We booked our Everest Base Camp trek early in our second day in Kathmandu, with a trekking crowd we found ourselves. Though they weren't the cheapest, they seemed the most professional, and you want confidence with the company who are responsible for your wellbeing on an undertaking like this.
Having packed for the hot Indian climate, I was hopelessly under-equipped for a hike up to 5400m, as were John and Gearóid. So the two days before departure were spent gearing up.
Even more common than trekking companies and bars and restaurants in Thamel are shops selling trekking gear. Almost everything sold here is a cheap knock off of well known trekking brands such as The North Face. Seeing as I'd only really be using the gear for the 14 day base camp trek, I was only concerned with it lasting that long.
After a lot of haggling in numerous shops I ended up buying a warm hat, a sunhat, gloves, a long sleeved top, hiking sticks, a small backpack, a water bottle and lots of chocolate. All that for roughly €20. With the cost of the trek itself blasting our Nepal budget out of the water, I needed to go cheap. I just hope cheap lasts the 14 days.
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There are strong rumours that three Irish men, all in their twentys, employed elderly local native porters to carry them, their toothbrushes, ipods and SD memory cards up to the Everest Base Camp. These hardy individuals also seem to have employed a local blind man with white stick to find their way up the local N7 (sorry Solu Kumpu regional path #1). Speculation is mounting that said Irish men confused the trek to the Everest Base Camp with other epic guide-led-ventures such as the DSI-Christmas-Night-Out and the first ascent of the Eiger in Winter.
ReplyDeleteWe await further updates from our fearless mountaineers.
Burn! ;-)
ReplyDeleteWho are you tashkurgan? No need to hide behind cowardly nicknames :)
ReplyDeletejohn m... I drive the red landrover, remember now :-)
ReplyDelete