July 17, 2013
Everest base camp trek
1pm I'm not really sure how I actually made it here today! I'm quite surprised actually. I knew I had to get out of that guesthouse (which turned out to be three times more expensive than anywhere else!!! Cool give me food poisoning then charge me a lot for it!) so I decided to make the next leg of the journey.
Currently I'm in Periche in a coffin sized room. I'm laying on the bed starring at the brown plywood walls and I feel like I'm being buried. If I try to sleep I can't but there is nothing else to do.
The hike here was nice. It was a gentle stroll through the rhododendron forests! Between living in Sarangkot with its giant trees and this hike now I'm convinced JRR Tolkein must have visited this place to get inspired for Lord of the Rings. It has a mystical eerie feel to it and you can almost imagine strange creatures lurking. Now I know where the yeti legend came from!
After a two hour hike we started to climb slowly upward. The view was not good because the clouds had rolled in but I was slightly thankful because it provided a nice breeze. Soon we reached above the tree line and all that you can see is a landscape of small bushes, rocks, mountains shadowed in clouds, and the occasional yak grazing. I really feel like I'm getting close now.
Resting at the top of the hill I could finally make out Periche in the distance! Wahoo thank goodness. I shoved down a granola bar and some nasty electrolyte drink and prayed to Buddha, Jesus, and whatever god would listen to help me keep it down. A half hour later I was dragging myself into the guest house ready for a nap.
While they got a room ready, this meant putting a blanket on it, I played with an adorable little Sherpa girl. She was dressed in a tatty hard wear down jacket and little pink crocs. We spent awhile playing with a soccer ball and she would laugh every time I smiled at her. So precious.
After being showed my coffin room I immediately curled up in bed and here I am. To be honest the food poisoning and the lack of people is starting to get to me. I'm constantly paranoid that I'm going to drop from altitude sickness at any moment.
Ugh I barely slept. It was more of half dream state of tossing and turning. It is only four o'clock! What am I going to do until morning. I can't sleep and I can't eat.
Thank the heavens!!! While I was napping the guide took a walk around town and found a guesthouse with four other people staying at it! Not one, not two, but four people. He told me we could meet up tomorrow but I couldn't wait. I jumped up, threw my jacket on, and ran outside!
I can not tell you the effect of having some other social interaction can have on the mind. To make a long story short after chatting for awhile I grabbed my bags and switched guesthouses. Not only did I now have two English speaking Trekkers but the owner of the guesthouse is the coolest guy so far! There is one guy from Canada who loves snowboarding and lives out of his car every winter. We had some great laughs already because he has been traveling alone as well but without a guide. I think we talked each others ears off. He's a day ahead of me so unfortunate he will leave tomorrow. The other lady is from holland and unfortunately got altitude sickness and had to be rushed down from the next camp. It really put a perspective on things when she described her blurred out vision, splitting headache, and inability to barely walk or talk.
How do people climb everest when it's a tough task just to make it to base camp. Major props to those people!
After we all trodded off to bed the
Ouch!!!! A fly just buzzed around and I tried to hit it and cracked my hand off the wall!!! Well here's to a soon to be bruised hand.
Anyways the guest house owner knocked in my door and led me outside. There I the fog and the moonlight stood towering above giant mountains!!!!! The silhouette in the night sky was breath taking. I knew I came here for a reason.
Well with my spirits slightly lifted I'm going to attempt to sleep!! Praying I don't get sick in the middle of the night. I mean there isn't much there... Four spoon fulls of rice, a granola, and a bite of chocolate! Oh and the coca cola I splurged on because it supposedly calms stomached!
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