air lands! Freedom!! We are all cheering and laughing and hugging! We take off- its like a rollcoaster ride! We shoot off the runway and the mountains are right beside the plane. The ride is a bit turbulent and BJ almost blows chunks on the plane. The Nepali woman across from Steve prays the entire trip. We are soooo happy to leave Lukla. Namaste Bitches! We are back in the Kat!
Your crazy, your dirty, and we love you Kathmandu!
Getting back to Kat was great! People everywhere, horns honking, garbage in the streets, dogs running around- and we are happy! We return to the hotel we were in when we first arrived. We have decided to stay only one night and then move to the “Kathmandu Guest House” where the people we met in Lukla are staying. Our hotel is boring, no other people, no action, no fan, most of the lights are burnt out, and this time we encounter a super bad ant infestation. We return our rented gear (down jackets, boots, water bottles) and jump back in the action in Kat. There is an energy in this city that I can’t put my finger on, but its here! People are friendly, we feel safe, and we meet travelers- all with an interesting story! Us stranded passengers now friends, meet at the Everest Steak House for some steaks- delicious! Everyone is showered and people are surprised by how Steve looks without the mountain man beard. The day after our return, Horka took us to some sights around the city. We went to the “Monkey Temple” which isn’t about monkeys, they just live there and its easier for tourists to say Monkey temple as opposed to its real name. And, I think the idea of monkey’s draw tourists who have to pay 100rps to enter. The monkey’s are lil’ creepers. They will take food right out of your hands! They are not shy. To reach the temple we climb stairs up up up! Its hot and we are soaking in sweat. Beggars line the steps. The temple is ok, but the view of the Kat is great! Worth the hike!.We walk through the temple park and get to a busy road. Horka gets us on a public bus- which is like a VW van type thing. The driver’s side kick is yelling “Botha!! Botha!!” And soon the bus is PACKED. I am sitting face backward beside an old old woman. She looks like the type to be photographed for the cover of National Geographic...very traditional and wrinkly and interesting. The van door stays open as we swerve through the streets and the sidekick yells for more passengers going to Botha. The old lady pats my leg and through body language she tells me she is getting off and that Steve (who is crammed into the far back with Horka) can come sit with me. I relay this to Steve and he just waves his hand and says no- its all good...she thinks thats funny and laughs, she climbs over me and several other people and off she goes. The public transit is a great way to see the people...but its soooo hot! The sweat is running down my legs. We finally make it to the largest stoopa in Kathmandu and get off the bus. Near this place, Horka and his friends own a shop that makes and sells Thuka (don’t know spelling) paintings. These are traditional buddhist art. We see the painters and students working on the Thuka’s. We sit down for a coke. Its airconditioned. I appreciate the art- the detail is absolutely amazing! Some of the paintings take four months to complete. Now, so far in our trip I think we have been open to other cultures and accepting and respectful..etc. But the sales guy is trying to sell me one- and they are really beautiful, but I really can’t see myself having a painting of a god I don’t believe in. Its the same when the Hindi holy men come up and try to “bless” me with red paint on the forehead- absolutely not! So, I finally see one that is of gold writing in a circular pattern on black paper. The writing is a meditation phrase/mantra that sounds like “oh ma neh pat me om” which we always hear being sung. Its also very pretty. So I decide it is a neutral piece and buy it. We go for lunch on a rooftop and people watch. After our late lunch we walk around until monsoon rain comes. It was a nice day to spend with Horka. We spent time with the brits, american, and they introduced us to some guys from Bangledash- we toured more of Kathmandu and went to well known places like the Yak & Yeti to gamble and to Rum Doodle and Fire & Ice to eat. We had a whoot! I would try to tell some of the stories, but they just wouldn’t soung funny...had to be there!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Trek! Days 1-14
Day One- Nose Dive Landing.
Wake up at 0430 after sleeping only 2 hours- we are too excited to sleep! Mr. Horka (our guide) and Kristi (from trek company) greet us and we all drive to the airport. Domestic side is different from international. There is a pile of dog poo on the floor! People are bringing supplies and goods to be flown to Lukla- we see bags of rice, doors, plywood, chicken soup, and a wood stove. We board an 18 passenger ‘twin otter’- it appears to have made many trips to Lukla. The stewardess points us to seats and hands out cotton balls to plug our ears and candy to suck on- the cabin is not pressurized- daylight comes through the door seams after its closed. I’m a little anxious. The combination of a small plane from a third world nation flying into the highest mountain range on earth scares me. We take off. Fly through clouds for a few minutes adn then emerge above them- but we are not alone- to the left is the Himalaya! The peaks sore above the clouds- the peaks are higher than the otter! The flight lasts 30 mins and by the time we approach Lukla we are surrounded by mountains- in fact, we are flying directly towards one...I feel the plane slow and we suddenly dip, I see the mountain side out the pilots window. We dip again and I have Steve’s arm in a death grip- I see the mountain base. We dip steeply and I see the ground but no runway. I’m freakin out and weird noises of fear escape me. I think we are nose diving to the ground but then I see runway! The pilot swoops the plane up at the last moment and we bounce along the pavement. The plane comes to a stop in less than thirty seconds! We exit and see that the runway is very short and goes uphill. At the far end is the mountain and the other end is a drop off. The airport is on the mountain ledge.
We have breakfast at a tea house- porridge for me and eggs for Steve. Horka arranges a porter to carry our pack. Our pack weighs 22kg and I feel guilty that someone else will be carrying it for 3 weeks. However, its not long before my guilt subsides. Not only is day one being done on little sleep, the terrain is constantly up and down. The trail is rocky and a little slick from the rain. We learn that porters carry up to 120kgs! An average load is 40-50kg. Our bag is a simple load. Our porter catches up to us as we break for lunch at a tea house a few hours in. He is maybe 4’5’’ and looks like a Himalayan hard man. He seems to be grateful to be hired in the off season because he thanks us heartily for the job. He jimmies up the pack to his forehead strap and burns up the trail- he is wearing flipflops. We pass through several villages. No roads, just paths, farm animals are roaming and locals are working. We both feel like trespassers in some far off land. I want to tip toe and apologize for being there...people just smile and go about their business. Children pause to give us a folded hand ‘namaste’ then run off.
Two hours later we arrive to Manjo at 2835m (9300ft) and stop for the night. Our feet are sore from the rental boots- happy to be resting.
Day 2- By Steve
Slept good but kept waking up, some sort of rodent running around our room
BJ said it was in the walls, but don’t believe her
Took 3 hours to get to Namche Bazar
Heart rates both at 72 resting
Saw REALLY small kids, maybe 3 years old but less than 2 feet tall, we call them buddah babies.
Sherpa granny passed us on trail- at least 70 years old/4 ft tall/ no teeth/ wearing flipflops
took showers but were too hot, no cold water, staying at “everest hotel”
New discovery: RaRa noodles = Ichiban noodles! This is good :)
Clear morning but rained a little at noon
Saw injured woman riding in a porter basket- on way to hospital in Lukla
Today is July 12th, 2009 AD. In Nepal it is July 12th, 2066 BS. I think BS stands for “Before Sherpa” but I don’t know for sure
No headaches, no AMS symptoms
Day 3: By Steve
Woke up to clear skies
Hiked to lookout ridge above Namche, 400m elevation gain for acclimatization, took 2.5 hours.
BJ has big blisters all over her feet. She is a trooper.
Saw part of Everest!
Today is the best day because BJ turns 84 in Nepali years! She is older than me and I feel young :)
Bad news: BJ has head cold. She shows no signs of AMS but has little energy. I will keep a close eye on her. I love her way more than any of these mountains.
Mailed post card to mom and dad. Little hope it will make it. Don’t have address book so couldn’t mail anymore.
Day 4: “Showers Ready!”
I feel better than yesterday. I can’t think of a worse place to have a head cold. Its hard to breathe when I lay down and my throat is swollen and sore. We loaded up on drugs in from the shops in Namche. You can buy all sorts of drugs here! We decided to push on and leave Namche Bazar. Clear skies and we see all of everest- so exciting!!!
Trek in view of Everest and Lhotse for an hour and then turn up a valley. Going up to 3979m today then back down to 3500m. Get to 3979 and stop for lunch. I have zero appetite and have to force myself to eat the RaRa. I feel like I’ve just had turkey dinner and have to eat another turkey dinner. Takes a long time to eat. Steve has no problem- he pounds back a mountain of dal baht. I just stare at him in disbelief. We see kids at the teahouse and they wrestle and fight, some things are universal! We see yaks on the trail. They look like small cows with big horns who are covered in wooly fur!
Sunburnt faces/necks/arms. Temperature in the mid 20’s. Despite duct taping my blisters most of them are worse. Its very painful. I will wear my own shoes tomorrow.
We arrive to Phortse Tanga. I’m not feeling well. My lunch time RaRa is sitting in my stomach like a rock and the blisters are really raw. Steve is playing cards with H & M and the tea shop worker. I stink and decide a shower will do me good. Steve runs to the room and says “shower is ready!” So I go. I get in and turn on the water. Its very cold. I wash my feet with the cold water. Its not getting warm. I decide to wash my hair while the water warms up...I get it shampooed and partially rinsed then suddenly there is no water at all. AH!!! I fiddle with the tap. Nothing. I have to dry my legs and feet and get redressed. I go to the sink and finish rinsing the shampoo out. I am freezing cold. I go back to the room and use baby wipes to finish my ‘shower’. I can hear Steve and the others laughing and having a good time, I am miserable. Steve comes bouncing into the room and asks “how was your shower?!” We find out later that they have add a bucket of hot water to the water supply on the roof when someone wants to shower. That didn’t happen for me. Everyone has a good laugh at my expense, I hold Steve fully responsible :) I feel like crap all evening. No appetite.
Day 5: Blisters
-I wake up feeling better and am even hungry!
I eat some Yak milk rice pudding with raisins for breaky- mom’s is WAY better
- I wear my own shoes.
-I make little padded band aides using tissue, antibacterial gel, and duct tape for the really open blisters
Hit the trail- clear skies with cloudy patches
Yak had diarrhea all over trail for at least a kilometer
Monsoon rain makes trail muddy but at least it only rains in evenings/night
Many waterfalls along trail today
Climb 500m over 2 hours. Both feeling well
Elevation at Dole 4084m
Hungry at elevation!
Wash stinky clothes in river.
Eat lunch of RaRa noodles and MoMo’s (no meat here)
Food sits in stomach like rock. Again.
Play cards/play chess/read.
Hope my feet heal
Day 6: By Steve
-Trek to Macherimo @ 4410m
-Both feel good with no AMS symptoms
Had great view of Cho Oyo!
Above tree line now. Sun is HOT, wind is COLD
This tea house is empty. It is very nice though.
Tried on Pack “sherpa style” today. It was ok but could not walk very long like that.
02 level at 57% (relative to sea level)
Played cards and taught H&M new gambling game. They love it. They teach us Nepali card games. Mohan’s english is fast and random. Its funny.
BJ’s feet are a little better, but blister splits open when in squatter shitter position.
Extra Large fly in BJ’s potatoes.
Day 7: Missing Home
-Slept off and on. Made 2am dash to squatter in my undies. I like being the only one here!
