EVEREST

DAY ONE: Saturday 11th April 2009
At 1pm we had a pre-departure meeting with my fellow adventurers in the gardens of the Kathmandu Guest House (KGH). In total there were to be ten of us heading off to Everest Base Camp including the following people:
Sue & Greg
Susan
Debbie
Naomi
Ben
All the above were from different parts of Australia.
Ryan & Jill from USA
Helen from Vancouver, Canada
And finally me, the token PHOM.

The first thing that struck was the age profile of the group. Only a couple of late 20s; a couple of early 30s; 3 in their 40s and 3 in their 50s, giving an average age of late 30s. Of the three tours I had been on thus far this had the highest age profile by far and perhaps I would be better suited. Only time would tell, but I was quietly optimistic. The only negative I could see, was that I was the only Brit surrounded by North Americans and Antipodeans and could I cope with all those funny accents!!!!!

We were due to leave KGH at 6am the next day for Lukla airport so I decided to get all my packing done that evening so that it was a case of simply putting on some clothes and carrying bags onto a minibus at that early hour. I realised that out of consideration to our porters I needed to minimise the amount of clothes I was to pack. This also meant that I would be cutting myself off from the world and more importantly Julia. Eventually I packed and decided what not and to take. Never had so many problems packing but eventually it was done and I had a light big rucksack and day bag along with a larger storage bag.

DAY TWO: Sunday 12th April 2009
Lukla (2840m) à Phakding (2610m)
Woke early and minibus carted us all off to the Kathmandu airport after depositing my storage bag and electrical at KGH reception.
Kathmandu airport and its departure area is far from sophisticated but what was more interesting to me was what sort of plane would be taking us on our short flight (40 minutes) to Lukla, Hillary-Tenzing Airport. Well it was the smallest plane I had travelled on; a Yeti Airlines Twin Otter. Susan looked particularly apprehensive as she had researched the airport and knew that it was not the safest and last October there had been a crash on Lukla runway that led to fatalities.

The actual flight was perfectly ok with the highlight being our first glimpses of the Himalayas. Peaks protruding above the cloud like made it look as though the mountains were floating on clouds. This was amazing but not as amazing as our landing though!!! We had to stop on a runway that must have been no more than 150 yards........ Once organised and reunited with our rucksacks it as off to our hotel to meet our guides and porters and a hearty breakfast before setting off on our adventure. We would not see much of our porters as they would pack all our heavy bags first thing in the morning and set off before us laden with 40-50kg of equipment leaving us with our day bags. These four lads were small and wiry but had massive hearts and great inner strength. I was twice their size but had only a tiny fraction of their pound for pound strength. As we did not seem them for most of the day we did not expect to forge a strong bond with these guys, although one of them became known to us all as Cheeky II. The team leader we would heavily rely on and to a lesser extent our 3 guides and we developed friendships with all these guys.
Subarna, who I latter named Cheeky.
Rajkumar, who I subsequently named Smiley.
Nara, who never got a nickname but became my favourite guide.

It was supposed to be a +3 hour walk to Phakding along the Dudh Koshi (Milky River), which we would be following as far as the Khumbu Glacier over 50km away to the north. It was an arduous walk and gave us a brief taste of the Himalayas. Lots of pine forests, a few rickety old swing bridges, prayer wheels and lots of sculpted stones with religious messages. The views were great at this stage and hopefully would continue. Our first walk in the pine forests was not as arduous as at first expected as we had descended over 200m although we were on the road for longer than expected and finally arrived at our lodge at 3.30ish. I was interested to find out what our rooms were like as our tour leader had emphasised at the pre-departure meeting that we should not expect too much. Well I was pleasantly surprised when I got to the room I was to share with Ben. It was small but had power, fairly comfortable beds and an en-suite toilet. It had obviously been recently been clad in pine as the smell of freshly cut wood filled the air. Showers were shared but all in all Ramesh had managed our expectations perfectly and we were all happy. After some free time during which I went for a walk on my own down the hill, across another very unsafe looking swing bridge and to the river’s edge. I have always been fascinated and loved the sound of running water and lay on a large rock just listening to the sound of the water and forest. It was so relaxing I actually had a doze on that rock and was as happy and care free as I had been in ages.
As a group we seemed to be gelling quite well and the joking about us being “a family” for two weeks was not only fun but served to kit us together. We were all going to rely on each other heavily during the next 10 days as we would all have problems with altitude sickness (AMS) or whatever – it was to be expected.

DAY THREE: Monday 13TH April 2009
Phakding (2610m)à Namche Bazar (3440m) via Jorsale (2740m)
Greg had two friends who had completed this adventure previously and had informed him that the last climb today was an absolute monster!!!! I checked my map and even this labelled the last climb just before Namche Bazar as a “Steep Climb”.
The tour guides and leader were not so keen to stress how steep this hill was, probably as they did not want to scare us so early into our adventure. Nevertheless, we were fully aware we had 6-7 hour days walking ahead of us, so off we trekked after a decent brekkie. Do not usually eat porridge these days unless with soya milk, which surprisingly is not available here, but as they made it with water I decided to give it a try and it was GOODJ
The possible highlight of the day could be catching a glimpse of Everest for the first time, although this very much depended on the cloud levels.
The first three hours were lovely.... we had time to admire the Milky River, its rapids; the vast scenery of which I was had never seen the ilk before. I knew I was in the Himalayas for the first time and in the planet’s vastest mountain range but it really was breathtaking, although there as a distinct lack of wildlife apart from cows laden with provisions for either locals or Everest expeditions. The other advantage of an easy pace as that it gave us all an opportunity to chat and get to know each other better. Of the three tours I had been on thus far I felt this was best suited to me. Ages were comparable, interests humour etc likewise and I was enjoying this a great deal.... Everyone seemed genuinely nice, there was no point scoring or bitching. A pleasant and friendly atmosphere which was just what I needed.

After 2.5 hours we finally reached the entrance to Sagarmatha National Park – we were in Everest country, at last – a great thrill. Shortly after this we came to our lunch stop at Jorsale of more noodles or rice. We had covered two thirds of our walk but the last third would take just as long as we still had the hard part to complete. Oh well onwards and upwards. We continued for 30 minutes, when that hill came into view and it was time for a quick break, a drink and a chance to prepare ourselves for a very long hard slog. Before us was another swing bridge and a monumental hill with a severely steep gradient. I sunk down onto a rock and stared in disbelief at what lay before me. The rest of the group were all optimistic, but I had to admit that I thought there was no way I could make it up that beast. Naomi walked passed me as I sat there just staring, and she laughed. She tried to reassure me I could make it but I was here and it was a challenge I had to face and I was not going to quit after day three!!!!
It was not even a gradual, easy introductionto the hill. Almost from our first pace, we all realised that this was incredibly hard work. The usual suspects were at the head of the group; even at the early stages of our adventure it was obvious who the mountain goats were. Ryan & Jill, Helen, Susan, Debs and of course yours truly. The guide ensured the pace was incredibly slow which I found hard but I did as I was told (for once) and remained in the lead group behind our guide. Half way up the hill we came across an excruciatingly slow group of people and whilst Nara was happy to remain tucked in behind them I could not just crawl along so passed everyone and strode off up ahead. Our team followed me and normal pace was resumed with me taking the lead. My lack of confidence whilst sitting on that rock at the bottom of the hill had evaporated and I felt good. I knew I could keep up with my fellow adventurers and could possibly go even faster but decided to maintain a steady 10-20 yard lead up the hill and incorporate some mini breaks for myself. The guide was happy as I could not get lost and was constantly checking behind me for my new friends. I felt strong and the altitude with its thin air and lack of O2, although hard work, was not having as bad an effect on me as I expected but this was only our second day of trekking and we were not even at 3500m yet.
The views as we ascended were fantastic even though the clouds did their best to spoil our vistas. Vast areas of pine forests and rhododendrons as far as the eye could see. In the distance we could see the gate through which we passed into the National Park, which was encouraging and invigorating to see just how high we had climbed and how much ground we had already covered. It was the toughest climb I had ever attempted and my quads were having a thorough work out. I continued to lead the way to our final pit stop just outside Namche Bazar, where I purchased a Twix for 150 NRp (£1.20). Just after our pit stop we turned a corner and there was Namche Bazar not too far away. It was a great feeling after three hours trudging up that hill to see the end was in sight and in less than 30 minutes we arrived at our hotel – Kala Pathar. It was not the best hotel in the area but the toilets were clean and did not smell and we had the chance for a warm shower for the last time until we returned in a week.
For me the sense of satisfaction that I had it in me to scale a hill of that severity was immense. Once again I had pushed myself out of my comfort zone and into a zone of deep pain, O2 deprivation that I had never witnessed before. Not only had I reached the summit but I had proved I could keep pace with experienced trekkers which in turn built up some self confidence. Certainly I was pushing myself physically to my limits which I find easier than pushing myself mentally, but I had shown to myself that I had the mental strength to fight through pain barriers and not giving in as is the case back home in search of the easy life.

Whilst on the walk I talked to Debs about the use of walking poles for climbing and descending. As an experienced trekker I valued her opinions and she advised me that she believed they could save 15-30% of one’s energy and reduce strain on muscles and joints if used correctly. I took her advice and decided that I would purchase a pair of poles immediately. By dinner time I had developed a mild headache was aware that I could have the onset of AMS. I was also aware that I had become dehydrated during the ascent despite drinking 4.5 litres of water, but I needed it as I sweated profusely.... Yuk!!!! Ben gave me a Diomax to help with the altitude and I settled down to sleep.


DAY FOUR: Tuesday 14th April
Acclimatisation Day
A day in and around Namche Bazar with a short trek to a museum to the north of the town then a short trek rising 500m to a panoramic view point.
My headache of the day before had not abated so I was a little worried but apart from that, I felt physically strong although the muscles were a little weary. It was an acclimatisation day and hence I suspected our tour leader would not over exert us.

