Everest trek - Day 1 - Kathmandu to Jiri

I got up at six had a shower and headed for the bus station. The walk takes about twenty minutes and i was suprised how many people were already out and about. Admittingly that says more about me then about them but I figured I metion it anyway.

After the usual confusion at the bus station I found the "Micro Bus" or what we would call a Van that is to take me and sixteen others to Jiri. I am the only back packer.

After being serenanded by a duo of buskers we are off right on time. And while all seats are taken they dont try to fit any extras on board so we make good time and within half an hour we are going through Bhaktapur, heading for Dhuklikhel and the valley rim this is also where the first of many police checkpoints is but after a cursory glance we get waved on. The road deteriorates rapidly from this point onwards with large pot holes and land slides taking out whole sections at a time.

Two and a half hours into the trip we cross the Bhote Kosi and start heading up the switch backs to Jiri. This road is basically single lane with some pasing bays and for the next 110 kilometers we have to negotiate with traffic coming from the opposite direction on who has right of way.

Finally five and a half hours into the journey we reach the top of the pass andhere at over 2500 meters high we stop for lunch. Everybody heads for the Dal Bhat shop and has their fill then twenty minutes later we are on the move again. The us driver now has to negotiate a number of washed out bridges and while its a slow process all goes well until a rain storm suddenly hits us and the small creeks we were crossing turn into large muddy torrents. At one of them he hesitates has another look then plunges in and I can feel the water pushing the van, I have my hand on the door handle ready to bail out but he regains control and we continue on our way. Ten minutes later it is dry again.

And then finally we arrive in Jiri an old fellow gives me the card for his hotel and ten mintes later I have a room and a pot of lemon tea. Tomorrow the real hike starts.

Everest Trek

(The Kathmandu to Namche Bazaar section)

Tomorrow I will be off to Jiri by local bus, a ride I am dreading, as even when I was twenty years younger it was one hell of an uncomfortable ride. It is however the only way, short of hiring a taxi for around $150, to get there.
Jiri is an alternative starting point for the Everest trek and used mainly by those with time on their hands as it adds about a week to the trek each way and is considered hard going. The road officially goes as far as Shivalaya but I have been reliably informed that a landslide has taken care of the section beyond Jiri so that's as far as the bus will go. From Jiri it will be shanks pony all the way.
The trail goes against the grain of the land so every day you are either going up a ridge or down one the other side. On day 4 you cross the Lamjura pass at 3530 meters before descending to the Ringmo Khola a thousand meters lower. The next day you go back up to 3071 mtrs at Trakshindo La. Then it's down a long way to 1400 mtrs at the Dudh Kosi. At that point you are 400 meters lower then at the start of the trek in Jiri! From here the trail is going more up then down and the next few days hover between 2000 and 3000 meter before the push up to Namche Bazaar at 3480 meter. By this time I should be well and truly fit enough to tackle the trail to Everest base camp and Kalar Patar.

I know it's a crappy picture but it gives a good overview of the ups and downs of the trek.

Swayambodnath

A stay in Kathmandu is not complete if you haven't been to Swayambodnath. the monkey temple. One of the nice things about this place that there is always something new to see and of course there are the monkeys.

A resident monkey.

A resident Buddha.

Trekking permit and TIMS card

I walked to the Tourism Office this morning to get my trekking permit (1000 rupees) and my TIMS card (1500 rupees). The cost for the trekking permit is meant to go to the maintenance of the Sagarmatha (Everest) National Park. The TIMS fee is just a rip off concocted by the Thamel Trekking Agencies to persuade you to go trekking with them rather then independently. Never mind I'll get over it.
On the way over to the Tourist Office I took some photos of the goings on along the road. Hope you like them.

Suspicious stall holder.

Sidewalk saleswoman.

Ambulant vegetable vendor.

Homeless woman sleeping in a doorway.

Visit Nepal Year

From the moment you land it's clear that you are in Nepal. Kathmandu airport has no air-bridges so you have to come down the stairs. However since my last visit it has been decided by the powers that be that rather then walk from the aircraft to the terminal you have to go by bus. So the first thirty people get of the plane and on the bus, the bus drives fifty meters to the terminal building and unloads everyone again, then it drives back and picks up the next thirty people. It takes a while to disembark a plane load of passengers this way.
The next act gets underway when everyone lines up to buy their visa. The young Spanish couple behind me try to pay for their Nepali Visa in Nepali Rupees. No luck.
"Sorry we only accept Euros or US dollars"
"You don't accept your own currency?"
Embarrassed looking guy behind the counter,
"Please change your money at the bank over there"
he points at exchange window.
When I get down to the baggage collection area I still have to wait another ten minutes for my luggage. Luggage handling is done manually here.
The taxi to the hotel looks like it was recycled after the it got hit by bomb and the driver charges a premium because there is a festival and the direct road from the Airport to town is blocked by people going to the Pasupatinath temple.
When I finally sit down in the hotel and ask Yves what the government has done for Visit Nepal Year he deadpans "They raised the prices".