Been bona-fide vegetarians for several days now. No meat here in the low season. Even fruit (canned or fresh) seems to be non-existent.
Food mainly consists of starches- Potatoes, rice, pasta. Veggies include onion/garlic/ and something similar to bok choy but they call it cabbage and it tastes like sand.
Steve got a little bit of cauliflower in his dal baht today
We eat yak milk (technically nak milk b/c a yak is a boy!) and yak cheese.
Hike today was nice. Made it to Gokyo in 3 hours
Glacier lakes and frikkin awesome mountain views.
Wind is cold and the sun still burns.
Walked by a rustic yak farm
A horse walked up the trail to us today. I put out my hand and he came up to me for a scratch.
Blisters are on the mend but I may have to wear torture boots for climb tomorrow.
Missing luxuries of home and thinking of home alot
I miss my shower gel and puff ball. Miss running water and power.
Our tea house guy just loaded up the wood stove with dried yak shit.
Miss all things bad! Ice cream, pizza and TV.
Miss breathing normal. Any exertion here makes you short of breath and dizzy.
Day 8: Gokyo Ri
Go to bed early and sleep horribly. Constantly tossing and turning, hot and cold
Wake up at 0430 to climb Gokyo Ri
Eat chapati and tea before leaving at 0500
I can’t bear to put on those boots- I wear my own shoes.
Cold out! A few clouds in sky
Hard to breathe as we switchback up the mountain
Moment of weakness an hour in. “Thats it!!! Steve, we are going home and Making babies!!! No more of this Shit!!” Steve laughs and gives me water as we rest.
Keep climbing up up up!
See strange bird family. They fly like kamikaze style but soar like eagles.
Can’t breathe well as sinus cold has gone to the chest...coughing sputum
We summit in 2 hours and have wicked clear view of Everest/Lhotse/Makalu
Took many photos @ 17590ft!!!
No wind but clouds move quickly around other mountain peaks
Its Amazing and this is the highest we have ever been!
Its OUR top of the world!
Spend 45 mins at summit
Eat chocolate and nuts.
Takes 1 hour 20 mins to de-summit
We are proud of our climb. We eat RaRa and go back to bed
Both wake up with massive headaches
My head pulses with every heart beat. My eyeballs bulge out of the socket with each heartbeat. I pop Ibuprofen. Crawl back into bed.
Later I find Steve in the dining hall chatting with an Irish girl. Her name is Tracey. We play cards and chat.
Finally eat dinner and sleep.
Day 9: Down we go
-Coughing through night keeps me awake
Leave Gokyo and make way back to Phortse Tanga. It takes 7 hours.
Sadly lost 800m in elevation.
Should feel like super woman with all these extra red blood cells but I don’t- I’m dead tired and have chills.
Steve is having a problem with his right leg. He thinks its nerve related not muscular. We suspect it could be due to his ambitious attempt at wearing the pack ‘sherpa style’
I barely eat dinner, appetite is low and the chemical flavor of the packaged spaghetti sauce is highly unappealling.
Play cards and read, in bed at 2000hrs.
Day 10: A rough day
Steve’s Account:
Left Phortse Tanga for Pangboche. BJ has hit her lowest mental level yet. She got REALLY p.o’d at all the ups and downs on the trail today. She even threw her hiking stick on the trail (it almost went off the side of the mountain...) I didn’t say anything because I was afraid. I was praying that her ipod would not run out of juice, I’m sure that it would have been the cake topper. She got a hold of herself and we continued. Made it to Pangboche in about 3 hours. We washed some clothes and our hair in the river and tried to eat some lunch. BJ had potato salad and soup. I had “potato’s with on top two eggs”. We played cards and chilled until dinner. I had dal baht and she had some fried rice. We watched some of a Nepali movie then BJ felt like she was going to puke. In ten minutes she was behind the building blowing chunks by light of her headlamp. I stood by her and comforted her. After she was done I put her to bed. We think it was the rice. She had a very rough day. She slept like a log. In the morning we checked to see the puke, the stray dogs ate it.
BJ’s Account:
Another night of coughing. We ate RaRa for breaky and hit the trail. Climbed three of the four hundred meters in 30 mins! WOW! We must be uber loaded with red blood cells! We stop for tea at Phortse. We keep going- more elevation- then more, and more- WTF? Every time we cross a ridge on the mountain side we see more trail with more elevation to be gained. Knowing we only have a 400m gain for our next stop and we have already gained 300m means we were working really hard and will inevitably descend. ARGH. Thats It!!! We’ve been ascending and descending for ten days!! I have a death grip on my hiking pole and begin stabbing it into the trail. The anger is brewing- I think H&M sense it and are keeping some distance behind us. I’m so mad. I turn on my ipod and try to get in a groove- I try to find my happy place. So frustrated! I’m crying but no tears come. I throw my pole at the mountainside and it nearly goes off the edge of the cliff. I decide I’m just being ridiculous and try so hard to cheer up but not even the views can pacify me. Steve says “its a mountain in the himalaya- its going to be hilly.” I’m just tired of it all. We see some mountain goats which are much different than the ones at home. I am happy to see some wildlife. We make it to Pangboche. I have pen tip sized water blisters all over my right arm from the sun. It feels like reptile skin. Steve’s head is peeling from his sunburn and the new skin is burning- its very painful for him. We wash in the river. Tracey makes it to our hut. Nice company. There are the cutest stray dogs here- they look like little bears. The locals are mean and kick them, toss water at them, and fire rocks at them. There is a sherpa here who has summited Everest four times. We play cards. I attempt to eat dinner but am unable to finish my fried rice- something is wrong. I am barfing my face off behind the hut in no time. Can’t think of a worse place to be barfing. Steve preps my bed and gets me gravol- he’s been a good nurse for me. I sleep all night- only get up once to use squatter. Feel better in morning. I eat a pancake and Steve eats RaRa. Horka agrees we are ok to go on.
Day 11: We find Bread!
Leave Pangboche and walk 3 hours to Periche. The walk is gentler than yesterday and the little black bear dog has followed us. Steve lets me pretend the black dog is ours and refrains from kicking it :) We pass memorials to those lost on surrounding mountains. We see a yak farmer and no one else (except for Tracey and her guide). We stay at the nicest tea house yet- its very clean and warm. We even have our own flushable toilet! We wash clothes in the river- I am really tired of stinking. I think the diet makes us stink worse- all the onions and garlic added to everything. While at the river a massive brown yak creeps up to less than ten feet behind us. He is walking away by the time I get a photo. Horka has some exciting news for us- the tea house has bread!! Its the first place that has bread! They also have tuna! Steve orders a grilled tuna and I get a grilled veg sandwich! Its made of onion, garlic, cabbage, AND carrot! Its delicious! The bread is light and fluffy! Later this night we even eat a can of fruit salad! I am finally feeling better (other than the loose cough) and we celebrate with some chocolate.
Day 12: Up up and Away
I slept so well I could barely pull myself out of bed @ 0700. The usual routine- porridge for me and RaRa for Stevie. On the trail by 0830- followed for some time by three stray dogs. I feel good, can breathe clear and the cough is loosening up. We have to take the long path to Thukla d/t the bridge being washed out on the shorter route- it adds an hour and a half to the hike. An hour or so in we spot Tracy's guide but no Tracy. The guide talks to H&M in Nepali. Steve asks ‘where is Tracy?’ he replies with “she wants to go back down” and quickly walks away. Hmmm...we see no sign of Tracy and I’m worried. We ask Horka what was said. The guide told him that she is mad that they walked too far yesterday and she wants to go back. We keep walking and it is sometime before we finally see Tracy- I am relieved to see her. As we approach each other on the trail we see she is upset and crying. Turns out her guide was a total creeper and thought they should share a room together for each others safety. She refused and he became angry and called her a stupid woman and then refused to talk to her. Freaky!! She was heading back to Kathmandu and he was no longer her guide. I was pretty shocked though that he would not arrange for someone to walk with her! We suggested she head to the lodge we were just at b/c it was nice and comfortable. There was a woman there waiting for her family and Tracy had met her before...perhaps they could trek down together.
Later we saw a sick woman coming down the mountain on a horse. Then at Thukla we met another woman with a fairly bad case of AMS on her way to lower elevation. AMS is scary and serious! Go slow! Thats the rule! After a RaRa lunch and macoroni for Steve, we start climbing and gaining big elevation. We hike up a steep rocky valley. While Steve and I are breathing hard and breaking, H&M chat and sing! I love when they sing. The wind is howling and cold on our backs but then it will suddenly stop and the sun bakes us. We get to the valley top and are met with a sombre site. There is a memorial site for climbers and sherpas lost on Everest. There are prayer flags on the stoopa’s and the clouds are blowing between them. Spooky and sad.
We arrive at Labouche at 1400hrs. Its the most expensive place yet! A cup of tea is 55rps compared to 30 when we started out. RaRa us 260rps- we paid 120rps at lunch! No other trekkers are at the tea house- only locals. The clouds have blown in and obscured everything so we play cards/chat/read. We eat a traditional yak meat snack. They don’t have fridges or freezers here...so they dry the yak meat. Then they cook it with spices. We have not yet had yak meat because its not the on season. I find it much much too spicey- it burns. And its like chewing on leather. The locals wash it down with a homebrew called Chang. It looks like milkshake but it is made from fermenting rice. We try that. Its horrible shit. Tastes like rotten yeasty loaf of bread with more rotten flavor added and a hint of alcohol. Its getting dark, they start playing with the power to get some lights on. A tiny old man stands on the plastic lawnchairs and rubs the florescent light tubes...apparently massaging the lights makes them come on...
One week left! Tomorrow we hike to Gorak Shep and then to EBC after lunch!
Day 13: EBC
- I have a PB&J pancake for breakfast, the PB is so dry it crumbles out of the jar! Tasted ok though, Steve ate RaRa.
- Leave Labouche at 0830. I felt like I couldn’t get going today despite a good sleep. My legs were like jelly. Still, we made good time to Gorak Shep- just two hours and 15 mins!
Steve still has pain in his right leg.
Clear blue skies in the morning. Sun burns us and my water blisters reappear all over my arm
Passed more memorials today
Hiked along the Khumbu glacier and up steep moraine
considered hiking kala pathar today but the clouds came in
Went to base camp instead! YAY!
Was great to be “where it all begins” but there wasn’t anything there! No prayer flags, no stoopa’s, couldn’t see any litter. Just glacier rock.
We couldn’t walk to the Khumbu ice fall because the glacier we were on was melting and shifting, across from us was Nuptse- who is making noise! Rockslides and avalanches are constant!
Horka broke a peice of glacier off for us. Steve ate it and it was full of sand.
I like the glacier dust here, its sparkly and makes my pants sparkle
Very tired now and cold. We are huddled in the tea house wearing down jackets, wrapped in blankets, and playing cards.
Its raining out
Kala Patar in the am.
Day 14: Kala Patar
What a day! Long day! Woke up at 0430 to climb Kala Patar. My lips were sore when I woke- felt like there were 2 cracks down the sides of my bottom lip. It was painful to form some words. I tell Steve something is wrong with my mouth. I get my headlamp and find a mirror- my lips are swollen up like sausages! Your kidding! I turn on the light to show Steve- he learns in to get a closer look and starts laughing- “you look like buba!” The sun from yesterdays climb must have burnt my lips! I brush my teeth but can’t spit. I take ibuprofen. We go to eat at 0500 and I spill my hot chocolate and oatmeal. The swelling seems to be going down by the time we are on the trail- but I can’t smile because it feels like the lips will split. I know what I will look like with collagen implants.