Another bowl of porridge for brekkie and then the walk began. I was breathing heavily after only a few minutes and my heart was pounding. After 15-20 minutes of this I was getting very worried about my fitness levels, especially as I had done no training since the end of October and was far from being in peak physical condition. Conveniently we stopped for a quick breather and I asked Debs and Susan how they were feeling and to my relief it seemed as though everyone was struggling to a lesser or greater degrees than me. Thankfully the first part of the walk was a gentle amble and ended on the outskirts of a military barracks just above NB. We had only walked for 40 minutes and at 9.20am I caught my first glimpse of EVERESTJ To be honest it was the mountain furthest from us and looked the small in comparison to others around and before it but we knew at 8850m it was the Top of the World and our ultimate goal. Despite the fact that Everest was so far away there were other mountains on view i.e. Thamersku, Lhotse & Nuptse...... It was a fairly clear day but the clouds were rolling in fast so we all headed for the museum. It was only small but gave us a valuable insight into the lives of the people (Ghurkhas, Sherpas, farmers etc); the environment and how it had evolved and the wildlife. Must have spent an hour reading and looking at the various exhibits before we were off again for a small uphill hike which would take us up another 500m. Destination was Syangboche at 3720m, where there was a small hotel where we could recuperate with a hot drink and hopefully Mars Bar!!!! During the trek I did another mountain goat impression and sped off the front. We were all fairly near the summit so it was not dangerous and the guides were willing to let me go. I needed the extra workout as I was not in as good shape as some of the others and used this as a bit of fitness training. The most positive thing for me at this early stage was that we seemed to be gelling as a group. I particularly liked Naomi, an Aussie from Canberra with a military history although now a translator. She was a fun-loving lass and we enjoying teasing and ribbing each other. We were probably a bit immature and loud for some but they all seemed to tolerate our silliness.

Did somne shopping for extra warm clothes as the cold was far worse than I had anticipated and on the way back to the hotel I passed a cafe where Sue and Greg were having a cappuccino and donuts. The chocolate donuts looked so tempting, and me being me I could not resist. It was nice sitting down somewhere out of the wind and just having a leisurely chat. After a while we were joined by Debs, Susan, and Naomi. A very pleasant and relaxing afternoon which was just what we all needed as the next two days were both 6-7 hour hikes!!!!
Dinner as per normal in the hotel and another late night – bed by 7.30 and a bit of reading!!!!
DAY 5: Wednesday 15th April 2009
Namche Bazar (3440m)à Phorche (3810m) via Mongdanada (3975m)
We fully expected an exhausting day and we got it and more!!!!
We started off at a gentle pace which is just as well as it takes my lungs at least 20 minutes to adjust to the altitude in the mornings. I managed to keep pace with the group during the clear early morning sunshine. We had another opportunity to glimpse Everest there was quite a lot of cloud to the north and we missed out but as a consolation we got to see one of the most technically demanding mountains to scale in the Himalayas – Ama Dablam which was absolutely spectacular.
We strolled along for a while and as became the normal just when you get into a nice rhythm before lunch we hit a particularly steep ascent. And we were not disappointed as we struggled up this awful hill. We all made it, but it splintered the group and on a positive note we arrived at a picturesque, if cold, spot for lunch. Very self satisfied as we were just short of 4000m for the first time. After another lunch of noodles it was supposed to be a gentle walk down and then a small hill up to Phorche. We were all getting wise to Ramesh’s idea of what constituted a small hill and his attempts to manage our expectations..... You guessed it, that small hill was another ultra steep killer!!!! By this stage AMS and fatigue was starting to kick in and there was no way I could lead from the front anymore as the real mountain goats were moving at a pace I could no longer handle. It was two hours of thigh torture and I was eternally grateful to Debs for convincing me to purchase poles at NC. Once I managed to get into a rhythm using them on the flat, they proved to be invaluable when ascending as I could use upper body strength as well as thigh power to scramble up these mountains.
Once at our next camp, I must admit to feeling quite distressed. I was tired, starting to get a cold (just a sniffle at this stage) and my headache was back and getting worse. I thought my cold could have been caused whilst sweating profusely on strenuous walks. I only wore a couple of shirts during the walks and carried my fleece and was warm enough. But when we stopped moving at rest break the cold wind would affect me in my sweaty clothes and as we all know that going from hot/sweaty to cold/windy/freezing is a classic recipe for catching a chesty cold. I dosed myself up, had a small dinner comprising of a spring rill which was more like a pancake then disappeared off to my pit.


DAY 6: Thursday 16th April 2009
Phorche (3810m) à Dingboche (4430m) via Orso (4190m)
After another restless night of weird dreams, tossing and turning; I woke feeling awful. I was full of phlegm, had a very sniffly nose, felt particularly weak and unexpectedly my lower back was very stiff. Not a good start to the day but once up and about I hoped I would feel better. To be honest there were a few in our group who were in a lot worse shape than me and were definitely either struggling with AMS or food poisoning or both!!!!!
We knew we would break through the 4000m barrier today during another 5-6 hour hike. Ama Dablam was the only thing that put a smile on my face at present and I was totally in awe of this magnificent mountain that I decided to adopt it and rename it José’s Peak.
We left in quite thick cloud after a very poor offering of porridge which just could not finish despite feeling quite hungry. The porridge probably was not that bad but when you are feeling poorly most things taste not as they usual do. Visibility was very poor for the first 45 minutes whilst we made a gentle ascent out of Phorche. This as a shame because Thamersku was close by and there could have been some wonderful photo opportunities. The walk was proving to be gently undulating with no lung busting ascents or descents. With that in mind and considering I was not in the best of health, Susan and the other mountain goats whilst I hung back with Naomi, Ben and Helen. Sue and Greg were even further back as Sue was really struggling. I walked with them for a while. They could keep up a decent pace on the flats and descents but were snail like on the ascents. Sue could walk only 5-10 paces uphill then rested drank some fluids and panted. I could not walk at their pace for too long, so passed them by and re-joined Helen, Ben and Naomi. Naomi in particular was great fun and easy to talk to. We had an entertaining discussion about phobias. She had conquered her fear of heights through her hiking etc whilst was still unwilling to face my phobia – rodents. What everyone thought was hilarious was that I was not at all scared of swimming with Great White Sharks but was petrified by a tiny mouse. It gave them all a laugh and killed an hour or so whilst we ambled along.

Once the cloud had lifted and we had progressed little further around a long bend we were confronted with a magnificent view of the three big ones – Lhotse, Nuptse and of course EverestJ We walked with these colossal mountains (all +7800m) for an hour, stopping at regular intervals to take photos. Without doing anything, just by being in view for so long enabled me to draw some sort of inspiration and energy from them. Cannot explain how or why but I felt so much better when they were watching over us all....... I know it sounds weird but that’s me!!!!! What made the vista even better was that we now had a cloudless, crystal blue sky as the mountains’ backdrop and this just made the snowy mountains look even more impressive. We were edging ever closer to Everest (even though we were destined never to actually walk on it) and the views just got better and better. It heightened the anticipation of seeing Everest from much closer at Base Camp and hopefully from Kala Patthar.
Post lunch there were no more views of Everest and associates BUT just as spectacular were the new views we were afforded of my baby – Ama Dablam. Originally we could only see one peak but she did in fact have twin peaks which were both visible now and thus made her look even more magnificent. More photos of awe inspiring views. The highlight of the day came at the end of our walk for the day when it was apparent that we would be sleeping in rooms facing Ama Dablam and would wake up tomorrow with her in full view.

Our accommodation was again basic but that was all we could expect, with a bowl of warm water for a shower from now on. I started the day feeling quite poorly, recovered during the day and was now on the wane again. I wanted a lie down so retired to my room as I was going to continue writing my diary but it was so cold I gave up and joined the others in the lounge area which I thought would be considerably warmer: WRONG!!! If anything it was even colder but the views were far better and there was some company. I just sat there and people watched; being fare I did not have enough energy to do much else. Whether I had the onset of AMS or a cold or both was irrelevant at this stage. All I knew was that we were almost half way there and I was having a wonderful time despite feeling yucky. We had two nights here and the thought of not having to pack and unpack and being static was a relief as I needed more time to acclimatise.

DAY 7: Friday 17th April 2009
Acclimatisation Day: Nangkar Tshang (5083m/16,676ft)
Aka The Day I Almost Died!!!!!
Considering I was not in the best of health yesterday I woke feeling very refreshed and excited by the prospect of reaching +5000m today. Still had a sniffle but otherwise my body felt relatively good and up for the challenge that lay ahead.
It was an acclimatisation day and as such we only expected a 3-4 hour hike, leaving us all a free afternoon to recover. Despite 4/10 of us feeling unwell spirits were still high.

We all expected a tough morning ascent of 600m to over 5000m and so it proved. The first 30 minutes were not too bad although false peaks and after false peak eats away at your confidence. Greg started to struggle at this stage and I realised that my days of keeping up with the other mountain goats was well and truly over. I decided to let them go and kept Naomi and Debs company as we all seemed to be walking at the same pace. One hour into the ascent and it was blatantly obvious that Greg would not make it to the summit. Naomi being a kind hearted soul decided to hang back with Greg to give him some moral support and encouragement. This left Debs and I to help each other to the top. I had never seen Debs struggle before and her nausea was a major problem now. We had Nara with us so I left him to look after Debs whilst I forged ahead at a slightly quicker pace. The mountain goats were not too far ahead and I decided in my infinite stupidity to try and catch them as I did not fancy the prospect of hiking upwards on my own for almost 2 hours. BAD MISTAKE!!!!!!!!!! After 2 hours I had just about bridged the gap and was hanging onto their coat tails but it was taking a monumental effort from me. We came to a rest place and I was gasping for O2. We were only 300m from our last false peak and then the final assault on the summit. Looking up at that false peak I thought with one big effort I could get there but was far from confident of making the summit. Off we all headed and within just a few paces I was already struggling to keep up and was soon stranded in no man’s land. They were too far ahead and I did not have the energy to catch them, whilst Debs and Naomi were a long way behind me at this stage. My initial efforts to bridge the gap to the elite group had taken almost all my energy and now I was just using pure determination as I would not give up on this ascent. I had stories about how energy sapping walking at altitude was and only NOW did I fully comprehend what they all meant. Can I say to anyone who has NEVER walked at these heights, just how difficult it is. I am relatively fit and strong but I was walking at most 5-10paces and having to stop for breathe. The thin air and O2 deprivation is so debilitating it is unreal and is by far and away the most energy sapping and horrendous thing I have ever undertaken BUT the views more than make up for itJ Anyway back to my ascent; Greg had walked himself into the ground and someone else was doing the same!!!!!!!!! I had passed the last false peak and reached an area of rocks and boulders which led to a flag at the summit but the path was almost invisible to me. That summit was only 50-75m ahead but physically I just could not muster enough energy to get there. Eventually, after a few steps forward and a rest, which was all I could manage now I said to myself that I have got this far and I will bloody well reach the summit even if it kills me. There was no way this mountain was going to beat me and I was not going to quit on this ascent. Somehow, and don’t ask me to explain how, I managed to find the mental and physical strength to reach the summit.
Once there the sense of achievement was immense. I had made it to +5000m (16,500ft or +3 miles) for the first time, where the air only had approximately half the O2 levels we are used to at sea level. On the down side my lungs were in agony, I was panting like never before and my legendary quads and calves had lactated and were not almost useless now. I had a couple of Mars Bars with me as I figured an energy boost would be required for the descent. They did me no good whatsoever and I was now a little worried as I knew I had virtually nothing left in the tank and still had an hour’s descent before me. The mountain goats waited to greet Naomi and Debs at the summit and they left us to recover whilst they started a rapid descent. Naomi, Debs and I remained at the summit with Ramesh for a while then decided it was time to descend. During this rest period we all looked around us at the magnificent views of Ama Dablam. At the time I thought it was worth the pain I had put myself through, just to say I had been to that altitude and seen views most of you will never see. I felt privileged to be there but what had I done to my body?
Five minutes into the descent and I was really struggling. My legs had gone completely and I was finding it impossible to keep pace with a rapidly ailing but determined lady and another who I would usually race past. During that descent I landed up on my backside half a dozen times as my legs just could not keep me upright. Instead of taking 90 minutes to get back to camp I took 135!!!!!! I was holding up my three fellow trekkers but there was nothing I could do about it as my pace was ridiculously slow, my legs could hardly move and my lungs felt as though they had collapsed. The only thing I knew was that I could not stop and give in and just roll down hill, so just kept going at probably the slowest rate I have ever walked. Eventually I reached camp and was mentally and physically shot to pieces. I promised myself that that mountain would not beat me – it did!!!!!!
I slumped in a heap at a table in the lounge/dining area and checked my watch only to discover that the strap was broken. I cannot explain what and happened next and why, but I totally lost control and mentally fell apart. I felt ashamed that I had been so slow and left the room. Don’t ask me why – I cannot explain what happened on that mountain apart from the fact I learned to respect the conditions out here and the environment. I also felt a failure again even though I had actually reached the summit and broke through the 5000m barrier, so was far from a failure. I have done lots of training in swimming pools and gymnasiums in my life and this is the hardest thing I have EVER done. The only problem now was that this was an acclimatisation day and the really tough 10-11 hour day was only two days away. At this stage I did not give myself much chance of making it to Everest Base Camp and as for Kala Patthar that was just mission impossible.

