Monday 5 January 2015

Day 199: Everest Base Camp - Small monastery, big mountain

Or big monastery, small mountain?
We set out well before daylight to drive to Everest Base Camp.  Yes, drive there.

"The new road isn't finished yet, so we have to take the old road," our guide apologised.  We smiled.  So the Chinese are now constructing their second road to EBC at 5,100m?

After getting lost a couple of times, our vehicle managed the journey without further trouble, even though we do not have a four-wheel drive.  But who needs 4WD when the Chinese have built the road?

Obligatory mountain selfie
Everest, as we approached, looked as awe-inspiring as you can imagine and a lot more.  I approached it with similar cynicism to the way I approached the Chengdu pandas.  After all, Everest is home to the annual spring circus where hundreds of mountaineers pay extortionate sums of money to queue for fixed ropes up to the summit (can't you queue more easily on Oxford Street?) instead of venturing into less frequented mountain areas.  But just as you must 'ahh' at the pandas, even if you think they are due for extinction, you have to feel dumb-struck by Everest.  It stood alone, with Lhotse now hidden behind its eastern flank, jabbing a clear blue sky.

We walked up the road from the Rongbuk Monastery Guest House to the base camp, then sat for hours watching, remarking, photographing, oohing, aahing, photographing, watching.  We tried to make out Mallory and Irvine's route: the first step, the second step, the section of the ridge where they were last seen struggling upwards.  #seekingirvinescamera, we joked, would be an appropriate hashtag for an Everest visit.  Then we stopped joking and started staring again.  At last it was time to walk the seven kilometres back down the track through the thin air.

Rong pu monastery
On the descent, we passed a flight of steps up to a tiny gompa and realised that we were not yet done with visiting Tibetan monasteries.  Leaving the rest of the group, Guy and I found a lone monk at the top and he gestured us inside.  Entering a room full of candles we found a step ladder descending through a narrow opening.  It led to a cave whose walls wriggled and curved according to their natural formation.  We had to bend double to examine the worm-shaped space where niches doubled as shrines.  But although cramped, the air oozed warmth down here and we imagined the lone monk lying in the cave after dark with his book and his radio (the Chinese have even built electricity pylons to one-man monasteries below Everest Base Camp) while we shivered in the guest house down the road.

Everest by night
After photographing Everest towering behind the monastery's chortens, then Everest towering behind prayer flags, then Everest with more chortens, we descended to 4,900m where many mugs of lemon, ginger and honey tea were drunk in the plummeting evening temperatures.  Guy drank beer which may be why he was mad / inspired enough to go outside for a final shot of the Big E piercing the stars, while Chris wrote 'LMC' (London Mountaineering Club) with a torch in the foreground.  The best photo of the trip yet?  Hopefully there will be many more contenders.

The approach road to Everest base camp
Everest's north ridge 
Group shot from our lodge
Chinese road building at EBC
Walking up to EBC  
More selfies
Relaxing at EBC
Everest rises almost 4000m from the Rongbuk valley
Prayer flags at EBC
Selfie #635
Everest is known as Qomolangma in Tibet
Vast amounts of trash at EBC
The tiny Rong Pu Monastery 
Birds hover over Rong Pu
Yak butter candles 
The cave beneath the monastery...
... is accessed via a hole in the floor
Everest and chortens
Everest from the monastery
The north ridge in the afternoon light...
... and in the evening light

24 comments:

  1. Wonderful article, Which you have shared about the Everest tour. Your article is very important and I really enjoyed reading it. If anyone wants to visit on mount everest by helicopter, then visit at everest helicopter tour

    ReplyDelete
  2. All the pictures are so great. Get the most out of your Disneyland Paris trip with tips, stories and guide related at Dpmagic.co.uk. For more Disneyland Paris Trip Planning Guide

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for taking the time to share this informative article here. Reading your article I got numerous valuable information about the camping. If you want to make your family and kids happy then choose the Disneyland holidays by coach holidays