Turns out the peak visible from Gorak Shep is not the true summit of Kala Patar. It takes an hour and 45 mins to summit. KP isn’t as steep as Gokyo Ri and I make it without any moments of weakness ;) We find tonnes of prayer flags on the summit and they are something of a hazard! They get tangled up in your shoes easy and with a shear drop to the left of the summit it makes us extra cautious. The views were absolutely incredible! Clear skies and we are directly across from Everest. We can see the south col, and hillary step. We are directly below Pumor Ri. We take photos for nearly an hour at 18210ft (5550m). The O2 level is below 50%. Takes an hour to descend and we decide to have some RaRa and then hike to lower elevation today. A man enters the tea house and following him is Tracy! Wow! I was surprised and super happy to see her. She took some time at Periche and decided to push on. I’m so happy she gets to finish her trek and she is heading up KP for the clear views of the morning.
We leave Gorak Shep and set our sites to Thukla. Its a long climb down but we keep a steady pace. We finally get to Thukla- a little tired and a lot hungry. Mohan has a headache so we agree we should have a rest and food at Thukla and then keep going lower. Steve and I both order macoroni with tomato sauce. The food comes and we dig in- the sauce is separate from the noodles and this is how we notice something weird. The noodles look like they been boiled in dirty water. Steve finds a small oval brown piece inside a noodle. Then I spot one in mine. Hmm...Steve says “it must be a spice” and I said “yeah right, its a mouse shit.” Steve disagrees but I know what a mouse shit looks like and we dig out 8 more mouse shit containing noodles. Appetite lost. Steve says to the tea house worker who has black toe nails “What the hell is this? Mouse shit??!” The guy stares at it, picks at it, and can’t answer. We all decide its mouse poo. Barf! There are no health inspectors out here...the worker didn’t even apologize. I am so happy we are continuing down...
We hike on. Steve and I chat about home and what we want to do when we have a home. I want to learn to can food- make some pickles and salsa. A few hours later and we get to the tea house we were aiming for. It was closed! We hike on. We get to the next village- all is closed! We hike on. In the end we hike all the way to Pangboche. We are so tired and stiff- overall we hiked over 12 km and lost over 1.2 km in elevation. A 12 hour day of exertion. My lips are still puffy, anything salty burns like acid on them, but they are getting better. We will sleep in.
Wake up at 0430 after sleeping only 2 hours- we are too excited to sleep! Mr. Horka (our guide) and Kristi (from trek company) greet us and we all drive to the airport. Domestic side is different from international. There is a pile of dog poo on the floor! People are bringing supplies and goods to be flown to Lukla- we see bags of rice, doors, plywood, chicken soup, and a wood stove. We board an 18 passenger ‘twin otter’- it appears to have made many trips to Lukla. The stewardess points us to seats and hands out cotton balls to plug our ears and candy to suck on- the cabin is not pressurized- daylight comes through the door seams after its closed. I’m a little anxious. The combination of a small plane from a third world nation flying into the highest mountain range on earth scares me. We take off. Fly through clouds for a few minutes adn then emerge above them- but we are not alone- to the left is the Himalaya! The peaks sore above the clouds- the peaks are higher than the otter! The flight lasts 30 mins and by the time we approach Lukla we are surrounded by mountains- in fact, we are flying directly towards one...I feel the plane slow and we suddenly dip, I see the mountain side out the pilots window. We dip again and I have Steve’s arm in a death grip- I see the mountain base. We dip steeply and I see the ground but no runway. I’m freakin out and weird noises of fear escape me. I think we are nose diving to the ground but then I see runway! The pilot swoops the plane up at the last moment and we bounce along the pavement. The plane comes to a stop in less than thirty seconds! We exit and see that the runway is very short and goes uphill. At the far end is the mountain and the other end is a drop off. The airport is on the mountain ledge.
We have breakfast at a tea house- porridge for me and eggs for Steve. Horka arranges a porter to carry our pack. Our pack weighs 22kg and I feel guilty that someone else will be carrying it for 3 weeks. However, its not long before my guilt subsides. Not only is day one being done on little sleep, the terrain is constantly up and down. The trail is rocky and a little slick from the rain. We learn that porters carry up to 120kgs! An average load is 40-50kg. Our bag is a simple load. Our porter catches up to us as we break for lunch at a tea house a few hours in. He is maybe 4’5’’ and looks like a Himalayan hard man. He seems to be grateful to be hired in the off season because he thanks us heartily for the job. He jimmies up the pack to his forehead strap and burns up the trail- he is wearing flipflops. We pass through several villages. No roads, just paths, farm animals are roaming and locals are working. We both feel like trespassers in some far off land. I want to tip toe and apologize for being there...people just smile and go about their business. Children pause to give us a folded hand ‘namaste’ then run off.
Two hours later we arrive to Manjo at 2835m (9300ft) and stop for the night. Our feet are sore from the rental boots- happy to be resting.
Day 2- By Steve
Slept good but kept waking up, some sort of rodent running around our room
BJ said it was in the walls, but don’t believe her
Took 3 hours to get to Namche Bazar
Heart rates both at 72 resting
Saw REALLY small kids, maybe 3 years old but less than 2 feet tall, we call them buddah babies.
Sherpa granny passed us on trail- at least 70 years old/4 ft tall/ no teeth/ wearing flipflops
took showers but were too hot, no cold water, staying at “everest hotel”
New discovery: RaRa noodles = Ichiban noodles! This is good :)
Clear morning but rained a little at noon
Saw injured woman riding in a porter basket- on way to hospital in Lukla
Today is July 12th, 2009 AD. In Nepal it is July 12th, 2066 BS. I think BS stands for “Before Sherpa” but I don’t know for sure
No headaches, no AMS symptoms
Day 3: By Steve
Woke up to clear skies
Hiked to lookout ridge above Namche, 400m elevation gain for acclimatization, took 2.5 hours.
BJ has big blisters all over her feet. She is a trooper.
Saw part of Everest!
Today is the best day because BJ turns 84 in Nepali years! She is older than me and I feel young :)
Bad news: BJ has head cold. She shows no signs of AMS but has little energy. I will keep a close eye on her. I love her way more than any of these mountains.
Mailed post card to mom and dad. Little hope it will make it. Don’t have address book so couldn’t mail anymore.
Day 4: “Showers Ready!”
I feel better than yesterday. I can’t think of a worse place to have a head cold. Its hard to breathe when I lay down and my throat is swollen and sore. We loaded up on drugs in from the shops in Namche. You can buy all sorts of drugs here! We decided to push on and leave Namche Bazar. Clear skies and we see all of everest- so exciting!!!
Trek in view of Everest and Lhotse for an hour and then turn up a valley. Going up to 3979m today then back down to 3500m. Get to 3979 and stop for lunch. I have zero appetite and have to force myself to eat the RaRa. I feel like I’ve just had turkey dinner and have to eat another turkey dinner. Takes a long time to eat. Steve has no problem- he pounds back a mountain of dal baht. I just stare at him in disbelief. We see kids at the teahouse and they wrestle and fight, some things are universal! We see yaks on the trail. They look like small cows with big horns who are covered in wooly fur!
Sunburnt faces/necks/arms. Temperature in the mid 20’s. Despite duct taping my blisters most of them are worse. Its very painful. I will wear my own shoes tomorrow.
We arrive to Phortse Tanga. I’m not feeling well. My lunch time RaRa is sitting in my stomach like a rock and the blisters are really raw. Steve is playing cards with H & M and the tea shop worker. I stink and decide a shower will do me good. Steve runs to the room and says “shower is ready!” So I go. I get in and turn on the water. Its very cold. I wash my feet with the cold water. Its not getting warm. I decide to wash my hair while the water warms up...I get it shampooed and partially rinsed then suddenly there is no water at all. AH!!! I fiddle with the tap. Nothing. I have to dry my legs and feet and get redressed. I go to the sink and finish rinsing the shampoo out. I am freezing cold. I go back to the room and use baby wipes to finish my ‘shower’. I can hear Steve and the others laughing and having a good time, I am miserable. Steve comes bouncing into the room and asks “how was your shower?!” We find out later that they have add a bucket of hot water to the water supply on the roof when someone wants to shower. That didn’t happen for me. Everyone has a good laugh at my expense, I hold Steve fully responsible :) I feel like crap all evening. No appetite.
Day 5: Blisters
-I wake up feeling better and am even hungry!
I eat some Yak milk rice pudding with raisins for breaky- mom’s is WAY better
- I wear my own shoes.
-I make little padded band aides using tissue, antibacterial gel, and duct tape for the really open blisters
Hit the trail- clear skies with cloudy patches
Yak had diarrhea all over trail for at least a kilometer
Monsoon rain makes trail muddy but at least it only rains in evenings/night
Many waterfalls along trail today
Climb 500m over 2 hours. Both feeling well
Elevation at Dole 4084m
Hungry at elevation!
Wash stinky clothes in river.
Eat lunch of RaRa noodles and MoMo’s (no meat here)
Food sits in stomach like rock. Again.
Play cards/play chess/read.
Hope my feet heal
Day 6: By Steve
-Trek to Macherimo @ 4410m
-Both feel good with no AMS symptoms
Had great view of Cho Oyo!
Above tree line now. Sun is HOT, wind is COLD
This tea house is empty. It is very nice though.
Tried on Pack “sherpa style” today. It was ok but could not walk very long like that.
02 level at 57% (relative to sea level)
Played cards and taught H&M new gambling game. They love it. They teach us Nepali card games. Mohan’s english is fast and random. Its funny.
BJ’s feet are a little better, but blister splits open when in squatter shitter position.
Extra Large fly in BJ’s potatoes.
Day 7: Missing Home
-Slept off and on. Made 2am dash to squatter in my undies. I like being the only one here!
Been bona-fide vegetarians for several days now. No meat here in the low season. Even fruit (canned or fresh) seems to be non-existent.
Food mainly consists of starches- Potatoes, rice, pasta. Veggies include onion/garlic/ and something similar to bok choy but they call it cabbage and it tastes like sand.
Steve got a little bit of cauliflower in his dal baht today
We eat yak milk (technically nak milk b/c a yak is a boy!) and yak cheese.
Hike today was nice. Made it to Gokyo in 3 hours
Glacier lakes and frikkin awesome mountain views.
Wind is cold and the sun still burns.
Walked by a rustic yak farm
A horse walked up the trail to us today. I put out my hand and he came up to me for a scratch.
Blisters are on the mend but I may have to wear torture boots for climb tomorrow.
Missing luxuries of home and thinking of home alot
I miss my shower gel and puff ball. Miss running water and power.
Our tea house guy just loaded up the wood stove with dried yak shit.
Miss all things bad! Ice cream, pizza and TV.
Miss breathing normal. Any exertion here makes you short of breath and dizzy.