In hindsight I had achieved an awful lot but I was travelling with seasoned and experienced hikers and trying to keep up with them which was ridiculous of me!!!! My competitive nature had kicked in and ultimately kicked me in the guts. From now on, no trying to keep up with the mountain goats. I am going to travel at my pace from now on and if I make it, well and good and if I don’t well at least I will have given it my best shot. Whatever happens from here on in I will still have seen and been somewhere and things very few people will have witnessed or achieved. Perhaps somewhere and sometime in the future I can draw on this amazing experience and use it to my benefit.

DAY 8: Saturday 18th April 2009
Dingboche (4430m) à Lobuche (4910m) via Thukla (4620m)
Woke very early with a thumping headache. Thought I had dehydrated overnight but Ben informed me that my breathing had been very heavy, erratic and I was hyper-ventilating/panting. This accounted for my headache. I took a panadol, drank about a 1½ litres of water and otherwise I felt surprisingly spritely considering I had had such a bad day yesterday. Of my companions Deb had had a terrible night with nausea; Ben was not feeling great and had a slight headache; Greg, like me suffered with IBS and all the spicy food was to his liking whilst Sue was recovering steadily.

Today was meant to be a gentle 5-6 hour trek so we set out at 8am. The sky was again crystal blue with hardly a cloud in sight. The first 30 minutes were slightly uphill but after that we knew it was onto a level plain with only a very gradual uphill gradient. We were climbing c500m but unlike yesterday we were doing it gradually. The mountain goats set off a quite a pace and the dynamic of the group had definitely been set. Susan, Jill, Ryan, Ben and Helen were ultra fit and led the way whilst Naomi, Debs and myself were in centre field (I suspect Deb would have forged ahead had she not been ill) with Sue and Greg bringing up the rear. Noticeable and unsurprisingly, all the people who had suffered with some degree of illness were all at the back of the field.
This formation stayed true for the first part of the day until I decided to hang back for a while, joining Sue and Greg. No real reason for this apart from the fact I enjoyed their repartee and company and figured they too would appreciate some company rather than looking at our backs all the time. True they walked at an incredibly slow pace but as they suffered the most with illness this was to be expected. We sauntered along chatted about our various trips around the globe and I enjoyed listening to them both. They had indeed visited many places and were full of anecdotes. Also it was nice not trying to keep pace with the younger, fitter and more experienced folk. Instead I was hopefully helping to encourage two people who were struggling even at a very slow pace. This served two purposes though (a) was rewarding for me to help others for a change; (b) helped me to conserve energy. Post tea break Naomi, Greg, Sue and I formed a group of four, which later became known as they Yak Group as opposed to the Mountain Goats J We were happy with this arrangement. The advantages of our excessively slow pace was that it gave us chance to talk to the guides and Ramesh about their country and learn more about the politics, history of this awesome country. The other major advantage was that we had more time to wonder at the majesty of the Himalayas. Every time you looked up after walking a few meters you were greeted with a new view of the same mountain which revealed more about its many faces. Every day we trekked the views just got bigger, better and surpassed the previous day.
After yesterday’s excesses it was great to walk at an incredibly slow pace, swapping my competitive nature for a survival kit as I knew I could be beaten by something that was far more awesome and magnificent than I could ever be. In so doing, I was actually enjoying the experience far more. It was not that I had not enjoyed the experience thus far but now it was slightly different now – more relaxed. Added to all this magnificent self learning and spectacular scenery I was forging a friendship with Naomi. She was a lovely little bundle of fun and enthusiasm. Greg and Sue were still as interesting as ever and I enjoyed strolling along with them to Thukla Pass.
This is a significant place on our adventure as there were several memorials to famous, infamous and the not so famous people who had lost their lives to Everest. We spent 20 minutes reading epitaphs and looking around, paying our respects to very brave men and women from all over the world.
From Thukla Pass it was only another c90 minutes to camp, with only 80m to ascend. A flat walk for a change which was welcome especially by those of us who were tiring fast. It was gloriously sunny but bitterly cold when in the wind. BY now we were either walking alongside or on the famous Khumbu Glacier. For those of you not used to walking on glaciers (that’s most of you!!!!), it does not mean we were walking on great masses of ice. We were walking on a dust, screed and rock strewn glacier. The ice was apparent in certain places but unless you dug down or had an experienced guide like Ramesh you would not have known you were on a glacier. It was interesting to see how the mountains had been formed and how this massive glacier flowed 17km from the Khumbu snowfall. The views were still spectacular and Ramesh pointed out our ultimate goal in the far distance, Kala Patthar. This was significant as it afforded us the greatest views of the sunrise behind Everest in two days time. New mountains were coming into view i.e. Pomu Ri with their granite faces and quartz veins. I know I keep saying it but it was just about the most beautiful place I had ever visited and worth all this effort.
Naomi and I were still very fresh as the slow pace took little out of our legs and left us with plenty in reserve but we knew we had a day 10hour day tomorrow to EBC and it was far wiser to conserve energy. Thus we held back and continued to encourage a rapidly declining Greg.
Greg and Sue appeared for a spot of very late lunch a while later and along with Naomi we played cards for the rest of the afternoon, after I played backgammon with Naomi. It was nice to relax that afternoon and let our hair down. The four of us were becoming good friends and enjoying each other’s company; well after all we were the Yak TeamJ
We all decided to have an early supper as it was very cold here at altitude and our rooms were dreadful. We were due to get up at 5am for our biggest challenge to date, a 10 hour hike to Everest Base Camp so were all in bed by 6.30pm – how sad is that??? The excitement and anticipation of possibly achieving our goal was tangible and I have to admit I could not believe how my despondency two days ago had been transformed so quickly into optimism. Two days of easy paced hiking and that the awful acclimatisation day had actually done me the world of good although I far from appreciated it at the time. I was now 100% convinced I would make EBC although I was still unconvinced about scaling Kala Patthar. One step at a time though and EBC was still a major goal that needed achieving as Naomi has instilled in me.


DAY 9: Sunday 19th April 2009
Lobuche (4910m) à Everest Base Camp (5364m) via Gorakshep (5140m)
It was the big day – the day we all craved and hoped would be a success for one and all. As it was going to be an exceptionally long day on our feet it was brekkie at 5.30am, leaving camp at 6am!!! I had another bad night with a congested chest (it was not a simple sniffle now but a full blown case of man fluJ) Worst of all I woke at one stage with a totally out of control heart rate and heavy panting. I hyper-ventilated the night before and almost expected to again but the extreme racing heart beat was a big worry. After a while it abated, I went back to sleep and my recurring nightmares and various recollections from my dubious past!!! Expected to wake feeling terrible but was actually quite chipperJ. Whether it was the adrenalin and excitement of the day I could not be sure but whatever it was I was full of beans.
In the morning we had our usual head count at brekkie to see what physical condition we were all in. Debs could not continue whilst the remaining gang of nine would be broken up into two distinct groups for the day. The Mountain Goats and The Yaks!!!!! The Mountain ..Goats headed off on the first part of the day Lobuche to Gorakshep at 6am as scheduled whilst Naomi and I waited for Sue and Greg to get ready. I was in two minds whether to stay with the Yaks or upgrade to Goat status as I was feeling so well. Common sense prevailed and I decided to stay with my fellow yaks even though I felt strong and fit this morning. It was going to be a “challenging” day of possibly 10 hours trekking and I needed to be sensible. Nara was our guide along with Ramesh, and set a very steady and sensible pace for Gorakshep. It was another very crisp and cold morning in the Himalayas with its usual fantastic views. Mountains we thought we recognised kept changing shape as we moved around them, making it harder for us novices to identify them but I now had about half a dozen mountains I could spot from most angles. It was an education and honour to be here.
Nara knew what pace to set as he was an experienced guide but I found our extremely slow pace troublesome. It was to be a very long day and at our current pace I was concerned we would still be walking in the dark!!! Nevertheless, I had to support and encourage Sue and Greg who looked dead on his feet by now. This was very much a team effort now and despite the fact I was feeling stronger and stronger after that awful acclimatisation day, others were weakening and I hoped they could draw on my strength. The hike to Gorakshep was fairly flat with Pomu Ri watching over us like a mountain God. It was bitterly cold but walking soon warmed me up my heavy Gore-Tex jacket was soon folded up and stored in my day pack. We incorporated plenty of breaks into our walks and the very steady pace was to Greg and Sue’s liking and benefit and ensured they had the best possible chance of reaching EBC. After around three hours of a gentle walk during which time I could take in the scenery, sounds of the wildlife and smells we could see our first port of call that day – Gorakshep. The Mountain Goats were just leaving as we were arriving. They were at least 30 minutes ahead. This was one of my biggest disappointments as there was no way we could have a group photo at base camp which would have been a special memory and moment.
We arrived at camp at 9.30 for a hot drink and any supplementary food should we require it. I ordered a hamburger, which was more expensive than a Big Mac in London but nowhere near as tasty. I needed food as it would be possibly 6-8 hours before we returned to camp and dinner and I could not survive out here on an empty stomach. The cost of meals the nearer you got to Everest was quite ridiculous but we were a captive audience and the only way food could get here was by Yak as there were no roads to transport goods. This time at Gorakshep was also and most importantly Greg’s last chance to consider whether he should continue. He had decided he had come this far and would try to bridge the gap to EBC.