    ReplyDelete
  4. I read this article, it is really informative one. Your way of writing and making things clear is very impressible. Thanking you for such an informative article. Book Everest Base Camp Trekking Online

    ReplyDelete
  5. I admire this article for the well-researched content and excellent wording. I got so involved in this material that I couldn’t stop reading. I am impressed with your work and skill. Thank you so much. BoatParadise

    ReplyDelete
  6. I am glad to read this post, it's a good one. I am always looking for quality posts and articles and this is what I found here. as we provide BVI Vacation Deals Online at affordable prices. for more info visit our website.

    ReplyDelete
  7. This is extremely fascinating substance! I have completely delighted in perusing your focuses. as we provide Everest Base Camp Trekking at affordable prices. for more info visit our website.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I am attracted by the info which you have provided in the above post. It is genuinely good and beneficial info for us.https://denver-tour.com/ Continue posting, Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I will share it with my other friends as the information is really very useful. Keep sharing your excellent work. tour in Vietnam

    ReplyDelete
  10. I liked your work and the way in which you have shared this article here about tours. It is a beneficial and helpful article for us. Thanks for sharing an article like this. niagara falls helicopter rides

    ReplyDelete
  11. I am thankful to you for sharing this post. This is very useful for me as well as for others. Your article is very well written and unique. please keep sharing such posts.Bus on Rent in Gurgaon

    ReplyDelete
  12. Your blog is very valuable which you have shared here about White label online flight booking system. I appreciate your efforts which you have put into this article and also it is a gainful article for us. Thank you for sharing this article here.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Very Good info, This is excellent information which is shared by you. This information is very meaningful and magnificent for us to increase our knowledge about it. Always keep sharing this kind of information. Thanks once again for sharing it. lost treasure in Canada

    ReplyDelete
  14. You have Shared great content here about..... I am glad to discover this post as I found lots of valuable data in your article. Thanks for sharing an article like this. Travel Portal System With Dynamic Packaging

    ReplyDelete
  15. I am very thankful to you that you have shared this great information with us. Here I find some different kind of knowledge, and it is useful for everyone. Thanks for share it.Online Car Rental Booking Sites

    ReplyDelete
  16. Excellent information, Thanks for publishing such essential information. You are doing such a good job. This information is very helpful for everyone. Keep it up. Thanks. Read more info about Catamaran party boat

    ReplyDelete
  17. This is important information which is shared by you. This info is meaningful and important for everyone to increase our knowledge about it. Always keep sharing this kind of information. Thank you. action tour guide

    ReplyDelete
  18. Nice info, This information will always help everyone for gaining essential and good information. So please always share your valuable information. I am very thankful to you for providing good information. Read more info about Coach Holidays To Disneyland Paris

    ReplyDelete
  19. The information you've provided is useful because it provides a wealth of knowledge that will be highly beneficial to me. Thank you for sharing that. Keep up the good work. Expedition Travellers Bolivia Photography Tour

    ReplyDelete
  20. Excellent job, this is great information which is shared by you. This info is meaningful and factual for us to increase our knowledge about it. about Valley Of Flowers Trek Distance So please always keep sharing this type of information.

    ReplyDelete
  21. I found decent information in your article.ski guiding service in Val Thorens I am impressed with how nicely you described this subject, It is a gainful article for us. Thanks for share it.

    ReplyDelete
  22. At this time, if you can use good medicinal materials and ingredients to strengthen hormones,Family Tour Experience Barcelona will be able to retain your youth and enjoy masculine power.

    ReplyDelete
  23. It is what I was searching for is really informative. Valley Of Flowers Trek Tour It is a significant and useful article for us. Thankful to you for sharing an article like this.

    ReplyDelete
  24. I am grateful to this blog site providing special as well as useful understanding concerning this subject. cycling holidays in europe

    ReplyDelete