Day 8: Gokyo Ri
Go to bed early and sleep horribly. Constantly tossing and turning, hot and cold
Wake up at 0430 to climb Gokyo Ri
Eat chapati and tea before leaving at 0500
I can’t bear to put on those boots- I wear my own shoes.
Cold out! A few clouds in sky
Hard to breathe as we switchback up the mountain
Moment of weakness an hour in. “Thats it!!! Steve, we are going home and Making babies!!! No more of this Shit!!” Steve laughs and gives me water as we rest.
Keep climbing up up up!
See strange bird family. They fly like kamikaze style but soar like eagles.
Can’t breathe well as sinus cold has gone to the chest...coughing sputum
We summit in 2 hours and have wicked clear view of Everest/Lhotse/Makalu
Took many photos @ 17590ft!!!
No wind but clouds move quickly around other mountain peaks
Its Amazing and this is the highest we have ever been!
Its OUR top of the world!
Spend 45 mins at summit
Eat chocolate and nuts.
Takes 1 hour 20 mins to de-summit
We are proud of our climb. We eat RaRa and go back to bed
Both wake up with massive headaches
My head pulses with every heart beat. My eyeballs bulge out of the socket with each heartbeat. I pop Ibuprofen. Crawl back into bed.
Later I find Steve in the dining hall chatting with an Irish girl. Her name is Tracey. We play cards and chat.
Finally eat dinner and sleep.
Day 9: Down we go
-Coughing through night keeps me awake
Leave Gokyo and make way back to Phortse Tanga. It takes 7 hours.
Sadly lost 800m in elevation.
Should feel like super woman with all these extra red blood cells but I don’t- I’m dead tired and have chills.
Steve is having a problem with his right leg. He thinks its nerve related not muscular. We suspect it could be due to his ambitious attempt at wearing the pack ‘sherpa style’
I barely eat dinner, appetite is low and the chemical flavor of the packaged spaghetti sauce is highly unappealling.
Play cards and read, in bed at 2000hrs.
Day 10: A rough day
Steve’s Account:
Left Phortse Tanga for Pangboche. BJ has hit her lowest mental level yet. She got REALLY p.o’d at all the ups and downs on the trail today. She even threw her hiking stick on the trail (it almost went off the side of the mountain...) I didn’t say anything because I was afraid. I was praying that her ipod would not run out of juice, I’m sure that it would have been the cake topper. She got a hold of herself and we continued. Made it to Pangboche in about 3 hours. We washed some clothes and our hair in the river and tried to eat some lunch. BJ had potato salad and soup. I had “potato’s with on top two eggs”. We played cards and chilled until dinner. I had dal baht and she had some fried rice. We watched some of a Nepali movie then BJ felt like she was going to puke. In ten minutes she was behind the building blowing chunks by light of her headlamp. I stood by her and comforted her. After she was done I put her to bed. We think it was the rice. She had a very rough day. She slept like a log. In the morning we checked to see the puke, the stray dogs ate it.
BJ’s Account:
Another night of coughing. We ate RaRa for breaky and hit the trail. Climbed three of the four hundred meters in 30 mins! WOW! We must be uber loaded with red blood cells! We stop for tea at Phortse. We keep going- more elevation- then more, and more- WTF? Every time we cross a ridge on the mountain side we see more trail with more elevation to be gained. Knowing we only have a 400m gain for our next stop and we have already gained 300m means we were working really hard and will inevitably descend. ARGH. Thats It!!! We’ve been ascending and descending for ten days!! I have a death grip on my hiking pole and begin stabbing it into the trail. The anger is brewing- I think H&M sense it and are keeping some distance behind us. I’m so mad. I turn on my ipod and try to get in a groove- I try to find my happy place. So frustrated! I’m crying but no tears come. I throw my pole at the mountainside and it nearly goes off the edge of the cliff. I decide I’m just being ridiculous and try so hard to cheer up but not even the views can pacify me. Steve says “its a mountain in the himalaya- its going to be hilly.” I’m just tired of it all. We see some mountain goats which are much different than the ones at home. I am happy to see some wildlife. We make it to Pangboche. I have pen tip sized water blisters all over my right arm from the sun. It feels like reptile skin. Steve’s head is peeling from his sunburn and the new skin is burning- its very painful for him. We wash in the river. Tracey makes it to our hut. Nice company. There are the cutest stray dogs here- they look like little bears. The locals are mean and kick them, toss water at them, and fire rocks at them. There is a sherpa here who has summited Everest four times. We play cards. I attempt to eat dinner but am unable to finish my fried rice- something is wrong. I am barfing my face off behind the hut in no time. Can’t think of a worse place to be barfing. Steve preps my bed and gets me gravol- he’s been a good nurse for me. I sleep all night- only get up once to use squatter. Feel better in morning. I eat a pancake and Steve eats RaRa. Horka agrees we are ok to go on.
Day 11: We find Bread!
Leave Pangboche and walk 3 hours to Periche. The walk is gentler than yesterday and the little black bear dog has followed us. Steve lets me pretend the black dog is ours and refrains from kicking it :) We pass memorials to those lost on surrounding mountains. We see a yak farmer and no one else (except for Tracey and her guide). We stay at the nicest tea house yet- its very clean and warm. We even have our own flushable toilet! We wash clothes in the river- I am really tired of stinking. I think the diet makes us stink worse- all the onions and garlic added to everything. While at the river a massive brown yak creeps up to less than ten feet behind us. He is walking away by the time I get a photo. Horka has some exciting news for us- the tea house has bread!! Its the first place that has bread! They also have tuna! Steve orders a grilled tuna and I get a grilled veg sandwich! Its made of onion, garlic, cabbage, AND carrot! Its delicious! The bread is light and fluffy! Later this night we even eat a can of fruit salad! I am finally feeling better (other than the loose cough) and we celebrate with some chocolate.
Day 12: Up up and Away
I slept so well I could barely pull myself out of bed @ 0700. The usual routine- porridge for me and RaRa for Stevie. On the trail by 0830- followed for some time by three stray dogs. I feel good, can breathe clear and the cough is loosening up. We have to take the long path to Thukla d/t the bridge being washed out on the shorter route- it adds an hour and a half to the hike. An hour or so in we spot Tracy's guide but no Tracy. The guide talks to H&M in Nepali. Steve asks ‘where is Tracy?’ he replies with “she wants to go back down” and quickly walks away. Hmmm...we see no sign of Tracy and I’m worried. We ask Horka what was said. The guide told him that she is mad that they walked too far yesterday and she wants to go back. We keep walking and it is sometime before we finally see Tracy- I am relieved to see her. As we approach each other on the trail we see she is upset and crying. Turns out her guide was a total creeper and thought they should share a room together for each others safety. She refused and he became angry and called her a stupid woman and then refused to talk to her. Freaky!! She was heading back to Kathmandu and he was no longer her guide. I was pretty shocked though that he would not arrange for someone to walk with her! We suggested she head to the lodge we were just at b/c it was nice and comfortable. There was a woman there waiting for her family and Tracy had met her before...perhaps they could trek down together.
Later we saw a sick woman coming down the mountain on a horse. Then at Thukla we met another woman with a fairly bad case of AMS on her way to lower elevation. AMS is scary and serious! Go slow! Thats the rule! After a RaRa lunch and macoroni for Steve, we start climbing and gaining big elevation. We hike up a steep rocky valley. While Steve and I are breathing hard and breaking, H&M chat and sing! I love when they sing. The wind is howling and cold on our backs but then it will suddenly stop and the sun bakes us. We get to the valley top and are met with a sombre site. There is a memorial site for climbers and sherpas lost on Everest. There are prayer flags on the stoopa’s and the clouds are blowing between them. Spooky and sad.
We arrive at Labouche at 1400hrs. Its the most expensive place yet! A cup of tea is 55rps compared to 30 when we started out. RaRa us 260rps- we paid 120rps at lunch! No other trekkers are at the tea house- only locals. The clouds have blown in and obscured everything so we play cards/chat/read. We eat a traditional yak meat snack. They don’t have fridges or freezers here...so they dry the yak meat. Then they cook it with spices. We have not yet had yak meat because its not the on season. I find it much much too spicey- it burns. And its like chewing on leather. The locals wash it down with a homebrew called Chang. It looks like milkshake but it is made from fermenting rice. We try that. Its horrible shit. Tastes like rotten yeasty loaf of bread with more rotten flavor added and a hint of alcohol. Its getting dark, they start playing with the power to get some lights on. A tiny old man stands on the plastic lawnchairs and rubs the florescent light tubes...apparently massaging the lights makes them come on...
One week left! Tomorrow we hike to Gorak Shep and then to EBC after lunch!
Day 13: EBC
- I have a PB&J pancake for breakfast, the PB is so dry it crumbles out of the jar! Tasted ok though, Steve ate RaRa.
- Leave Labouche at 0830. I felt like I couldn’t get going today despite a good sleep. My legs were like jelly. Still, we made good time to Gorak Shep- just two hours and 15 mins!
Steve still has pain in his right leg.
Clear blue skies in the morning. Sun burns us and my water blisters reappear all over my arm
Passed more memorials today
Hiked along the Khumbu glacier and up steep moraine
considered hiking kala pathar today but the clouds came in
Went to base camp instead! YAY!
Was great to be “where it all begins” but there wasn’t anything there! No prayer flags, no stoopa’s, couldn’t see any litter. Just glacier rock.
We couldn’t walk to the Khumbu ice fall because the glacier we were on was melting and shifting, across from us was Nuptse- who is making noise! Rockslides and avalanches are constant!
Horka broke a peice of glacier off for us. Steve ate it and it was full of sand.
I like the glacier dust here, its sparkly and makes my pants sparkle
Very tired now and cold. We are huddled in the tea house wearing down jackets, wrapped in blankets, and playing cards.
Its raining out
Kala Patar in the am.
Day 14: Kala Patar
What a day! Long day! Woke up at 0430 to climb Kala Patar. My lips were sore when I woke- felt like there were 2 cracks down the sides of my bottom lip. It was painful to form some words. I tell Steve something is wrong with my mouth. I get my headlamp and find a mirror- my lips are swollen up like sausages! Your kidding! I turn on the light to show Steve- he learns in to get a closer look and starts laughing- “you look like buba!” The sun from yesterdays climb must have burnt my lips! I brush my teeth but can’t spit. I take ibuprofen. We go to eat at 0500 and I spill my hot chocolate and oatmeal. The swelling seems to be going down by the time we are on the trail- but I can’t smile because it feels like the lips will split. I know what I will look like with collagen implants.
Turns out the peak visible from Gorak Shep is not the true summit of Kala Patar. It takes an hour and 45 mins to summit. KP isn’t as steep as Gokyo Ri and I make it without any moments of weakness ;) We find tonnes of prayer flags on the summit and they are something of a hazard! They get tangled up in your shoes easy and with a shear drop to the left of the summit it makes us extra cautious. The views were absolutely incredible! Clear skies and we are directly across from Everest. We can see the south col, and hillary step. We are directly below Pumor Ri. We take photos for nearly an hour at 18210ft (5550m). The O2 level is below 50%. Takes an hour to descend and we decide to have some RaRa and then hike to lower elevation today. A man enters the tea house and following him is Tracy! Wow! I was surprised and super happy to see her. She took some time at Periche and decided to push on. I’m so happy she gets to finish her trek and she is heading up KP for the clear views of the morning.