At 10:17 we finally took our first steps on our final stage to EBC. We expected a fairly flat course along the way with only mild undulations and that is exactly what we got. All around us were the ever so impressive Himalayas that I could never imagine getting bored of. But what was even better now was that Pomu Ri continued to watch over us, Kala Patthar was in view as was Everest and base camp. We could only see the upper most reaches of Everest but nevertheless it was a colossus. It also stood out because it had far less snow on its summit than all the other mountains and hence was granite black amongst a mass of white tips. We could see perhaps 15% of Everest but how many of my friends and family had even seen 0.1%of the world’s highest peak? I felt privileged to amongst a truly great geological phenomenon.
The other weird thing that was happening as we walked along the Khumbu Glacier as that we could hear and feel movements below our feet. The glacier was alive and moving. Ramesh continually showed us examples of how deep this glacier was and its immense strength. Other glacial features we saw were glacial lakes (oh I wish I had my hockey boots with me) as I was promised the ice was thick enough even in this summer season to support me.
We were all in awe of surroundings and could see EBC in the distance – oh no Naomi could not as she was not wearing her specs. Base camp was a very small collection of yellow dots in the far distance but it was something tangible to aim for and seemed to fill me with adrenalin and excitement knowing that I was definitely going to achieve another substantial goal which had set myself so many months ago.
Another encouraging moment along our route was when we bumped into the returning Mountain Goats. They were blatantly ecstatic as they had achieved their goal but their enthusiasm and delight rubbed off on us and gave us a great boost. We congratulated each and every one of them and continued on our way. We were only, at most, half an hour away now and had made pretty good progress. We continued trekking towards base camp when a few yards from our goal we came to an n abrupt standstill. Nara pointed out a rock with an inscription – Everest Base Camp 5363m JJJ WE HAD MADE ITJJJ. The relief, jubilation and sense of achievement could commence. I knew from experience of 5 months attaining personal goals that it can take some time for the enormity of one’s achievement to sink in but for now it was pure heaven, and about as close to heaven as I had ever been!!! There were high fives, hugs, congratulations and photos a plenty for half an hour or so.

DAY 9: Sunday 19th April 2009
Lobuche (4910m) à Everest Base Camp (5364m) via Gorakshep (5140m)
After the initial elation I sat on a rock by myself just trying to take it all in knowing it was a futile task for a simple insignificant being in this vast and impressive location. Then all of a sudden there was a loud crash in the distance – I looked around and saw a massive avalanche ensue not far from various tents as base camp. Tonnes of snow cascaded down the mountain in virtually no time; the noise, velocity and magnitude of what I was witnessing was truly amazing but above all we were all relieved that no one had been injured. We had heard several cracks in the glacier during our walk to EBC, under our feet and on the surrounding mountains with ice cracking and splintering in all directions but I had never witnessed an avalanche before and this was an unexpected first for me. As an aside the immenseness of the snow movement only emphasised how truly dangerous this world is despite all its majesty and beauty. During our all too brief stay in the Himalayas we heard of 3 people dying; saw a helicopter rescue heading for base camp and saw the horse ambulance twice. Never let it be said this is simply a walk in another National Park. Respect it and it will hopefully respect you and even then you could still lose your life. The last thing we all did as to collect small rocks as mementos of our adventure. Not strictly acceptable but as Ramesh suggested it we all picked a few rocks to take back with us.
Despite illness, low moments etc we had all made it together as the Yak Team and were obviously overjoyed, in the face of adversity. Greg more so than anyone had shown great fortitude and resilience to make it and proved me totally wrong. I was proud of him and Sue and glad to be in their company. As for Naomi she was just great fun and kept my spirits up. I was equally privileged to be able to share our achievement together.
It had been a long and emotional day. The only decisions to make now were whether we were going to climb Kala Patthar the next morning and the itinerary for getting back to Lukla. Only five of us wanted to climb the legendary Kala Patthar and see the sunrise behind Everest – Ben, Helen, Susan, Naomi and I. I must admit although I volunteered to climb Kala Patthar I was secretly not sure whether I was going to actually do it. I would make my decision tomorrow after a good night’s sleep hopefully.
So it was to bed by 5.30pm with a wakeup call at 5.15am the next day and another big decision for me.


DAY 10: Monday 20th April 2009
Gorakshep (5140m) à Orso (4060m)
Due in part to the awful accommodation in the coldest place we were to spend a night; virtually all had a terrible night. Of those who wanted to attempt Kala Patthar Naomi and I bailed out as we were both feeling unwell, leaving Ben, Helen and Susan to go it alone. So at 5.30am the three mountain goats headed off in freezing cold conditions. It would take them 3-4 hours to get there and back, so most just went back to bed. Our intrepid friends returned at 8.45am which was very quick and I had a chat with Susan, who informed me that she now knew how I felt on acclimatisation day when I pushed myself so hard that I ran out of energy; she also felt the effects of a lack of O2 for the first time in since we set out on our adventure. I felt elation for hers, Helen’s and Ben’s achievement. I also realised that even if I had been 100% fit and prepared for Kala Patthar I would still have really struggled with such a climb. I was now convinced I had made the correct decision not to go. Helen told tales of how cold it was; Ben told tales of how his snot froze on his glove and in his usual modest way failed to tell us that as Helen struggled he carried her day pack.
We were due to be walking for 6-7 hours to Orso, but as we would be losing altitude we reckoned life would be far easier from now on especially for those of us suffering with AMS and/or illness. The rest of the day was fairly uneventful to be honest. It was a long walk that I did not particularly enjoy. My mind set now was just to get back to a lower altitude asap so that I could get rid of these constant nagging headaches and hopefully clear my chest. The lodge at Orsowas the best we had stayed in since we left Lukla and even better we were the only people staying there. This worked to Ben’s advantage as he managed to secure himself a room so that he could get away from my snoring, I suspect. The other thing it had was warmthJ. A rarity indeed. It was pure luxury compared to what we were used to and it definitely cheered us all up.

DAY 11: Tuesday 21st April 2009
Orso (4060m) à Namche Bazar (3440m) via Tengboche (3860m)
I was still chesty and coughing but in general the further we descended the better I felt and my head aches were far milder now. In general the atmosphere was that the goal(s) of the adventure had been attained and all we really wanted now was to get back to a hotel with a shower, and Namche Bazar would suffice in the interim.
We were expecting another long day on the road: 6-7 hours in all but by the end of the day we would be below 3500m and would have two nights in one place and a day of total self indulgence. Perhaps those girls did have a point after all!!!!!!!!!! The weather was not great again. We had learned from experience that mornings were best as the clouds built up as they day progressed and seemed to come up from the valleys to higher climbs. So if it was a bad morning we fully expected a pretty miserable afternoon. The omens were not great IMHO. The first part of our walk from Orso was a steady climb through the pine forests and rhododendrons in the hills. Sue led the field as per usual and I remained in midfield conserving energy as I was aware that we would have a severe climb to Tengboche. After the mild climb we wound our way down to the bottom of the valley, crossed the Milky River on another dodgy looking bridge then was confronted with that climb we were all dreading. Despite having a weak chest and cough I was keeping pace with the mountain goats today. It was not a conscious decision but just happened and there was nothing competitive in it. The climb was severe and we all struggled a bit with Sue, Helen, Debs, Naomi and I up front. I kept pace with them all as I was my legs were feeling strong and apart from a poorly chest was in pretty good fettle. Eventually we arrived at the summit and the monastery. It was a very clean and lovely example of a monastery especially if you compared them to the ones in Kathmandu and Patan City. We spent half an hour wandering around and taking photos before it was time to head off downhill to our lunch. It was a very dusty track so I decided the best way to avoid most of the dust was to lead the group. I was full of energy and had no trouble keeping pace with Cheeky and Nara who were pace setting. I led the group all the way to our lunch point just before a bridge in Tesing. The most notable event during our ascent was watching tiny Sherpa carrying three sometimes four 6” * 4” * 3meters pieces of wood up this severe ascent. One of the poor chaps actually screamed in pain as he lifted his load off the floor and onto his back. These little men showed so much guts, strength and determination that it made me feel quite humble and pathetic that I was whinging about a sore chest and a cough. That was what I called working for a living not sitting behind a desk writing stupid reports and number crunching, although to be fair I would never swap but hearing that man scream will live long with me. I could never hope to match their strength and dignity as long as live.

