Lhasa (Tibet) to Kathmandu (Nepal)

Journey so far: .. Taiwan > Hong Kong > Beijing > Harbin > Yanji > Songjianghe >Changbai Mountain > Dandong > Dalian > Dandong > Chengde > Beijing > Datong > Hohhot > Huitengxile > Hohhot > Taiyuan > Zhengzhou > Xi'an > Lanzhou > Zhangye > Jiaugyuan > Jingtieshan > Jiaugyuan > Dunhuang > Urumuqi > Kanas Lake > Urumuqi > Kashgar > Tashkurgan > Karakul Lake > Kashgar (Kashi) > Hotan > Qiemo > Ruoqiang > Shimianquan > Golmud > Lhasa (Tibet) > Gyantse > Shigatse > Shegar > Everest Base Camp (Rongbuk) > Zhangmu > Borderlands (Nepal) > Kathmandu (Nepal) ...

Map showing the journey from Lhasa (Tibet) down the Friendship Highway, but from Tingri we headed south to Rongbuk before going to Everest Base Camp.


Was very excited for our next journey installment, a 5 day, 4x4 jeep ride down the Friendship Highway from Lhasa, stopping at Gyantse, Shigatse, Shegar, Everest Base Camp (Rongbuk), Zhangmu (Tibet/Nepal border), Borderlands (North Nepal) then finally Kathmandu (Nepal Capital).

We left on Oct 23rd with our new group of friends, Chris (Canadian), his girlfriend Emiko Baba (Japanese), Nils (German) and Nima (our Tibetian driver). Nima translates to the "sun".

The first leg took us to Yamdrok-tso (tso = lake). It was a drive that took us to 4990m with stunning views along the mountain range. It's a stupendously-wicked view from the high vantage point, looking down at the lake. Bloody cold, my nips were sticking out under all the layers.

Yamdrok-tso Lake from 4990 metres. Like it.


After the first day I started to feel a little unwell. The constant dry, cold temperature and thinner air was having an affect on my weak lungs! However everyone at this point was sniffing with cold-like symptoms.

We stayed the night at Gyanste and left the next morning after my last lovely hot shower! After freezing my body walking back from the shower to the hotel room, I gave up on the idea of staying clean the conventional way.

Uneventful journey to Shigatse, lots of looking out the window looking at the changing scenery and trying not to annoy people with my cough. Started to take flu pills.

An interesting meal at a little Tibetan home/restaurant, the area had no electricity so we huddled in our layers and winter jackets watching our breath steaming in front of us. Food was crap, I was cold. Sad feelings of despair started to appear. What was I doing?

The next morning we drove to Shegar, slowly warming to the driver, we tried all the Tibetan we knew (not much) and enjoyed watching his happy smile. Now we were getting closer to Everest Base Camp (EBC) and the temperature again dipped and we all tightened up a little more in the frigid conditions.

In the evening I find myself entertaining a local woman in her restaurant, teaching her English. Two years of teaching experience, a TEFL and I find myself encouraging the young women to say "Do .. you .. get .. along .. with .. your .. family ?". She repeats this a hundred times, to the amusement of everyone else and I have to keep a straight face not wanting to offend her! She never really gets it, but makes a great effort.

Back at the hotel we sleep with our thermal undergarments of fashion, socks and I opt for the face mask to help the dry throat and cough that I can't get rid of.

8848m high - Mt. Qomolangma (the Tibetan name for Mt. Everest) amongst Mt. Makalu, Mt. Cho Oyu and Mt. Lhotse all over 8,000 metres.


In the morning we drive to Rongbuk, the small collection of homes below EBC. Kate starts to feel unwell too, not from the cold but the food. Stomach cramps and general feeling of death is upon her!

It was about 3:00pm when we arrive and everyone (except Kate) decides to trek to EBC to spend the night. I decide to send Kate in a 4x4 that's doing the journey, giving her a break. We looked forward to a night at EBC in a tent, a cold adventure that could lead to our demise, fun!

From Rongbuk (this picture) we trek to Everest Base Camp....


The hardest ice-cold trek/walk I've ever attempted, the wind cut into my body, making my throat dry and causing me to hack up all the time. The face mask did little, but stopped much pain. The frosty air was continually around me, forcing my hands hard into my pockets and I walked with gritted teeth. At points the wind blew so hard down the valley we walked along, it knocked me about. Head down, one step at a time.