We leave Gorak Shep and set our sites to Thukla. Its a long climb down but we keep a steady pace. We finally get to Thukla- a little tired and a lot hungry. Mohan has a headache so we agree we should have a rest and food at Thukla and then keep going lower. Steve and I both order macoroni with tomato sauce. The food comes and we dig in- the sauce is separate from the noodles and this is how we notice something weird. The noodles look like they been boiled in dirty water. Steve finds a small oval brown piece inside a noodle. Then I spot one in mine. Hmm...Steve says “it must be a spice” and I said “yeah right, its a mouse shit.” Steve disagrees but I know what a mouse shit looks like and we dig out 8 more mouse shit containing noodles. Appetite lost. Steve says to the tea house worker who has black toe nails “What the hell is this? Mouse shit??!” The guy stares at it, picks at it, and can’t answer. We all decide its mouse poo. Barf! There are no health inspectors out here...the worker didn’t even apologize. I am so happy we are continuing down...
We hike on. Steve and I chat about home and what we want to do when we have a home. I want to learn to can food- make some pickles and salsa. A few hours later and we get to the tea house we were aiming for. It was closed! We hike on. We get to the next village- all is closed! We hike on. In the end we hike all the way to Pangboche. We are so tired and stiff- overall we hiked over 12 km and lost over 1.2 km in elevation. A 12 hour day of exertion. My lips are still puffy, anything salty burns like acid on them, but they are getting better. We will sleep in.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Namaste!!
Hello from Kathmandu! We made it here safely and leave for our 3 week trek in 2 more sleeps! :) We will post when we get back :) Steve says he'll have an Everest beer for everyone...so I guess he better start drinking now (they are one litre bottles!)
Namaste
Namaste
Tour Egypt
Day one of the tour takes us to the first ever pyramid in Sakkara and the great pyramids and sphynx in Giza. The pyramids are incredible. It is believed by many that the tomb of King Cheops still remains in the great pyramid and the one ‘discovered’ is a fake. Unfortunately there are many hustlers and sellers at the pyramids. Steve was approached by a large arab man who said “I have a gift for you” and Steve kept saying “no money, no money” and the guy kept saying “its a gift, welcome to egypt” etc... So the arab pulls a white cloth/headband out of his bag. He puts it on Steve and its like an arabian head cover for the desert. His sidekick puts a scarf around my head and we pose for a photo with the arab. The arab proceeds to take Steves sunglasses off to show him his reflection, and then puts them on himself. The guy shakes Steve’s hand and tries to walk away- but Steve doesn’t let go of his hand. He takes his glasses back. At this point the Arabs side kick is trying to put the same thing on me and I insist no (remember the do not engage rule) so the guy puts it in my hand. I am trying to get to Steve but he is blocking me. I’m getting mad and calling to Steve “nothing is free!” The guy blocking me starts saying “Its a gift, low price, its a gift, low price”. Scammers! Steve isn’t buying from the arab so his buddy thinks I will?! I am mad now. I have been saying no and trying to return the rag in the bag but he puts his hands up and says “its a gift, low price.” GRR!! I see the big arab getting too close to Steve as he flicks his chest pocket, nobody touches my hubby. I feel that this is all getting too aggressive. Thats it. I drop the bag at my guys feet and push my way to Steve. I pull the rag off Steve’s head, stuff it in the Arabs shoulder bag, take Steve by the arm and drag him away. The arab yells “you lucky man!” Relentless!!! They just don’t give up! Steve was a little mad at me because he didn’t get his free hat. I had to explain through my clenched teeth that NOTHING IS FREE HERE and how his buddy was trying to make me pay for the rags! Besides, he agreed he would never wear it again anyway. I was actually getting nervous with it all- there are many tourist police around but I have a feeling these scammers can disappear before we can get help. Other people come up to us with crystal pyramids, postcards, and jewelery. I am getting impatient because I just want to see the pyramids! One woman is following us and won’t leave, I lose it and yell “just leave us alone!” I felt bad after- I don’t usually yell at complete strangers. I felt like crying. Steve took me to a quieter corner of the pyramid so we could get some photo’s. I have developed my technique of “veering left”. When people start walking to us I just veer extreme left. I think its an obvious signal to stay away from me and it gives me space so I can keep walking...it doesn’t always work. We all made it back to the van and shared out various hustler stories. Our guide is Wyall- he explains that the hustlers have a scam that goes like this: they offer a price, say “5 egyptian pounds” so you go to pay your five pounds and they say “no no, I said 5 hundred pounds” and once you’ve engaged, good luck getting away. Wyall advises that we ask him what the prices should be before we buy stuff and he will give us an idea of a fair price. We went to a view point to see the pyramids from some distance. We are warned not to snap photos of the camels nearby or the hustlers will demand large sums of money. I am only interested in the pyramids anyway. They are something else! Finally we go see the Sphynx, which is much smaller than I imagined! My camera dies so we borrow a battery from one of the Aussies to snap a couple shots. We are being harassed there too, so I don’t care that we leave after only a few minutes. We stop at a market to get dinner and breaky for our overnight train ride to Aswan. We return to the hotel to shower and I charge the camera battery. We head to the train station. A third class train is pulling out of the station- locals are jumping on as it moves, there are people stuffed between the cars and on the back. A second class train pulls in. Its a gong show. The train is packed, the sides appear to be covered in various liquids that have been thrown out the windows, its really gross. There is obviously no AC so the windows are opened as far as they go- maybe six inches, The windows are too dirty to really see in there so we only see arms hanging out the windows and peering eyes. I am relieved that tourists are not allowed to ride second or third class. The train pulls away and people jump on to fill the spaces between cars...
Our train arrives. The AC’d cabin is spacious, our chairs are reclineable, there are only tourists on board. We eat our snack dinner. We have really started to notice the chemical/preservative flavor in foods- our roomies called it ‘chemical bombs’. We have been eating mostly fresh breads and not much refrigerated or packaged stuff. We took a few bites of our cake and it was too chemically. The pretzels were nasty too. We each had an apple and hot dog bun for dinner. The train ride was uneventful but uncomfortable - we both tossed and turned.
We checked into our Awan hotel, showered, and were off to see the High damn of Aswan. We are stopped and inspected at a road check before accessing the damn. Its one of the largest in the world and spans nearly 4km. Although its long, it is only 111m high. Many people were displaced when this damn was built and over ten temples/ancient monuments were relocated. The damn controls water flow on the Nile but produces only ten percent of Egypts power. The international bank wouldn’t fund the damn (as it was displacing people so it would make them look bad) so the Soviets stepped in. There is a monument on the damn signifying the friendship between Egyptians and the Soviets...when all the ancient sites had to be moved before lake Nasr filled up the Egyptian government refused to fund the endeavor! So, UNESCO and western nations piled resources to save the sites! Later, when we saw these places I found it strange that the rest of the world paid to save these monuments and today Egypt is undoubtedly reaping the benefits. Scammers.
Our next stop was the Temple of Philae located on an Island. It was beautiful, peaceful and secluded. We wandered in the quiet. We stopped by an ancient rock quarry to see the unfinished obelisk and then returned to the hotel. We took a boat at sunset to a Nubian village for dinner. Nubians consider crocodiles to be a symbol of good luck, so low and behold there was a young crocodile in the house- caged of course. One of the hosts took the croc out so we could each hold it. The first girl held it with out incident, then it was my turn. I was instructed to put my hands where the host had his hands- one on the body and the other around the neck and head. The croc was mad, and squirming, so when the host let go it thrashed and I freaked and let go of the head- apparently thats not a good idea. I was screaming and everyone took cover- I jumped back but I didn’t let go of the tail part- I didn’t know if the croc was going to swing around and bite me. It felt like one of those toy snakes where you hold the tail and the body slithers around. I wanted to drop it but I didn’t want to lose this families lucky pet. The host grabbed the neck and I let go and ran around shaking my hands and basically freaking out. The croc was just a little one (maybe 2 ft) but powerful! I try again. This time I hold further up the body and I clamp down on its ugly little head. I get my picture and give it back. I thoroughly scrubbed my hands after so I don’t contract salmonella or some reptile disease. Steve doesn’t even go near it- he hates reptiles. Dinner was delicious and we sailed back down the Nile to our hotel. But we only sleep a few hours, wake up call is at 0300hrs. We are heading to Abu Simbel and the “convoy” leaves at 0400hrs. Convoy? Yup. Convoy. I ask Wyall about the convoy, he sorta beats around the bush and says its for safety but more so to control the speed on the highway. Yeah right. I call bull shit on that. I asked if any other places needed convoys and he said “they used to, since ’97, but most of them are no longer deemed necessary”. No one in the group seems to show any concern. Apparently I’m the only one in the group aware of the attacks on tourists and because this excursion is optional I would like some details. I whispered to Steve “97 is when they killed all those tourists” we wait for the others to scatter and I press for more details. Wyall describes the disaster of 97 to us- where he was, its effects, and what has been done for safety. There is still a threat in Egypt, but the radicals “don’t have any weapons.” Wow, thats just great. We take the excursion. At 0400 we are lined up with dozens of other tour vans and busses. All vehicles are inspected. The convoy is led with armed guards and no one drives with their lights on. I don’t know if no lights is just how they roll here...but seemed strange considering it was dark out! The drive is 3 hours, I doze on and off but don’t really sleep. We arrive to Abu Simbel. This place is fabulous! We enter the temples, there are signs saying “no photos” but Steve and I sneak a couple flash-less shots. Its incredibly hot at this place even early in the morning, so we quickly tour then join an early convoy back to Aswan. The drive back was the worst ever. Our driver was a maniac. He was following the van in front of us close enough to not see the bumper. Thankfully we had seat belts and even more thankfully we never crashed. I don’t understand the driving. Wyall and most of the group was sleeping and I thought for sure we were toast. The driver would tailgate kitty corner to the van in front of us, sometimes he would drive up beside the van and they would exchange gestures and laugh. Other cars zoomed by and he would pull in behind the van. I should have said something...I told Wyall when we were safely off the maniac mobile that the driver was psycho and reckless- some of the others who saw the driving also complained. In Aswan our group was split in two. Four members were leaving to cruise the Nile on a small ship while the rest of us were sailing on a felucca. The felucca was spacious. With only five of us on board, a captain, his mate, and Wyall, we had plenty of space to lounge. The deck was one big mattress shaded with a sheet- we could not stand upright. Our bags were stored in a crawl space under the deck. We drifted down the nile for 22km. No washroom on board so when you had to wee you just told the captain and he pulled over. There were too many people on shore for me to ever feel comfortable enough to go, and when we did get to shore more people seemed to appear out of nowhere. We finally stopped for the night, the mate prepared us a delicious dinner, then we went on land for some nubian music and a bonfire. The classic dancing around the fire got under way. No wood to burn in the desert so dead palm leaves were used. The leaves produced an intoxicating smoke but it was all fun. We returned to the Felucca and slept on the deck. We were given blankets but they weren’t necessary with the heat- Egypt doesn’t really cool off. We slept soundly while the mosquitoes feasted.