Once lunch had been consumed it was time for our final climb of the day to Namche Bazar and 36 hours relaxation. It was supposedly going to be a hard walk and few of us were relishing the thought of more pain and exhaustion but the prize at the end was going to be worth the effort. Unsurprisingly Susan led us up the ascent but surprisingly I was feeling full of beans and decided to follow her. What was I thinking? Was my competitive edge coming back? NO not at all, I was walking at a lower altitude now and could cope with pace. When the going got tough at altitude I suffered badly but at lower levels I felt confident I was a match for anyone here. Plus the weather was poor, no visibility of the forest, hills, and mountains around us so I just concentrated on keeping pace with the Queen of the Mountains. I needed something to concentrate on during our two hour climb and Sue was perfect. Although I was panting a little whilst Sue hardly drew breath, we had a good chat. Sue set a fairly hot pace up front, passed Nara a couple of times and I followed her all the way through the fog and mist to Namche Bazar. What a relief it was to get there at last. First thing for all of us was to have a shower. We were all smelly wretched creatures who had not had a proper warm shower for over a week so we all relished the opportunity. Also Ben had managed to get us separate rooms again, which was great, so we both had privacy and peace for a couple of nights.
I washed then headed for the internet. Dinner was very late that night -6pm and I did not retire to my pit until 8pm where I continued with this diary. Lights out by 9.30pm – what a naughty boy!!!! Night night all J

DAY 12: Wednesday 22nd April 2009
Rest day in Namche Bazar (3440m)
A day to recharge the batteries before our last big hike to Lukla airport. I checked my e-mails etc and once finished had a quiet stroll around NB’s shops and stalls to find some posters, a t-shirt and anything else that took my fancy. It was so nice not having an agenda for a day although the only thing we had decided to do as a group was go to the Paradise Club for a few celebratory drinks at 3pm. The venue was meant to have a pool table so I thought I would be sociable and go along for a while.
I did manage to purchase a t-shirt with a map of our route to EBC as a memento then Ben and I went to a local book/poster shop to get 3 posters and a post card for my dad with stamp. All shopping completed, so it was time to go to the pub. We rounded everyone up and asked Ramesh, Nara, Cheeky and Smiley to join us – the more the merrierJ. It was a time to really relax and let our hair down. Was interested to see how we would all get n without the common goal to bond us together. We drank Chinese, Spanish and local beer played pool free of charge and had a great time. We were all in good spirits and some let their hair down more than most – Susan!!!! She is definitely a rock chick and loves to dance. She was absolutely hilarious and she set a rather cheeky tone for the last couple of hours. Naomi and I teamed up for a game of doubles and we joked around, had high fives and the odd embrace during that afternoon. That afternoon was the most fun I had had in ages and it as just what we all needed. By 7.30pm it was time to head back to the hotel for another of Ramesh’s motivational talks and an itinerary for tomorrow. Susan was pretty drunk by now, calling herself a whore and being outrageously funny and she asked whether we could go back for more drinks and games of pool but I advised that as we had a 7am start tomorrow and a long hard hike it as better to call it a night. Probably me being a boring old fart but a sensible old fart!!!!! Tomorrow was our last hike and none of us were particularly looking forward to the long slog that lay ahead but we were all refreshed and happy and the end of our odyssey was in sight.

DAY 13: Thursday 23rd April 2009
Namche Bazar (3440m) à Lukla (2842m) via Phakding (2610m)
What a day!!! A latish breakfast for all and we hit the road by 8am. Surprise surprise, on the very last day of our adventure we left EARLYJ In fact we left at 7:57am.
The weather was set fair and most ailments/people were well on the way to recovery. As for myself I was still chesty but was fit enough for a long days hiking at the end of our adventure.
As we re-traced our footsteps of the first two days, we knew what to expect apart from the fact we were compacting the first two days into one!!! In the knowledge that just outside NB was that dreaded hill, but at least we would be descending this time. It was so much easier than before although I did feel a slight pull on my right Achilles so took it easy in midfield with Debs, Helen and of course Naomi. What was interesting was watching people going in the opposite direction, up that hill. It made me think did we also look that tired and helpless on my first day, over one week ago? I’d like to think that we were far fitter as a group but who knows....
All sorts were heading in the opposite direction, many of which looked totally incapable of getting to NB let alone EBC. Amongst these people were a host of Japanese senior citizen and a chap in a white shirt and massive pot belly who looked as though he was about to have a coronary!!!!!

Four hours into our last hike that led us through glorious pine forests and rugged landscapes, rugged cliff edges, rocky outcrops and we arrived in Phakding for lunch. It had been a relatively easy and quiet walk with a last chance to be amongst unbelievably beautiful landscapes.
The easy part of the day was complete and after lunch we were all aware that it was uphill all the way to Lukla. I was feeling very good and led the group with Jill & Ryan. 3 hours later we finally arrived at Lukla, what a relief. Back to the hotel we had started at and a chance to crash out for the evening before flying back to Kathmandu. Our main priority for the evening was to collect all the tip money, divide it up between the team leader, three guides and four porters. As the mathematician it was down to me collect all the money and find a way of dividing it up in a fair way and filling the envelopes. It did not take too long as we gathered in my room. As I had done all the calculations etc the group decided I should do the presentations after dinner. I hate doing this sort of thing but hey if I could get to EBC then this should be a piece of cake.
After dinner I made a short speech thanking all our helpers as without them we would never have made it. I then handed out all the cash filled envelopes to each of our helpers. All seemed to go very smoothly and in a relaxed fashion. I thanked every one of our porters and guides individually. I did not know the porters particularly well apart from Cheeky II, who I especially thanked as he was the tiniest 20 year old I had ever met but every day without breaking from him big grin he lugged our bags up and down hills and mountains without complaint. This lad was half my size and could lift three times as much as me – he was extraordinary. As for the guides we got to know them very well and I said a few words of thanks to each one on behalf of the group and myself of course. The chaps seemed happy with their tips, we all had a good laugh and my fellow adventurers congratulated me on my speech and presentations. A good day was over and now for bed before that wonderful picturesque flight over the Himalayas to Kathmandu.
DAY 14: Friday 24th April 2009
Lukla (2842m) à Kathmandu
Woke early as our flight was anytime after 7am. Ah well we finally embarked on the third Yeti Airways jet propelled elastic band set for Kathmandu. The flight back was fantastic as it was far clearer than the first journey in the opposite direction and we had a far better view of the Himalayas. Forty minutes later we landed in Kathmandu after what can only be described as a near miss with a small jet which as taking off from an airport north of Kathmandu. Whether the Nepali authorities would have called it near miss is open to debate but as far as UK rules go it was within a mile of us and would be deemed a near miss. We actually took mild evasive action and ran an extra loop. It was not at all scarey and most did not notice this event it definitely occurred. Back on terra firma and it was to baggage reclaim. A carousel in the car park next to the taxi rank – hilarious.
Alas I had to go to the KGH for a night but that was not too bad as Ramesh had arranged a farewell night out at the Rum Noodle which was in the vicinity of the KGH and quite a way from the Soaltee Crown Plaza. First of all it was time to get my room key and do something I desperately needed – shit, shave and shower!!! And when I meant shave I really went for it. At first the plan was to have a number 3 hair cut but my hair was disgustingly greasy so I just thought what the heck and decided to shave it all off. It took ages and Ben shouted out from the main room that I must be shaving off all my skin as well as I was taking so long. He thought I was only shaving my face and was in for one heck of a shock. After almost an hour I shaved my head, face (down to stubble only) and had a shower and when I finally emerged Ben just burst out laughingJ I did look different with no hair, now that’s the understatement of the year!!!
NO one recognised me after that.... Naomi was walking towards me and it as obvious she did not recognise me, and when the penny dropped she squealed as only Naomi can. Ryan and Jill were next to totally ignore me and when I shouted over that it as rude to ignore people they also did a double-take and were suitably shocked. And so the trend continued as I bumped into people I knew in KGH. After a quiet afternoon we all met Ramesh in the lobby at 7pm, who led us to the Rum Doodle. Naomi sat next to each other and soon enough we were messing around. It was all good fun. Naomi was a little tipsy and by the end of the evening was pretty drunk. I only had a few rum and cokes so was fully in control – thank God one of us was or we could have got in real trouble as she is a married woman. During dinner Ramesh presented us all with little certificates to prove we had made it to EBC which were all places in envelopes.
Soon after we all left the Rum Doodle. Naomi and I left arm in arm and were back to be being our silly selves as we strolled down the road. She was crazy but fun; she made me smile and forget all my problems back home and was just what I needed.
We got back to KGH after a whole heap of fun with rickshaw drivers and cabbies. Debs, Jill and Susan were there without drinks and I managed to get us some service and we all had another drink. Naomi disappeared to her room to deposit her envelop somewhere safe before she lost it again and returned to join us. She just lay down next to us and rambled something silly every now and then. Susan and Debs were far from impressed with her but surely they have been drunk before and been a bit silly? We have all been there...... The three others eventually left leaving just me and Naomi. She got a second wind and decided that as it was Friday night we should go out clubbing. At 11pm there is not a lot open in Thamel apart from some pretty seedy clubs that we would not be visiting. Naomi would not be told and we went for a walk outside the KGH grounds. She was outrageous but we had a laugh as we wandered around. I eventually talked her into going back to KGH but once there she wanted to investigate in another direction. There was virtually no stopping her and as she was quite drunk I did not want her wandering around by herself in Thamel as anything could have happened to her. After a while we landed up back at KGH sitting on the steps when we started a pretty heavy conversation during which she got quite upset. I won’t reveal the whys and wherefores because that for her to tell not me. IT was about 2am by now and she was starting to get tired so she left and all ended very innocently. A great night during which I cannot remember laughing so much JJJ
Saturday 25th to Tuesday 28th April 2009
KGH à Soaltee Crown Plaza
I woke stupidly early again and by 7.30 headed for the restaurant area with my laptop to work on this diary. Could not believe my eyes – Naomi was sitting there looking refreshed and reading her book. We had a chat and as she had her camera with her I decided to download the pictures only she had of the presentation evening at Lukla. We had a laugh and joke and that was probably the last time I would ever see her – it had been fun!!!

Spent the morning writing this diary at the restaurant / lounge area when at about 12:30 there was Naomi again. She said she was off to the Soaltee to see Greg & Sue for lunch and wondered whether I wanted to come as well. I said I was not due for check-in until 2pm but decided to split a taxi fare and leave KGH early. The bell boy at the Crowne Plaza showed me to my room and Naomi was curious so joined me. To be honest it was nowhere near in the class of the Delhi Radisson but was certainly the second best establishment I was going to stay in. I had a king sized bed, ample storage, a desk and sofa to relax on whilst watching television. The bathroom was ok; nothing special but regal compared to what I had been used to for the previous two weeks. Naomi was impressed and within a few minutes of snooping around it was time to leave and meet Greg & Sue for lunch. Lunch was grand and afterwards Naomi, Greg and Sue were off to a health clinic to get more advice on their conditions.
Not sure if I would see Naomi again although she said she would see me for brekkie as she loved this hotel oasis but I did not count on it, so it was adios amiga, again. Spend the rest of the day mooching about doing not a lot apart from relaxing and watching television. Greg called on Sunday to say that he was meeting Debs and Naomi for a pizza so I decided to join them. The girls, being girls, were late and are not sure they would have turned up unless Greg contacted them on their mobiles.... We shared 3 pizzas and I cleaned up as per usual!!!! Walked them back to KGH and this was definitely good bye. Glad to have known all these people to varying degrees and sincerely hoped I could meet them again one sunny dayJ.
Monday was very quiet day and Tuesday was goodbye to Kathmandu. I was well and truly rested and ready to go.

