Nepal

Where gods and mountains meet...

Our 18 days trekking in the Solukhumbu Everest region was by far the most incredible walking we've ever done. We arrived in Thamel, Kathmandu with nothing booked and very little kit. Feeling totally unprepared we spent 2 days in and out of trekking shops organizing guides, routes, permits and food. Finally we were on our way to the mountains!

After a 7 hour bus journey to Jiri a hillside town, our expedition began. At 7am the two of us and our guide Komar set off with Howard and I feeling quite the trekkers now with walking boots, down jackets and even some walking poles. The first 6 days from Jiri to Lukla rewarded us with beautiful views down the valleys and the opportunity to pass through local hillside villages. At this time of year the hills were alive with flowers and color making us stop every few minutes to take photos. We underestimated how difficult the walking in the lower reaches would be, flat ground was non existent as we scaled many passes over the valleys. Hours of uphill followed by hours of downhill, it was at times like these that we were grateful Komar was there encouraging us on. Think we may have stayed asleep at the lunch stops otherwise.

From Lukla we joined the EBC (Everest Base Camp) trail for the next 12 days, a well trodden route that takes you into the Himalays and upto 5,550m. Met some great people along the way, enjoyed playing cards with them around the fire in the tea houses after a tiring days walking. Being out of the trekking season however the towns and trails were extremely quiet, which suited us as most days we had the mountains to ourselves. Even though the route to base camp was easier walking than that from Jiri, as we got to higher altitudes our breathing became labored making everything harder as we breathed 50% less oxygen over 5,000m. Our best moment was walking upto Kala Patthar at 4am to wake up with the sun on Everest. Couldn't believe we were finally there looking at the top of the World!

Looking forward to having a hot shower and getting back to civilization it was a great relief to get straight on a flight from Lukla to Kathmandu after weather delays earlier in the week. We will always remember our time in the Himalayas and the feeling of being in the presence of the Worlds' highest peak.