We had a little breakfast on the felucca and were then headed to Luxor. This would be our hottest day in Egypt. In the 48 degree heat we visited Kom Ombo and Edfu temples. On the east bank of Luxor we visited the massive Karnak temple, here we could see some interesting hieroglyphics. Steve was occupied by an ancient calendar dating 4000 years. It was the first discovered and the calendar we use today is based on it. I liked the carvings depicting ancient surgical tools. After this stop we were too darn hot and visited the Luxor temple from the comfort of the air conditioned van. I can’t explain the heat of this day! We were sweating profusely, just like in spin class, minus the exertion. The wind was hot and it was torture when it blew. We couldn’t sit on anything- even in the shade the stone was burning hot. Wyall explained that people are allowed to go home from work if the temperature reaches 50 degrees, so at 48 they stop gaging it :-) I told Wyall how our school closed at -40 degrees and that was shocking for him...This hot day also happened to be Canada Day! We went to an Irish pub to play pool and rehydrate. The next day we toured the west bank of Luxor which included the Valley of the Kings and Queen Hatshepsut’s Temple. We started the day early to avoid the intense heat but even at 0800hrs the Valley of the Kings was HOT! This valley was chosen for its dry climate and hidden location. We were permitted to enter three tombs. We were amazed at the condition of the paintings and hieroglyphics in them! The colors were beautiful. All the temples in Egypt were originally painted but the weather and time has taken its toll. To see the colors and work in the tombs still remaining after 3000 years was super neat! I mentioned earlier how no pictures are permitted in the tombs. Other than the “no photo’s” sign there is no warning of what will happen to you if you break the rule...Wyall explained if you get caught your camera is taken away and you have to pay to get it back from the guard (no set fee, its a bribe). Then the perpetrator is usually marched to the tourism police where they charge you 50 egyptian pounds per photo and erase them off your camera! If you bribe the guard enough you can avoid the police action. Steve and I decided it wasn’t worth sneaking any photos in any more tombs. Our group was busy admiring a tomb when it happens- a flash goes off! We all give eachother the ‘oh shit balls’ look and rush to see who broke the rule. We saw a european woman and her man...an egyptian security guard was running to her. He basically lunged for her camera. She bent over to hide the camera, he was reaching over her shoulder trying to snatch it from her hands. She was yelling “its my camera and my photo!” The struggle continued and her man tried to block the guard too. The guard isn’t wearing a traditional uniform, he is in a blouse robe that reaches the floor and a white turban so I don’t know if the couple knew he was a guard. After a few minutes we started to leave but they were still fighting- the guard was yelling for back up, as we walked by I told the man he has to pay... I found the physical aspect of this episode surprising. If a guard did that to me I know Steve would jump in and help me-probably kick some ass! We left the scene and went to a tomb higher up in the rocks. We had to climb a large stair case into a crevasse and then climb down into the tomb. It was sweltering in this tomb. After a few minutes my legs were too wobbly and the thick hot air was barely breathable. I had to leave- by the time I climbed out I was drenched and sweat was running down my face, arms, legs...the air outside felt better. Its amazing how the heat penetrates the rocks and the rocks retain the heat- that tomb was like an oven. The Hatshepsut Temple was incredible too! But holy moly the heat!!! We did a quick visit and bailed. Hahaha! I look back at my photos and wonder why I didn’t take more, but then I remember that unbearable heat. You breath in and feel the hot air in your lungs. There aren’t hustlers in the perimeter of the sites in the south which is a relief. But from the exit to the parking lot you have to push through a gauntlet of people shoving things in your face to buy. I have concluded that these people go to the same hustler school because they all use the same lines! They always ask “where you from?” we either ignore them (which makes me feel rude) or we say Canada- they all reply “Oh, Canada Dry!” and then “welcome to Alaska.” Everywhere they said this. Steve finally has enough and would say “you don’t even have Canada dry here anymore.” Sometimes we just say “no english” so then they try spanish. The men really like Steves beard and compliment him endlessly. They also inform him “you lucky man” because he has me- and I agree and rub it in how lucky he is :) And then they ask “how many camels?”
Later in the afternoon we drive 3 hours to the city of Hurgada located on the Red Sea. We go out for a seafood dinner and are soon in bed. The next morning we board a large ship and head out for a day of snorkeling and swimming. The water is beautiful- deep shades of blue, turqoise, and green. The water is clear and we see many fish among the coral. We have the next day to do as we please...we opt to sleep in! Later we all decide to hit up the Hard Rock Cafe. Wyall flags us a cab and tells us it will cost between 15-20 pounds each way. No problem, we can manage an unescorted outing. Steve and I pound back a plate of nachos and they were soooo good! We should’ve stopped at the nachos, but no, we share a brownie with icecream and we are so bloated and full we just want to go back to sleep. We have to get back to the hotel. The cafe is a little out of the way so some time passes before a cab appears. Steve tells him where we are going and says ’20 pounds’. We all pile in. The cabbie drives 130km/hr at one point. His meter is ticking away- in piasters, which are cents. We make it to the hotel after a few wrong turns. The meter says 896 piasters. We all get out and Steve is left to pay the tab. Now, 896 piasters is equal to almost 9 pounds, but the cabbie says “896 pounds.” Steve says “No, its in piaster” the cabbie argues and says “your friend said you pay in straight egyptian” whatever that means...so Steve says “no, you get 10 pounds” and the cabbie didn’t move or say anything, Steve knows it should cost 15-20 but he wants to scam this scammer. Steve finally threw 20 pounds over the seat and got out. Imagine paying $200 CAN for a 10 minute cab ride!!!
We leave Hurgada at midnight and drive to Cairo. We arrive at 0700 and have a nap before heading to the museum. We saw the goodies from King Tut’s tomb- the only one in the Valley of the Kings discovered to be completely intact. It was incredible! King Tut’s mask is unbelievably beautiful. Some estimate it to be the single most valuable item in the world. We see more really ancient stuff and some mummies of the animal and human kind. We also see a copy of the rosetta stone. For some reason the original is in the British museum. We also visited the old city of Cairo and saw the area in which Mary, Joseph, and Jesus hung out for 2 years while hiding from King Harod. We finished the day at a bazaar- nothing like a big hassle in the heat!
Overall, we enjoyed our time in Egypt but have decided its a “been there done that” kind of place. We found it to be a constant hassle, I couldn’t handle the people anymore- we cannot recall meeting one single nice genuine person in Egypt. Sorry, but from what we experienced there are too many scammers who constantly stare and hustle- women are not equal. I won’t even write some of the comments that I heard...At this point in time I am not interested in ever going back. Ever.
Our train arrives. The AC’d cabin is spacious, our chairs are reclineable, there are only tourists on board. We eat our snack dinner. We have really started to notice the chemical/preservative flavor in foods- our roomies called it ‘chemical bombs’. We have been eating mostly fresh breads and not much refrigerated or packaged stuff. We took a few bites of our cake and it was too chemically. The pretzels were nasty too. We each had an apple and hot dog bun for dinner. The train ride was uneventful but uncomfortable - we both tossed and turned.
We checked into our Awan hotel, showered, and were off to see the High damn of Aswan. We are stopped and inspected at a road check before accessing the damn. Its one of the largest in the world and spans nearly 4km. Although its long, it is only 111m high. Many people were displaced when this damn was built and over ten temples/ancient monuments were relocated. The damn controls water flow on the Nile but produces only ten percent of Egypts power. The international bank wouldn’t fund the damn (as it was displacing people so it would make them look bad) so the Soviets stepped in. There is a monument on the damn signifying the friendship between Egyptians and the Soviets...when all the ancient sites had to be moved before lake Nasr filled up the Egyptian government refused to fund the endeavor! So, UNESCO and western nations piled resources to save the sites! Later, when we saw these places I found it strange that the rest of the world paid to save these monuments and today Egypt is undoubtedly reaping the benefits. Scammers.
Our next stop was the Temple of Philae located on an Island. It was beautiful, peaceful and secluded. We wandered in the quiet. We stopped by an ancient rock quarry to see the unfinished obelisk and then returned to the hotel. We took a boat at sunset to a Nubian village for dinner. Nubians consider crocodiles to be a symbol of good luck, so low and behold there was a young crocodile in the house- caged of course. One of the hosts took the croc out so we could each hold it. The first girl held it with out incident, then it was my turn. I was instructed to put my hands where the host had his hands- one on the body and the other around the neck and head. The croc was mad, and squirming, so when the host let go it thrashed and I freaked and let go of the head- apparently thats not a good idea. I was screaming and everyone took cover- I jumped back but I didn’t let go of the tail part- I didn’t know if the croc was going to swing around and bite me. It felt like one of those toy snakes where you hold the tail and the body slithers around. I wanted to drop it but I didn’t want to lose this families lucky pet. The host grabbed the neck and I let go and ran around shaking my hands and basically freaking out. The croc was just a little one (maybe 2 ft) but powerful! I try again. This time I hold further up the body and I clamp down on its ugly little head. I get my picture and give it back. I thoroughly scrubbed my hands after so I don’t contract salmonella or some reptile disease. Steve doesn’t even go near it- he hates reptiles. Dinner was delicious and we sailed back down the Nile to our hotel. But we only sleep a few hours, wake up call is at 0300hrs. We are heading to Abu Simbel and the “convoy” leaves at 0400hrs. Convoy? Yup. Convoy. I ask Wyall about the convoy, he sorta beats around the bush and says its for safety but more so to control the speed on the highway. Yeah right. I call bull shit on that. I asked if any other places needed convoys and he said “they used to, since ’97, but most of them are no longer deemed necessary”. No one in the group seems to show any concern. Apparently I’m the only one in the group aware of the attacks on tourists and because this excursion is optional I would like some details. I whispered to Steve “97 is when they killed all those tourists” we wait for the others to scatter and I press for more details. Wyall describes the disaster of 97 to us- where he was, its effects, and what has been done for safety. There is still a threat in Egypt, but the radicals “don’t have any weapons.” Wow, thats just great. We take the excursion. At 0400 we are lined up with dozens of other tour vans and busses. All vehicles are inspected. The convoy is led with armed guards and no one drives with their lights on. I don’t know if no lights is just how they roll here...but seemed strange considering it was dark out! The drive is 3 hours, I doze on and off but don’t really sleep. We arrive to Abu Simbel. This place is fabulous! We enter the temples, there are signs saying “no photos” but Steve and I sneak a couple flash-less shots. Its incredibly hot at this place even early in the morning, so we quickly tour then join an early convoy back to Aswan. The drive back was the worst ever. Our driver was a maniac. He was following the van in front of us close enough to not see the bumper. Thankfully we had seat belts and even more thankfully we never crashed. I don’t understand the driving. Wyall and most of the group was sleeping and I thought for sure we were toast. The driver would tailgate kitty corner to the van in front of us, sometimes he would drive up beside the van and they would exchange gestures and laugh. Other cars zoomed by and he would pull in behind the van. I should have said something...I told Wyall when we were safely off the maniac mobile that the driver was psycho and reckless- some of the others who saw the driving also complained. In Aswan our group was split in two. Four members were leaving to cruise the Nile on a small ship while the rest of us were sailing on a felucca. The felucca was spacious. With only five of us on board, a captain, his mate, and Wyall, we had plenty of space to lounge. The deck was one big mattress shaded with a sheet- we could not stand upright. Our bags were stored in a crawl space under the deck. We drifted down the nile for 22km. No washroom on board so when you had to wee you just told the captain and he pulled over. There were too many people on shore for me to ever feel comfortable enough to go, and when we did get to shore more people seemed to appear out of nowhere. We finally stopped for the night, the mate prepared us a delicious dinner, then we went on land for some nubian music and a bonfire. The classic dancing around the fire got under way. No wood to burn in the desert so dead palm leaves were used. The leaves produced an intoxicating smoke but it was all fun. We returned to the Felucca and slept on the deck. We were given blankets but they weren’t necessary with the heat- Egypt doesn’t really cool off. We slept soundly while the mosquitoes feasted.