Australia

I had exactly 4 weeks to explore this massive continent/island. the plan was to:(i) spend a week in Cairns where I would tick another box on my bucket list - swim the Great Barrier Reef. Had a great day out on the reef just snorkelling but did bump into a black tip reef shark which was crazy. I saw a shadow below me and thought, thats a big fish.... free dived down to 20-25 feet and there it was swimming toward me The shark took one look at this strange hape in the water and turned and fled - am I really that scarey? Anyway unlike normal people who would have left it at that, I decided in typical Jose from Atlantis mode, to swim after the shark!!! I'm good in the water but a couple of flicks of its tail and it was gone but at least I was the only one that day who saw a shark and dared to swim after it!!! In fact I was a bit of a pain because I would be the last out of the water whenever we had the chance for a dive and the other 40 on the boat could not believe how much time and how deep I could dive..... no wonder my ears were shot to pieces at the end of the day Cairns was not my kind of town but hey I am not 20-25, far from a babe magnet and not exacly the most sociable animal. (ii) After Cairns I flew to Alice Springs and wanted to follow in Little Sis's footsteps and scale Uluru. NOw there are all sorts of stories about how the Aboigines do not like us walking the rock but that was not going to stop me. What did stop was a ranger who deemed a breeze as enough to close access to the rock. It was a crazy decision IMHO and I was really pissed off. Never has my sister beaten me at something physical but this was the first time but one day I will get up there - PROMISE!!!!! Got to say I also saw The Olgas (Kata Tjuta), Kings Canyon and the West MacDonnell mountain ranges with various gorges, lakes and interesting rock formations.The outback is awesome and I loved the place. Could have spent ages out there but time constraints prevented this but at least I saw some of the wonderful outback.(iii) Flew into Cairns after 3 days in the outback and arrived in Brisbane. Was feeling really ill - Swine Flu/Man Flu/a cold? Saw little of Brisbane but no disrespect it looked pretty boring to me and I have not missed much (sorry all those from Brisbane who hack into this blog)(iii) From Brisbane I drove what was meant to be 946km to Sydney, although I actually drove just over 2000km after taking detours to see places of note. Special thanks to Ben (from our Everest Base Camp expedition)wh advised me on where to go. I started at Noosa Heads, headed down the Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, thru Byron Bay, Maclean, Coffs Harbour, Dorrigo Nat Park, SW Rocks., KEmpsey, Crescent Head, Forster, The Great Lakes, Seal Rocks, Cape Hawke, Nelsons Bay, Newcastle then Sydney. I did not care for the Gold Coast as it was a concrete jungle with hotel blocks and all the tackiness of so many tourist towns and resorts. The Sunshine Coast was far nicer as it was far quieter and classier. The beaches were secluded and peaceful.Coffs Harbour and in particular MuttonBird Point, will always have a special place in my heart as the place where I saw my first humpback whale on its migration north for winter.The scenery around Dorrigo was breathtakingas were the waterfalls but being a water baby even the smallest waterfall impresses me!!! As for Ben's favourite coastline around Kempsey, I can see why he likes it here. It is so peaceful and unspoilt. Looking down from Smoky Cape you can see miles of beaches bordered by scrub and gorse. It was beautiful and was great to see unspoilt coastline.The highlight was definitely whale watching off Nelson's Bay. It was a fantastic afternoon and something I had not planned to do but so glad I did. They are magnificent and enormous creatures that we have rescued from near certain extinction although the Japs still seem keen to kill them at will.(iv) Only had 4 days in Sydney/Canberra and the surrounding Blue Mountains.Canberra is Australia's capital and government hq, although Sydney and Melbourne are both far bigger. Canberra was great as I got to see Naomi again. Was fun to see her and catch up on all the old Everest stories. We spent the first part of the afternoon in the NAtional Museum then ventured to the comms tower (870m above sea level), then the War Memorial.As for Sydney, I did the normal harbour tour, walked the Harbour Bridge, visited Darling Harbour, Botany Bay andf the Blue Mountains. I loved Sydney but wished I had more time there and whilst it was great to have my friends Greg & Sue escort me around, they dither around a bit and constantly argue with each other - oh yes I forget they are happily married Dont want to sound ungrateful because I was not - they took me to gorges and places in the BlueMOuntains I would never have found but there constant whinging about it being cold was funny for me. It was chilly but Suereally was strugglingwith the cold. Personally I think she needs more meat on her bones buthey she is happy bunny as she is.Australia is absolutley fantastic. I loved the people, although I do not understand the Abos properly and their history and why they are so bitter and twisted. The Aussies themselves are amongst the most friendly people I have met whilst on my travels around the world. They are open friendly but brutally honest and matter of fact - just like me !!!! They are helpful beyond the call of duty and exceedingly proud of their country and history, despite being rlatively young.The diversity of people, countryside and the scale of this country is magnificent. I would rcommend this place to anyone, from those who just want a beach holiday to those who want to get away from it all and see nobody for weeks.....I am already planning my next holiday out there...... I have seen the centre and east coast but I want to see the north and west nowso intend swimming the Reef again at Cairns (will get my Padi next time and go diving); flying to Alice Springs and hiring a camper van to ensure I can stay at Uluru until the weather conditions allow me to climb it , then fly to Darwin and pick up campervan number two and drive from Darwin to Perth!!!!!!Thank you Australia for a fabulous 4 weeks and see you soon:))))

HIGHLIGHTS OF SOUTH AFRICA

SOUTH AFRICA

Friday 23rd: Table Mountain
Table Mountain had lured me...... it was a magnificent central feature to this city. Like all great cities, this one had a stand out feature and at 1,087 meters it certainly stood high and proud over this city. I decided the time had come to scale it. I fully intended walking it but the cable car seemed so much easier and alluringJ. I had seen various road signs pointing out the direction of the cable car on M62 so checked my map(s) and set off from my hotel in the centre of town. Only 3-4 km so should be easy!!!!! Did not count on the M62 be a gradual then severe ascent? The cable car was set at 302m and I thought that easily attainable but I was not used to walking in these temperatures. When I arrived at a Visitors Centre I was soaked in sweat and was still a way off from the cable cars, but undeterred I forged ahead. When I got to the cable cars I was fairly tired but delighted to finally be here. And then I realised that the cable cars were closedLLL. I had walked all this way, 1¾ hours, only to be told that it was too windy and cold at the summit and there would probably be no access todayLLL. It was just breezy at the cable car terminal but another +700 meters it was meant to be blowing a gale. Our safety was paramount and to be fair it seemed the South Africans were not interested in just taking your money but also wanted to ensure you got value for money.
Well the only redeeming fact was that I was overlooking a lovely sprawling city as well as Lion’s Head and Rump (Signal Hill). Camera at the ready – click click clickJJJ. I also realised from the road signs on the walk up that there were routes to Camps Bay – supposedly an excellent beach - and up to Lion’s Head / Signal Hill. My trip had not been totally in vain as I had learned more about the geography of this city and had a really good bit of exercise. I must have stayed up there about an hour just taking in the majesty of this mountain. To be fair it is only the size of Snowdon and far smaller than Ben Nevis – facts that surprised me as I expected it to be far higher, but it is so much more impressive than both. Partly because it is so close to the ocean and far more accessible or just that I was in a lovely warm country and having a fabulous time rather than standing in freezing cold Wales or Scotland looking at a big hill? I don’t know what it was but Table Mountain was impressive from only a third of the way up and I could not wait to scale the remainder, but that would be for another day.....

Week 2: Sunday 25th January à Saturday 31st January
Sunday 25th – Robben Island
My first excursion whilst here and well worth it. Robben Island is 11km from V&A dock, although its closest proximity to the mainland is only 7km. So a 20 minute ride on a boat, where we had a video to watch re: Robben Island and the boat.
We were met at the dock by some coaches and our guides for a tour of the island which came in two parts. The first part was a short drive around the island escorted by Johnny our driver and guide. He was an interesting chap. An ex-resident who was careful in thought and speech. He showed us the sights of the island apart from the prison which is what we wanted to see above all else for obvious reasons. He set the scene and explained some of the history of the island; the demographics and important buildings i.e. his ex-home!!!! Once we had seen various buildings, birds and shorelines it was onto part two of the tour and time to leave Johnny. Our next guide (did not get his name) was an ex-inmate of the prison and he would gave us a thought provoking insight into life in the prison; what category of prisoner dwelt in each cell block. The cramped conditions must have been awful and I was amazed an ex-inmate would want to go back and recollect stories etc. Our guide was interesting and got us to where most wanted to be – Mandela’s cell block and his cell. Whilst walking around I had a brief chat with our guide and questioned him about how it felt to come back in a professional capacity and his feelings. He was not bitter and did not regret anything he did which resulted in him being locked up. He even found it somewhat therapeutic going back and facing what must have been some of his darkest days. Nevertheless, he was well balanced in thought and I respected him for his beliefs and convictions (terrible pun I know).
My final night in 5 * luxury; I watched two games of football on television and relaxed. I would miss this but it was expensive and I had to return to reality at some stage and the hostel looked very nice when I first visited it back on the 18th. I was worried about sharing a dorm with strangers. Partly because I am not a great mixer / socialiser and partly because I had a lot of valuable electronic equipment with me that I was very worried about losing. Oh well tomorrow is another day and another chance for new experiences.


Monday 26th – Arrive at the Backpackers & African Travel Centre
Time to move from luxury to..........................a hostel and all that entailed. The dorms were something I dreaded and when I got to The Backpackers I succumbed to the lure of a private single room. In retrospect it would have been better to share with strangers as I would have been forced to be more sociable, but I chose the easy option – CHICKEN!!!!! It was not expensive either and as The Fountains Hotel had undercharged me – charged me for seven not eight nights and left the laundry costs off as well, I was flush and decided that a single was the best option.
My room was called Penguin; it had a comfortable single pine bed, a table, dressing table /chest of drawers, ceiling and stand alone fans plus a safe. Showers and toilets were all communal – I could have opted for the single with en-suite but the price was starting to get restrictive so communal it had to be.
The actual hostel itself looked very nice. Complete with pool table, DSTV (S.African version of SKY so that I could watch English Football) and a small swimming / plunge pool.
I got all my stuff sorted and decided to see how far away the V&A was from my new home. Judging by the map, it looked a fair bit further and it certainly was; but I keep complaining about my waistline and lack of activity, so here was a chance to extend my walks and being fair walking around this city was far easier than Paris, Roma, Barcelona or London.

