Monday, March 31, 2008

Update from Nanche Bazar

All goes well here. It is a bit cold but tolerable. We did another 4 hour acclimatization hike today. The Tea house here is very nice with good food. The bulk of the group, on a schedule one day ahead of us left today for the next stop a bit higher up. We will follow tomorrow. The look of the countryside (Khumbu region) here is much like Tibet. We see many rhododendrons but few blooming yet. Snow is evident on the big peaks, but none here. Most of the animals seem to be healthy, though many of the dogs look a bit thin. Nothing some good Veterinary care couldn't fix!That's all for now!
MPA

Sunday, March 30, 2008

Greetings again from Namche Bazar! A group of us hiked us to Khunjung this morning...up to over 12,000 feet. We had great views of Everest, Lhotse and Ama Dablam among others. Had lunch at a great bakery/ restaurant, then descended back down the hill. A windy trip but fun never the less! That's all for now.
MPA

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Day 2 in Kathmandu

Day 2 in Kathmandu! Continued good weather and time to adjust to the nearly 13 hour time difference.Most of the group left this morning to begin the trek in. Tomorrow, another part of our group fly to Lukla to begin the trek to base camp. The plan is to trek to Phakding or Monjo from Lukla then to Namche the following day. After 3 nights in Namche and some acclimatization hikes, we should move up to Tengboche and spend the next day there. From Tengboche, we will move up to Dingboche, spend the next day there then move to Lobuje. We will spend a day at Lobuje, again for acclimatizing, then trek to Gorakshep. The next day, we plan to arrive at Everest base camp. Arrival there should be around April 8. All this is based on everyone doing well, so plans could change slightly. I will include a group photo from our dinner last night. It is an interesting and impressive group. Thanks to Kurt for the use of his laptop!That's all for now!
MPA

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Kathmandu

We arrived in Kathmandu yesterday afternoon after a 17 hour flight from LA to Bangkok, a 5 hour layover in Bangkok followed by a 3 hour flight to Kathmandu! We arrived tired but in otherwise good shape. Super views of the great peaks on the flight in! The good news is that we won't have to endure a long flight for a few months! After checking in we had a short briefing then dinner. On returning to the hotel, we quickly passed out. This morning, awakened by the early sunlight and pigeons, we felt refreshed. Today is a lazy day. A welcome dinner and briefing is on schedule tonight. Weather here is good, not too hot with fairly clear skies. Most folks fly out to start the trek portion early tomorrow. We will follow in 2 days, eventually catching up to the group enroute. The plan is to arrive at base camp around April 7th or so. That's all for now!
MPA

Sunday, March 23, 2008

On our way!

On our way to Kathmandu! Left Sun the 23rd.