We had a little breakfast on the felucca and were then headed to Luxor. This would be our hottest day in Egypt. In the 48 degree heat we visited Kom Ombo and Edfu temples. On the east bank of Luxor we visited the massive Karnak temple, here we could see some interesting hieroglyphics. Steve was occupied by an ancient calendar dating 4000 years. It was the first discovered and the calendar we use today is based on it. I liked the carvings depicting ancient surgical tools. After this stop we were too darn hot and visited the Luxor temple from the comfort of the air conditioned van. I can’t explain the heat of this day! We were sweating profusely, just like in spin class, minus the exertion. The wind was hot and it was torture when it blew. We couldn’t sit on anything- even in the shade the stone was burning hot. Wyall explained that people are allowed to go home from work if the temperature reaches 50 degrees, so at 48 they stop gaging it :-) I told Wyall how our school closed at -40 degrees and that was shocking for him...This hot day also happened to be Canada Day! We went to an Irish pub to play pool and rehydrate. The next day we toured the west bank of Luxor which included the Valley of the Kings and Queen Hatshepsut’s Temple. We started the day early to avoid the intense heat but even at 0800hrs the Valley of the Kings was HOT! This valley was chosen for its dry climate and hidden location. We were permitted to enter three tombs. We were amazed at the condition of the paintings and hieroglyphics in them! The colors were beautiful. All the temples in Egypt were originally painted but the weather and time has taken its toll. To see the colors and work in the tombs still remaining after 3000 years was super neat! I mentioned earlier how no pictures are permitted in the tombs. Other than the “no photo’s” sign there is no warning of what will happen to you if you break the rule...Wyall explained if you get caught your camera is taken away and you have to pay to get it back from the guard (no set fee, its a bribe). Then the perpetrator is usually marched to the tourism police where they charge you 50 egyptian pounds per photo and erase them off your camera! If you bribe the guard enough you can avoid the police action. Steve and I decided it wasn’t worth sneaking any photos in any more tombs. Our group was busy admiring a tomb when it happens- a flash goes off! We all give eachother the ‘oh shit balls’ look and rush to see who broke the rule. We saw a european woman and her man...an egyptian security guard was running to her. He basically lunged for her camera. She bent over to hide the camera, he was reaching over her shoulder trying to snatch it from her hands. She was yelling “its my camera and my photo!” The struggle continued and her man tried to block the guard too. The guard isn’t wearing a traditional uniform, he is in a blouse robe that reaches the floor and a white turban so I don’t know if the couple knew he was a guard. After a few minutes we started to leave but they were still fighting- the guard was yelling for back up, as we walked by I told the man he has to pay... I found the physical aspect of this episode surprising. If a guard did that to me I know Steve would jump in and help me-probably kick some ass! We left the scene and went to a tomb higher up in the rocks. We had to climb a large stair case into a crevasse and then climb down into the tomb. It was sweltering in this tomb. After a few minutes my legs were too wobbly and the thick hot air was barely breathable. I had to leave- by the time I climbed out I was drenched and sweat was running down my face, arms, legs...the air outside felt better. Its amazing how the heat penetrates the rocks and the rocks retain the heat- that tomb was like an oven. The Hatshepsut Temple was incredible too! But holy moly the heat!!! We did a quick visit and bailed. Hahaha! I look back at my photos and wonder why I didn’t take more, but then I remember that unbearable heat. You breath in and feel the hot air in your lungs. There aren’t hustlers in the perimeter of the sites in the south which is a relief. But from the exit to the parking lot you have to push through a gauntlet of people shoving things in your face to buy. I have concluded that these people go to the same hustler school because they all use the same lines! They always ask “where you from?” we either ignore them (which makes me feel rude) or we say Canada- they all reply “Oh, Canada Dry!” and then “welcome to Alaska.” Everywhere they said this. Steve finally has enough and would say “you don’t even have Canada dry here anymore.” Sometimes we just say “no english” so then they try spanish. The men really like Steves beard and compliment him endlessly. They also inform him “you lucky man” because he has me- and I agree and rub it in how lucky he is :) And then they ask “how many camels?”
Later in the afternoon we drive 3 hours to the city of Hurgada located on the Red Sea. We go out for a seafood dinner and are soon in bed. The next morning we board a large ship and head out for a day of snorkeling and swimming. The water is beautiful- deep shades of blue, turqoise, and green. The water is clear and we see many fish among the coral. We have the next day to do as we please...we opt to sleep in! Later we all decide to hit up the Hard Rock Cafe. Wyall flags us a cab and tells us it will cost between 15-20 pounds each way. No problem, we can manage an unescorted outing. Steve and I pound back a plate of nachos and they were soooo good! We should’ve stopped at the nachos, but no, we share a brownie with icecream and we are so bloated and full we just want to go back to sleep. We have to get back to the hotel. The cafe is a little out of the way so some time passes before a cab appears. Steve tells him where we are going and says ’20 pounds’. We all pile in. The cabbie drives 130km/hr at one point. His meter is ticking away- in piasters, which are cents. We make it to the hotel after a few wrong turns. The meter says 896 piasters. We all get out and Steve is left to pay the tab. Now, 896 piasters is equal to almost 9 pounds, but the cabbie says “896 pounds.” Steve says “No, its in piaster” the cabbie argues and says “your friend said you pay in straight egyptian” whatever that means...so Steve says “no, you get 10 pounds” and the cabbie didn’t move or say anything, Steve knows it should cost 15-20 but he wants to scam this scammer. Steve finally threw 20 pounds over the seat and got out. Imagine paying $200 CAN for a 10 minute cab ride!!!
We leave Hurgada at midnight and drive to Cairo. We arrive at 0700 and have a nap before heading to the museum. We saw the goodies from King Tut’s tomb- the only one in the Valley of the Kings discovered to be completely intact. It was incredible! King Tut’s mask is unbelievably beautiful. Some estimate it to be the single most valuable item in the world. We see more really ancient stuff and some mummies of the animal and human kind. We also see a copy of the rosetta stone. For some reason the original is in the British museum. We also visited the old city of Cairo and saw the area in which Mary, Joseph, and Jesus hung out for 2 years while hiding from King Harod. We finished the day at a bazaar- nothing like a big hassle in the heat!
Overall, we enjoyed our time in Egypt but have decided its a “been there done that” kind of place. We found it to be a constant hassle, I couldn’t handle the people anymore- we cannot recall meeting one single nice genuine person in Egypt. Sorry, but from what we experienced there are too many scammers who constantly stare and hustle- women are not equal. I won’t even write some of the comments that I heard...At this point in time I am not interested in ever going back. Ever.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Just Call me Nefertiti
It was dark as our plane flew into Cairo. This city is unbelievably huge- all we could see out the windows of the plane were city lights dimmed by a thick cloud of pollution. I read about the pollution in Cairo and how it is damaging the pyramids, I believe it! I can’t say that I’ve ever been able to see pollution at night. We landed at 2230, and headed for the visa stand- we have yet to pass a bank machine and we are broke! Ha! We do have some euro and US dollars stashed in our packs, but our packs are to be picked up on the other side of customs! We literally have 5 cents. We go up to the counter and are required to pay 30 US dollars for our visa’s. Steve asks “do you take visa?” The guy raises his eyebrows and gives us a sour “no”. I don’t panic- as if we are the first ones to show up to visa with no money? Steve says “we have no money” and the guy is laughing- in disbelief I guess. And whats up with having to pay in US dollars?? Apparently they like the greenback and the euro. Another agent says something to him and he directs us to a cash machine. We get cashola and pay for visa’s in Egyptian Pounds- now was that so hard? We passed customs and met our ride. We have signed up for a tour with a company here in Cairo- we decided Egypt would be more enjoyable and much easier if we didn’t have all the responsibility of doing it solo. We were out of the airport at just past 2300 and the temperature outside was thirty one degrees! It was muggy and the air was thick with nastiness. As we got onto the highway, the pollution was like fog in the headlights. The traffic is unreal and I can’t tell if there are traffic rules here- there are lines painted on the roads but drivers hover on them and appear to ignore them completely. I don’t understand this! The horn, high-beams, and handsignals are used as part of the driving- different honks and flashes have various meanings. Despite being late at night on a weekday, the roads were still congested. People drive fast here- at least in Morocco the driving was slow and crazy, here its fast and crazy! The barricades along the sides are full of holes where cars have crashed through and gone off overpasses or down embankments. I was a wreck while Magan and Sam (our driver & guide) drove us across the city to our hotel...we arrived to the hotel where armed guards sit at the gate, then another one at the entrance where we must pass through metal detectors. I don’t know what to think of that- is it great because we are safe? Or is it because something went down here and I don’t want to know...there is nothing really around our hotel and it feels like we are in a compound. Our room is spacious and actually very nice. We strain to see the pyramids and finally in the dark we can see the outline of one off in the distance! I use all the locks on the door and jam a chair under the knob and we are off to sleep.
We woke up the next morning, pulled back the curtains and could see three pyramids- through a thick fog of pollution of course. Magan and Sam picked us up to have a meeting with the tour manager. This required a drive into downtown Cairo. This is the ugliest city I have ever seen. All the buildings are cement or brick- it looks as though some of them had been painted at one time, but they are all a grayish brown color due to the smog. Most windows on the buildings have huge air-conditioning units hanging out them and massive satellite dishes are randomly attached to the walls and any available roof space. There are unfinished projects everywhere I look. Most buildings have long sticks of rebar sticking out of the roofs which we assume are for future development. There are half built overpasses and roads that have never been completed. There is litter and rubble everywhere.
The meeting with Hany goes well...Hany warns us of street hustlers. He explains that egyptians are usually shy, and if people approach us in the street they are likely to be hustlers. A couple hours later we are hustled. Hahaha! They are really smooth here and we didn’t realize it was happening until it was too late...but here is how it went down.
-We leave the compound in search of a place to eat
-We are walking on a busy road
-Suddenly a young guy is walking with us and we begin chatting
-He is on his way home from work at a hotel
-He tells us the restaurants don’t open until 8pm
-Its only 630pm
-He knows a convenience store where we can buy a drink
-We go there and get overly screwed on the prices but don’t realize it yet
-He says its customary to invite people for tea and suggests we come over while we wait for the restaurants to open
-We go to his family’s business for tea
-Its a perfume store
-Oh shit
-They sit us on couches and we get the whole spiel on how they make the perfume oil from flowers (122kg of petals for one litre of oil!) etc
-Oh and the bottles are blown glass
-I’m loving it and Steve is not
-The recipe’s for egyptian queen’s perfumes were written in the tombs
-I buy a little bottle of Queen Nefertiti’s perfume
-The hustler gives me blown glass bottle because egyptians think nurses are angels
-We leave and so does the young guy
-We see him go back to where he met us to wait for the next tourist
-We forget about eating and go back to the compound
Neither of us could believe how smooth this dude was! When we got to the perfume store we knew what was going down. Its somewhat awkward trying to get out of those situations...they know every angle. I don’t regret the experience though- I actually really like my new Nefertiti oil. But we are more aware now- a new country with new tactics!