Wednesday 28th –Table Mountain
Usual routine then checked the weather – it was clear blue skies and only the faintest of breezes so I thought today would be the day I finally reached the top of Table Mountain. The walk to the cable car was 1½ à 2km shorter from The Backpackers than from The Fountains, so a far easier amble. It was a warm day again – most had been 26-28 degrees Celsius – so I expected to sweat and duly obliged!!!!! After just over an hour and a quarter, I reached the cable car junction and again it was closed. I could not believe itLLL. True it was a bit breezy but that extra 700 meters obviously makes a lot of difference. The big difference this time though was that the officials in charge said to form an orderly queue as the weather was improving and there was a chance that we could go up within the hour. True to their word we did indeed get to the summit within an hourJJJ. The cable car was large enough to hold 65 people. My first thought was that with so many crammed inside the views would be restricted but the company responsible for constructing the cable car had a cunning plan. The floor rotated, so that in the time it took, to raise you c700 meters to the summit, you actually completed a full rotation of the cable car and had seen the panoramic views from every angle possible – ingeniousJ.
The first thing that hit me once at the top was ................ the wind. It was freezing!!!! I had been warned it can be a few degrees cooler than at sea level but this was ridiculous. But worse than that was the breeze - it had turned into a force 5million gale!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ok an exaggeration but you get my point. Undeterred it was time to take in the views on offer and get Mr Nikon clicking again. The best thing about being so high up was that I finally got an appreciation of just how big this mountain was and that there were so many parts to it. The mountain forms just a small part of Table Mountain National Park which stretches all the way to the Capes at the southern tip of this peninsula. Maclears Beacon is the highest point at 1087meters, 22 above the cable car, not that you notice it from the ground or at the summit. The plateau is obviously the main part and the part that is photographed more often than not but there are so many facets. Devil’s Peak and The Twelve Apostles are also spectacular. In fact from Camps Bay you get a far better view of the Twelve Apostles but from here at least you learn that they exist, because from Cape Town, city centre and the V&A Waterfront they are pretty well hidden. You can also see The Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point on a clear day; they were visible today - just. There are three different walks to follow and at 10am and noon there is the chance to go on a guided tour. I went it alone – I know you’re shocked at that very surprising news!!!!! I had a small map with the gratis leaflet I was given on paying my cable car costs. So off I went in very blustery conditions which did actually have a great bearing on events. The walk was easy but I wanted photos from various precipices and from all sorts of weird and wonderful angles but it was just not possible as I was too chicken to go anywhere near the edges for fear of being blown over the edge. Now I know I have jumped out of a plane at 10,000 feet during this adventure but looking over a cliff some 2,000 feet with no safety harness, ropes etc was far scarier. The scariest spot without any question was Platikipps Gorge. Sheer and nothing to stop you falling 700 meters!!!!!!!!!!! One brave, or was that foolish, chap actually got to the edge but his girlfriend was not impressed by his heroics!!!!! There were also two Brazilian sisters, who were also quite daring and I volunteered to take a few photos for them and they reciprocated. I walked the entire way around the plateau in over an hour and it was not only great for its views, but there was wildlife here too. Butterflies and lizards a plenty. With butterflies come flowers and the word Proteas, which I associated with the Rugby Union team, was given new meaning. It is in fact a beautiful flower. There were also descriptions of the views and a little about the geography of the mountain. No guides needed just 10 information boards, a map and I was as happy as LarryJ. Ok I was freezing by the time I had got all the way around but it had been well worth it. Another tourist spot visited and another crossed off of my list of things to do in South Africa.

The next few days were very quiet, as I geared up for what I would only describe as the main reason I came to South Africa – cage shark diving with Great Whites. Car was arranged and I decided to just chill out, some more. It was really quite addictive doing nothing although some of my colleagues would probably say I had been on such an addiction for years!!!!!!




Week 3: Sunday 1st February à Saturday 7th February
Sun 1st – Cage Shark Diving
Was due to be picked up at 5.30am and for the first time since I had arrived in Africa, my lift was late!!!!!!!! Well it had to happen eventually but 40 minutes late was excessive in my humble opinion, especially when dealing with such an early start time!!! Oh well, a bad start but I got in the people carrier to be welcomed by another looney who wanted to swim with these terrifying animals. David was a young lad with a biology degree and a fascination for marine animals. He was pleasant and chatty and we got on well. Onto Camps Bay where we collected Ian; a travel agent by trade and another very well travelled and interesting guy. Incidentally the only person I had ever met who had been to Kazakhstan and he even said it was his favourite place in the world – now there’s a recommendation for you intrepid travellers. Next were Siegfried and his lovely girlfriend Tessa. They were Dutch and as with most Dutch people spoke better English than the English!!!!! And finally to the Westin Grande in Cape Town where we collected an Asian couple from Durban, who were on honeymoon. What a weird way to spend your honeymoon – possibly getting eaten by the world’s most feared and dangerous animal. All aboard the people carrier so it was onto Gaansbai, Dyer Island and shark alleyJ. Obviously we chatted about our love of sharks on the journey down and especially about how we were feeling. All apart from me were a little scared. That’s not being macho or anything; agreed I was nervous but never scared throughout the entire day, even when I did come face to face with a beastie......laters......
It took about 90 minutes to get to our destination where we were offered breakfast. That’s it fatten up the tourists before feeding them to the sharks. In fact the guys who were in charge of our boat had great t-shirts with a picture of a great white and an inscription saying “Where are the tourists – the last one tasted great!!!” All monies paid up in full and I even bought an underwater camera for this expedition.
The head man – Rosie, not his real name – was a great laugh and a veritable feast of knowledge about sharks and the locale. We chatted for a while and he was not only very interesting but also very amusing. He, and his crew, made us all feel relaxed and comfortable during our stay on his vessel.
After about an hour I decided to do a bit of sunbathing on the front of the boat and after only a short while I heard cries of “Shark!!!!!” My first sighting was very brief and it as only a tiddler, 2½-3 meters. He disappeared as quickly as he arrived but returned within a few minutes. Rosie asked for the first seven volunteers and I was too lateL. Desperately wanted to get in but had to wait my turn. Then Rosie decided to turn away the Indian chap from Durban – another honeymooner – idea was that honeymooners would dive together, so I was in chosen to make up the numbers as and part of the lucky first group to get in. Had been a long time since I had worn a wetsuit and had forgotten how snug they were. I eventually managed to get my enormous calves and thighs into the wetsuit and was ready for my dive with my favourite water based animal. I was joined by Siggy and Tess so in we got. Tess was quite apprehensive but once in was cool. The shark reappeared and swam passed the cage – close enough to look into his cold unnerving black eye!!!!! He was as close as was possible and it was an amazing feeling to be so close to the world’s greatest predator. Not scarey at all – was this because he was small or that the cage was between us and five rows of razor sharp teeth made us feel exceedingly safe? Whatever it was, it was an exhilarating experience and I had achieved another of my lifetime ambitions!!!! We remained in the very cold water for a while and waited patiently for the shark’s return but it seemed he had gotten bored with us was off to do some tourist spotting elsewhere. Hence we were advised to get out of the cage and sit on the edge – rather that than freeze. We needed patience and were duly rewarded. A far larger - 3½ to 4 meter specimen appeared out of the murkJ. In we got for more swim pasts and excitement. The crew do bait the shark and use it to get him near us which is a bit fake but we wanted to be up close to a Great White and this was the only safe way. We had 20 minutes with him swimming this way and that, after which he swam off. Out of the cage and big smiles all round. Everyone on the boat wanted to know what it was like and we all were speechless!!!! It is extraordinary but not scarey at all. A bit like the sky dive, it was an unreal experience that had to be savoured and if you let fear get in the way the experience would be diminished. Rosie said we could keep our wet suits on as there could be another opportunity for a dive once everyone had been in but I was more than happy with what I had witnessed and decided to watch from on deck. This actually gave me the chance to chat to a Turkish lad, living and working in The Cape. He was an experienced diver and had actually free dived with Great Whites. He was very interesting and I could now appreciate why he was not scared of free diving with these supposed monsters. We are not part of their natural food chain and it is only inquisitiveness that draws them to us. If we are not threatening to them and fully understand their body language etc it can be possible to free dive with these animals but I will wait a while before I try it!!!!!
The next seven prepared to dive and this included David and Ian. They got really lucky in that their shark decided to thrash about whilst trying to extract the meat from the hook. It thrashed about right next to their cage and we thought we got an excellent view from the deck but their view must have been tremendous. In hindsight the lads informed us that all they could really see was lots of white water and bubbles and although they knew what was happening it seemed we had a better view from on deck.....but obviously not the excitement of being a few inches from a thrashing and feeding shark!!!! After this the day was fairly quiet and the sharks lost interest in us, soothe crew decided to take us seal spotting off Dyer Island and to see Shark Alley for real –we had actually just spotted sharks in the bay not shark alley. A short cruise out to sea and that unforgettable stench of seal!!!!!!! Yes they are cute and graceful as they frolicked in the sea but the stench is terrible. Half an hour was enough and soon we were back on shore watching the DVD the crew had filmed during our trip. Everyone bought a copy as it is something you cannot describe but I also wanted proof for the sceptics who thought I would never do this..... the DVD will be available later this year after my sister and a close friend have seen it!!!!!
Got back to the hostel and decided to have a Basil Pesto fettuccine which was a big mistake!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Monday 2nd
Sick as a parrot – I suspected the fettuccine but obviously Dr José could not prove it. It was a day in bed – just wanted my friend here to nurse me but she was 10,000km awayL

Tues 3rd - collected car
A nice white Opel Corsa 1.4 Lite. It was absolutely basic; no air-con, no electric windows, no power steering but it was mine and thus my passport to wherever I wanted to go in The Cape. The only drawback was that my guts were in turmoil and I could not go too far. A quick tour of the streets in Cape Town and another quite night near a toilet.

Thurs 5th – Boulders Bay
I was feeling far better today so I decided to check out the False Bay area. Ultimately wanted to see penguins at Boulders Bay and was far from disappointed. Drove through some scenic countryside but again it was very windy – something I had become used to but it was very annoying and painful. My forehead had windburn for a couple of weeks and was badly burned – wore my safari hat a lot but the burn and perpetual peeling persisted. Stopped off in Fish Hoek and Simons Town where I had a very nice lunch. Spicy calamari rings and rice!!!!
Onto Boulders Bay and those Dave Wiseman look-a-likes!!!!! There were two separate areas reserved for watching these adorable animals. One was on a small bay surrounded by boulders funnily enoughJ. They sunbathed and swam with those on the beach. Not many here but enough to whet the appetite. The second spot had far more penguins relaxing in the sun on a far larger beach. There are various species of penguin and these were African Penguins – amazing that!!!! It was a very windy day and the sand was being blown all over the place and was quite painful at times. So I did not get to spend as much time with them as I would have wanted but again a worthwhile trip.