Another affect of the cold and altitude was the swelling on my hands and their change in colour to deep blue. Luckily I'd taken my rings off, but I still couldn't clench my hands.

The trek took Nils and me 3 hours, by which point we were hungry, cold and dog-tired. EBC was desolate as it came into view, nothing, no colour, no people, just the howling wind and rock! Then I spotted Kate! Bloody nut-ball decided to wait for us, over two hours, to make sure we'd arrived alright. How sweet!

We were now at 5200 metres.

She gave us the news; EBC was closed for business! Shitty poo! The consequence of this was obvious: about-turn. Walking back was the last thing I wanted to do, but staying the night with the sun going down and the temperature at night capable of killing people not in tents/sleeping bags etc was not an option.

So we take some quick pictures, I try to warm up by jumping and shove my hands under my armpits (Bravo Two Zero really comes in handy!).

With Kate (all excited, like a kid waiting to open her presents) we head back. We took it slowly, pacing ourselves, meeting Chris and Emiko still walking to EBC. Of course their faces drop at the "closed EBC" news.

About 20 minutes before we reach Rongbuk our driver appears in his 4x4 ready to rescue the foreigners. We decline the lift and he carries on, to help Chris and Emiko. Nils, ever the hard German, finishes the whole walk on his own. Go Nils!

In Rongbuk we stay the night at the Monastery, eating our instant noodles rapped up in every piece of clothing we had. Still I was uncomfortably cold, needing to get out of the freezing temperatures in the room.

Unsurprisingly no-one slept, not even the hard-core German. I have no idea how the locals can live like this. It was October and winter was still only starting to kick in.

In the morning Kate's stomach complaint was worse and I felt like someone was sitting on my chest. The ride took us off-road all day to Zhangmu, of course the bumping and banging caused Kate to double over in pain and she was in tears most the time. She got out at one point to walk, which helped, but she knew the jeep was waiting. I decided to start Kate on the anti-biotics and get her to a hospital as soon as we arrived in Kathmandu.

The journey to Zhangmu was exquisite, lush green mountain sides on one side, rock face inches from us the other. We snaked around the mountain along the tightest of roads, with few barriers between us and the thousand metre drop to the valley river. At this time I couldn't help thinking about the balding tires and Nima fighting to stay on the road with a burst tire. I scare myself for no reason!

The beautiful and dangerous road to Zhangmu.


We arrive safely in Zhangmu, the Tibetan border town with Nepal. We smell bad, are tired and demand any food other than instant noodles! We greedily eat over-priced western food and everyone feels great (well Kate vomits hers up, but the rest of us feel great!)

In the morning we change money, Yuan for Nepal Rupees at a rate of 9.4, on the black market. My bottom is probed by custom officials and then cleared to leave China/Tibet. We make a 2/3 hour walk down the mountain to the Nepal border and quickly get stamped with our Nepal visa.

Our group sticks together, Nepal is flipping crazy. Dust, shouting, people with funny red blobs on their foreheads and general rowdy chaos. I buy tickets for the bus; it's full so we all clamber up the ladder to the roof! Oh dear, not fun for Emiko who gets car-sick or Kate who is just plain scared of dying. I find it all very exciting, but worry a little as the bus sways left and right over bumps that leans the bus over to the edge of the mountain side. Nepal is too mountainous for these bus journeys!

We spend the first night in luxury at Borderlands, just north of Kathmandu, we sleep in tents and watch our friend, Nils, go white-water rafting. Crazy Germ.

We eventually make it to Kathmandu, (Thamel, the tourist-centric area) the next day and hunt for cheap hotels. In Nepal we're averaging a little over 6 pounds a day on accommodation, food, stuff we bought, things we've done etc.... so everything is looking rosy.

The tight and over-crowed streets of Thamel, Kathmandu.


Now we're leaving Kathmandu for Chitwan National Park, and other places outside Kathmandu. Chitwan National Park is home to at least 43 species of mammals, 450 species of birds. It's one of the last populations of the single-horned rhino and is also one of the last refuges of the Bengal tiger.

More to come ....

MC