We have a couple days before the tour starts and decide to take a trip to a famous church. This outing requires another adventure through Cairo. The church is known for the story dating from 929AD. The king found a passage in the bible indicating that mountains could be moved by prayer. They decided if this could be proven than Christianity was legit. So they told the Christians they had 3 days to move the mountain and they could keep their church and religion. Long story short, St.Simon the Tanner led the prayers and moved the mountain/church. This is our destination. Megan mutters that we have to go past “the dump”. We don’t as questions. As we approach, Sam says, “this is the Christian quarter”. And we are driving past a mountain of garbage- an actual dump in the city of Cairo. We don’t get far though, the road is flooded with nasty deep dump sludge water. We back out and have to find a new route. There are dogs eating garbage and some sort of large animal carcass on the side of the road. Evil looking dogs...we begin to weave our way through the streets surrounding the garbage mountain and I am appalled. It’s the most horrible place I’ve seen. People are living among the garbage, they sort through it separating recyclables. The streets looked like part of the dump with bugs and garbage and dogs everywhere. The car barely fit through the roads because they were so blocked with garbage, people, animals and old cars. There were children covered in dirt and wearing rags. I felt guilty for having money when they clearly had none. Megan cracked the window to ask directions and we all began gagging- we had to hold tissues over our mouths and nose. We made it out of the garbage and to the church. It was impressive, an outdoor amphitheater type church that can seat thousands of worshipers. We saw a carving of the Madonna in the rock that apparently appeared spontaneously. It was all very interesting but I mostly thought about how we’d have to drive back through the Christian quarter. It was just as horrible driving out. Our next stop was in the “rich part of Cairo” to see the city view from lookout. The rich part didn’t look much different from any other part...garbage and rubble, half built buildings, cars driving like crazy. We got to the lookout and had a vast view of the city. Cairo is massive, we could not see the pyramids because of the smog. As we were taking photos and gazing, a man walked to the edge of the cliff and emptied a sac full of garbage off the bank. Unbelievable!!! It disgusts me. We drive to another lookout, Megan gets out of the car and throws rocks at the stray evil dogs, then its safe for us to get out. More polluted city views and more garbage. I can’t wait to leave Cairo. Our final stop for the little excursion is at a family run hole in the wall for some traditional food. We have our first “coucherie”. The place is tiny and part of the charm is a few inches of mystery sawdust covering the floor. The food is being prepared at the front of the shop in big pots. Our coucherie arrives to the table in stainless steel cereal bowls. We are given a stainless jug of water and one stainless cup for the four of us. I thought maybe this was how prisoners ate. Steve ordered us a bottled water. The food is fantastic! Our first real egyptian food- made of rice, macaroni noodles, beans, a tomato sauce, some kind of oil, fried onions...mmm! Steve loved it- which is saying a lot considering it is a vegetarian dish. We are safely returned to the compound...I am liking the compound more and more.
The next day we venture into town. We get directions and the address to the hotel written in arabic. We leave the compound and a few minutes later we are walking by some men on the side of the road. They say “taxi?” and Steve says “yes”. One of the men pulls a car out of the garage while the other gets out two plastic lawn chairs. The car pulls away and we sit on the side of the road in the chairs. Soon a taxi pulls up following the other car. These dudes got in their car, to go tell their taxi driving buddy that they found him customers?? We make it to our destination- a store to get some sunscreen and shampoo. We walk around to find some lunch and are constantly approached and stared at. We know better and ignore them. We find a pizza place and have egyptian pizza for lunch. We flag down a cab and the driver uses the directions to aim for our hotel. We miss the turn but the driver finds a new way- the driver doesn’t speak english- so he shows his appreciation for the directions by kissing the paper and laughing. Steve is laughing in the front seat. Out of nowhere there is an oversized speed bump. BRAKE! The tires squeal but we still nail it hard- I hit the seat in front of me as Steve braced himself on the dash. Ugh. Once again, I am happy to be back on the compound. That evening we meet with the rest of the tour group and our guide. There are five Australians, two from Singapore, and us.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Three Cheers for Turkey!!!
Most people say Canadians are “nice”, but the Turks blow us outta the water! They are really nice. We encountered people willing to assist us without ulterior motives. Any time we were looking lost with our map in hand, someone came to our side. Our time in Cannakale was short but enjoyable. The town is right on the water. We wanted to see Troy with out paying for a pricey tour, so we found the local dolmus bus stop- conveniently located under a bridge and beside a market. The bus was hourly so we wandered the turkish market which was selling mostly clothes, shoes, and vegetables. We went back under the bridge and sat like trolls until the bus came. We finally got the dolmus and it took us through some villages on the way to Troy. I like seeing the villages and trying to catch a glimpse of how people live...anyways I was a little bummed out with Troy. There wasn’t much left of the great city and I wasn’t in the mood to imagine what it once was- I think the heat impedes my imaginative abilities and my patience isn’t that great when I’m sweating profusely- hahaha. I’m finding that some places just don’t tickle me...and thats ok! Steve did remind me that the ruins were from before Christ even walked the Earth and that is pretty cool...
The next bus ride was to Selcuk- a great little town full of locals and cafe’s. We got off the bus and were met with people trying to get customers into their hostels. We already had a reservation at a place but we didn’t know how to get to it, one of the other hostel workers lead us all the way to the front door. We offered him a small tip and he completely refused...We just so happened to arrive in Selcuk on the day of the weekly market- and the market was on the same street as our hotel- weeee! We bought a kg of the most red, plump, delicious cherries for 3 lira- approx. $2. A kg is a heck of alot of cherries- its half a grocery bag full! We saw the guy who led us to our hostel and gave him a bunch and shared the rest with others at the hostel. One of the main sites near Selcuk is Ephesus- and what a sight!!! Its an ancient city but much of it is excavated. Marble columns, roads, statues and walls. There were ancient toilets which- like every other tourist- we found amusing. There is also a massive theatre in Ephesus. In this place, St. Paul preached to the people in his effort to convert them from pagans to Christians. The crowd got mad and chanted for three hours for him to leave. He left. On our lastnight in Selcuk we ate at a restaurant and asked about a glass circular blue symbol we had been seeing everywhere- its called an evil eye...the waiter instructed us to return to the restaurant the next day and his dad would have one for me. Hmm...seriously? We went back, the restaurant wasn’t open yet but the servers dad was there with a package for me! We chatted with him for a bit and left with the gift. It was wrapped in shiny pink paper with silver stars. It was a terra-cotta pot with an evil eye on it! It was also cracked...but the thought was sooooo nice!!! I took the evil eye off and got rid of the broken part. As we were boarding the bus to leave Selcuk, I realized I didn’t have the travel pillow! I forgot it at the hotel! Ah!!! Steve said “oh well- too bad” and I thought NO! NO NO! I asked the ticket agent how much time we had, he said three minutes...I told him I forgot something at the hotel- he said to run and get it- I was giving Steve my purse to hold and the ticket agent said “no, he run”- obviously selecting the faster one for the mission ( good idea). So Steve ran back to the hotel, saw the pillow on the maids cart, snatched it, and double timed it back to the bus! He was my hero...so now we have the “4 P’s” check which includes: Purse, Pillow, Pack, Passports.
Next stop Pammukale to check out the calcium travertines- which were the most fantastic formations!! We walked up to them in the morning before the bus loads of Russian tourists showed up. We spent the day at the top where there are ruins of an ancient city called Hieropolis. We found shade and played chess. We also “people watched”...Neither of us could get over the posing. The russian girls were in ity bity bikini’s and copying sports illustrated models. Quite the site! No smiles, just serious model poses- very serious. I was in the minority of one piece suits....I felt awkward wandering around the travertines in a bathing suit- it was like hiking in my undies- and everyone else hiking in their undies. By the afternoon the place was Packed! The clear crisp pools of water from the morning hike had turned into sludge holes and we even saw blood on some rocks...so Steve got all freaky about getting hepatitis or athletes foot from the water (you must go barefoot), and at the end of the day he tried very hard to avoid all still water- I was a little sketched out too, but was amused by Steves antics.
We get to another bus station and while waiting we spot a couple we once saw in Selcuk. We chat with them and have a good laugh at the fact that they saw the russian posers in Pamukkale too...we are all catching overnight bus to Goerme in the Capadocia region. Capadocia means “the land of beautiful horses” but we weren’t there for the horses. We were there for the land. This place has to be one of the most amazing places in the world! Its unreal! The scenery is like nothing we have ever seen before. I won’t try to explain how this place got like this (involving volcanoes and wind and certain plants...) because I know I’ll mess it up. Basically, there are valleys with “fairy chimneys” - which look like chimeny’s. People created cave dwellings by carving their homes into the chimneys. There were also monestaries and churches carved into the stone by early Christians. We rented bikes for a day and explored a nearby village and some valley’s. It was fun and we were satisfied with the amount of ground we covered on bikes... on another day we took a tour. The tour involved a visit to an underground city that was dug out so people of Capadocia (a highly sought after region) could hide when under attack. This city was eleven stories deep and could house between 5 and 8 thousand people! They had water and 30 thousand tonnes of food stashed in it. In later years, christians used the underground cities to hide from persecution while preaching and worshiping. We ate lunch in a little hut on a river and then went for a 6km hike through a beautiful valley, we visited some more sites and finished the tour at the mandatory jewelry and quartz shop...it was a good day. The tour guide was pretty funny- he cracked a few islamic jokes involving 40 virgins and even had a blonde joke.
Before our overnight bus to Istanbul, we treated ourselves to a hamam. I loooooved it! Here is the lowdown:
-We enter and put on our bathing suits and are given sarongs. Steve is convinced he should go naked, but I insist he wears the trunks.
-we go into a steam room that smells like lavender and steam for a while
we are taken to a room with a large marble slab in the middle and sinks all along the walls
we lay on the stone which is nice and warm
we each have a hamam girl, they take our sarongs and I wonder if Steve is thinking “glad I listened to Beej and wore the trunks”
they start pouring water over us and it feel so neat!
we are scrubbed down with a glove that feels like sandpaper on the skin- front and back
I see grey balls of dead skin all over me. ew.
another rinse
the girls get large pillow cases and dip them in some sudsy stuff, then they fill the case with air, as they squeeze the air out thick bubbles form
we get covered in a layer of bubbles
I look over at steve and all I see are his feet and head- he is in a bubble sleeping bag!
we are rubbed down- front and back
one last rinse!
The hamam was glorious! Like a pedicure for your enitre body...
Our final days in Turkey were spent in Istanbul where we visited the blue mosque, aya sofia, the crazy bazaar, spice market, and underground cistern. Istanbul is a huge city- and soon it was simply just another massive city. We preferred the smaller places around Turkey....what an amazing country!!!
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