Siva & Priya - Oct 2021
Everest Base Camp Trek Siva & Priya
Oct 2021
It was a 3-year dream, and we made it. Trekked up to Everest Base Camp in Nepal. Went with a small group and a Sherpa guide. 3 years of planning and an ambitious dream - happy to have finished it in good spirits and coming back stronger.
Our HM/FM Endurance training routines really helped a lot to achieve this feat. Also, Venkat Sir breathing exercise workouts came in very handy. While most others quit near/after the Base camp summit, we did have a "Strong Finish" back to the starting point. Happy to be associated with Mogappair Fitness Circle and all the consistent training, which made this possible.
We flew to Kathmandu, and from there we took the small flight to Lukla Airport.
We took the standard route from Lukla to Gorakshep and returned back pretty much the same route. We did not attempt the Gokyo Ri route.
The Group and the Guide - Everest Base Camp Trek Siva & Priya - Oct 2021
We booked through Thrillophilia, and the tour was organized by Mr. Kedar of Actual Adventure Pvt Ltd, Kathmandu. Actual Adventure managed the logistics, Accommodations, Permits, Lukla tickets and managing the guide/porters.
We were a Seven member group initially, all from India.
Our Guide was a Sherpa Mr. Lhakpa, and we had few porters in our group.
Mr. Lhakpa was an entertaining and perfect guide, managed us daily through the tough schedule.
https://www.thrillophilia.com/tours/everest-base-camp-trek-from-india
https://www.actual-adventure.com/
Our Stay - Everest Base Camp Trek - Tea Houses
Siva & Priya - Oct 2021
Everest Base camp route has the small villages all along, each with basic facilities. They are called “Tea house”, it has a central dining room with room heater and few rooms each. The host there serves Tea/Coffee, Food and will let us stay in a basic room with mattress and a blanket. Toilets are mostly basic and non-attached. Blankets are not be washed often because water/sun is scarce here - people carry their own Sleeping Bags.The facilities become even more basic as you go up, you get Hot Shower facility (at a high cost) only up to half the trek. All costs goes up as you trek upwards. Power lines are available till Namche, beyond that its Solar and Generator - we did experience dark nights.
Due to the international nature of tourists & trekkers & climbers coming on this route, Tea houses prepare nice multi-cuisine food. You need to pre-order by an hour.
Dal Bhat (Rice+Lentil) is the standard meal for Lunch and Dinner - served with Potato, Green, Pickle - gives enough power and carbohydrates to pull through your trekking sessions.
Garlic Soup Noodle is the next staple food - it helps the lung breathe better.
You do get Pizza, Pasta, Bread, tasty Momos, all types of Noodles. Slaughtering animals is forbidden in Sagarmatha, you get only semi-frozen meat.
Nepali and Sherpa's hospitality was impeccable, they make you feel very comfortable and welcoming. Food (and everything) is Costly. And the cost goes up as you trek upwards because everything is brought by Helicopter and carried upwards by porters.
Siva & Priya - Oct 2021
12 days | 130km total distance | 74 hours of Trekking | 6000m Elevation gain
Namaste.
All photos © Sivarajan.