Fri 6th – Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens
Most who know me would think it strange of me to want to wander around a Garden centre whilst on holiday but this place was always mentioned in glowing terms so my inquisitiveness got the better of me. Kirstenbosch was only a half hours drive north of the city and looked easy to find so off I drove. As predicted 35 minutes later I had paid my admission and was in the gardens. What makes this place exceptional are not actually the gardens themselves but its setting. It is located at the base of Table Mountain and affords new views I had not seen before. This mountain dominated the city like no other feature I have ever seen.
As for the gardens they were well laid out and I spent about 3 hours ambling around admiring the views, flora and fauna. There are plants here that were planted by Nelson Mandela and all sorts of Proteas that were unique to South Africa. There was the magical tree, which had been blown over in the winds a few years ago but the gardeners had saved although it now grew in two halves at 45 degree angles in separate directions. Bizarre!!!! There was also an otter pond but no otter – they are nosey and engaging but also like their privacy – I could be an otter!!!!!
A lovely morning, relaxing and calming which was why I was away from home after all. Definitely recommend this place to anyone whether green fingered or notJ

Sat 7th – Sunbathing at Camps Bay
I had not really done any sunbathing thus far although I did have a fair tan at this stage, due to all the topless walking around I did. As I had the car I decided and Camps Bay was definitely the best and beach near to Cape Town -15 minutes from the hostel – it was time for a day of relaxing by the sea. Camps Bay is on the other side of Table Mountain, so a drive up and over afforded great views of the mountain and coastlineJ. Camps Bay gave me a new view of Lion’s Head and the Twelve Apostles. It was a stunning place to have a beach resort. Not a big resort which made it even better but had all the facilities required i.e. bars and restaurants. I had a lovely day doing nothing apart from baking and admiring the views – countryside and female!!!! Julia was always on my mind now and I could not wait to see her again, and that stopped me from doing what comes naturally on a few occasions- god knows why because she is in a relationship after all and sleeps with Z.... Just read this and realised what a prat I am – oh well nothing new there then!!!!!!!!!! Was on that beach from 10 to 3pm and after sweating about 10kg decided enough was enough...... The location was fantastic but I needed shade from the blistering heat. This was the hottest since I had been in Cape Town, 36 degrees!!!!!!!! Even the locals said it was extremely hot, as Cape Town usually averages around 26-28 during their summer season, so this was very hot.


Week 4: Sunday 8th February à Saturday 14th February
Sun 8th – Cape Point & of Good Hope
Again I chose a Sunday for my major activity of the week. Seemed sensible as the roads were far quieter and I could escape the blistering heat. Departed the hostel at 8am and was on my way.... I had done most of the route already as it follows the same one I used to get to Boulders Bay. The scenery as per normal was exceptional down the coast road and I just kept having to stop off and take photos of the coastline. Rugged and harsh but this was the Cape of Storms, as the locals referred to the region where silky sand lined beaches were few and far between on this part of The Cape’s coastline. Nevertheless, it was amazing to see a landscape where mountains met see in such close proximity. Eventually reached Cape Point & of Good Hope entry gates and paid my entry fee. Do we have to pay to access our National Parks in England – I think not but out here you pay for everything and are expected to tip as well – more of that later!!!!!
Opted to head for the lighthouse on Cape Point first and see where that led me. This was an amazing place that made Land’s End and The Needles look pretty average – sorry England but the landscape here is so much bigger and more dramaticJ. The lighthouse is about 300m up a hill, but a footpath and steps have been built into the hill to help us old and infirm bodies!!!! Eventually go to the top after numerous stops for photos. This was a dramatic place and I can see why photographers have spent hours trying to get the perfect photo of this place. The light the coastline is all tremendous and it does not matter where you look there is always something different to catch your eye. I loved it here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was what I expected but even more soJ. At the lighthouse I did my usual trick offsetting my camera to timer so that I could take photos of myself – yes I am sooooooo vain!!!!! There was a nice American lady who was also single doing the same, so we decided to help each other out and take photos for each other. She was pleasant and we had a chat about downloading photos onto MySpace and onto memory sticks etc. This has no real significance to me but I only mention this because it has some significance later on!!!!!! I left the American lady behind after an hour on this hill and at the lighthouse. Cape Point was spectacular but there was more to come. Cape of Good Hope was in the distance and there was a walk you could do to get there rather than drive. I decided that I was here to walk the country not drive it so took the estimated 1½ hour hike to Cape of Good Hope. It actually took me a little over three hours as Mr Nikon was keen on clicking at every opportunity. There was a lovely beach in between the two Capes which I did not go on but had excellent waves for those surfer types. The views, the mist rolling in off the sea, lizards, borax, birds, proteas etc etc etc, it was a delightful stroll, even though it was now midday and +35 degrees!!!!!!!!! But what a lovely day as the wind had dissipated and you could walk without being blown off your feet. Eventually reached the Cape of Good Hope - well not exactly. I reached a vantage point well above the Cape, but within 50m. Nicola had sent me a photo of her and Alan at the CofGH and I could now see exactly where they had been. OK I was not actually at the Cape but I was extremely close and had a better view of the surrounds from up there. I fact it was a pretty scary place as there as a sheer cliff face which I would not stand on, so lay on the ground looking over the edge. Some woman in the distance started taking photos of me!!!! NO it was not the American lady from the lighthouse but some French lady who came over and said that it was a very dramatic photo and apologise for not asking to take a photo of me before doing so. It was ok by me and if her partner did not mind then so be it. She took identical photos with my camera which was nice of her and Julia and Jo have since seen these great photos. Even a silly one of me doing press ups on the cliff edge!!!!! I stayed up there for half an hour taking in the scenery etc and was so happy.
Stress – explain what that is again
Ah well as much as I would have liked to, I could not stay there forever so it was the long hike back. Did not take as long on the way back as Mr Nikon was tired!!!!!!!!!
This was definitely another highlight of my trip to Africa. The most breathtaking scenery and beautiful landscapes.
In retrospect I could have gone home now. I had achieved everything I really wanted to in Africa and was now looking forward to Bp and India. The next 10 days were pretty uneventful although I probably did not make the most of my time in South Africa which was a shame but I was relaxed, tanned and happy.

Monday 9th
Julia dumped me again. Jealousy got the better of her again!!!!!!!!!!
We were having our usual morning chat when I mentioned the American lady at the lighthouse and then suddenly she did not want me to come and visit her. She had had problems controlling the green eyed monster in a previous relationship and it was bothering her again. Her crazy decision to solve this was to break off contact with me as she cannot control her jealousy. And now she was so involved with me she was getting jealous when I mentioned another woman even if it was in total innocence. Not going into too much detail here but eventually calmed her down and we are ok now and I am still going to Budapest for a fun week.

Thursday 12th: Fish Hoek & Seals
Had not been south for a few days and as the breeze had died down I figured a trip to the beach at Fish Hoek would be a good idea. The last I was there it was blowing a gale and there was no chance of walking down the beach let alone sunbathing. Got there in good time, 10am, and went for a stroll down the beach. There were the usual joggers and old folks power walking then there was little old me just strolling along without a care in the worldJ. Ok I was starting to get lonely and very reliant on Julia again BUT I was happy as larry. Where did that saying come from? I digress, I as happy and enjoyed my stroll to the far end of the beach and back again. It was not a lengthy walk, probably only a kilometre there and obviously the same back. At the far end I stopped to take a few snaps and relax. The tide was out, the sand was golden and I did not have a care in the world apart from where was I going to put my towel for a spot of sunbathing. By noon I was back at the car, hiding my camera and retrieving my sunbathing kit. After another ice cream, I had developed a liking for the mixed chocolate and vanilla cones, I headed for a spot on the beach to relax and soak up the rays. Only stayed there a couple of hours as the tide was starting to roll in pretty quickly so decided it was time for another stroll down the beach. I like sunbathing but anything more than a couple of hours is more than enough and I get itchy feet. The walk up the beach this time was far more eventful!!!! Almost reached the far end and a strange shape lay on the each a few meters ahead. It as a dead seal pup; am no expert o such things but it looked like it had only recently died as there was no decaying in evidence, not that I spent much time being CSI Grisham!!!!! On I marched and then not only another dead seal pup but a dead penguin as well. Three dead bodies washed up since I had my initial walk this morning. Oh well I suppose it is just nature at work, no matter how harsh and upsetting. Walked on and finally got to the end of the beach where I decided to rest up on some rocks for a while. Just as I say down another seal pup, but this one was alive and kicking, or should that be waddling in their comical manner. Well into the sea it went but it did not seem to want to go out too far which would have been ok but there were quite a few dogs around and I wondered what they would make of a seal pup if they spotted it? Well my question was answered pretty quickly as one of the Labradors on the beach suddenly spotted the seal pup and headed straight for it... Alas another Labrador (chocolate) also spotted the seal pup and they made haste for the pup!!!! The owners of the dogs did not realise what was going on so, Mr Baywatch here, waded through the surf and latched onto the dogs before they had seal pup for dinner!!!! It was my good deed for the day and whilst the dog owners looked on quizzically as this stranger collared their pets once they realised I did what I did it was smiles all around. Time to head back to the car and home, aka chez Backpackers.
Good news awaited me as Julia’s search for a job had been successful at last and she was due to start on Monday 2nd March, after I had had a week with her.

Friday 13th: Big Bay
The best beaches were to be found to the north of Cape Town but the wind was extreme at times. As a result it was kite boarder territory. The beaches were sandy and golden so I decided to take another trip up there. Along the N1 then R27 to Mindleberg and over the river Diep. It was only a 30 minute drive but I found Big Bay again and this time there was only a light and warming seas breeze with no kite boarders to spoil the view. The main reason to revisit this bay was that around the rocks the seas converged and the surf covered a small spit when the tide was in but I hoped the tide was out so that I could have access to the rocks and rock pools. Fortunately the tide was out and I had access to the rocksJ. I decided to investigate the rocks. I scrambled over quite a few and sat down and admired the panoramic view. The air quality was very good today, so I could clearly see Robben Island. After a while taking in the views of the island and that mountain I decided that instead of sunbathing I would go on a walk up the beach. The beach stretched out for miles so I thought it was time for a leisurely stroll on a secluded and quiet beach. Must admit I wished Julia could have been with me but that is not possible so I just ambled along the sands and enjoyed the scenic location. Don’t know how far I walked but after an hour I decided it was time to head back.

Saturday 14th: Sterling EQ
This was a very quiet day. I was feeling a little subdued; possibly homesick and itchy feet. I had been here too long now but my itinerary meant I had to spend a few weeks here or in India and this was by far the better option. I knew there were concerts at the V&A Waterfront every Saturday and Sunday at 5pm so I decided to give it another shot. During the mid afternoon there had been a demonstration of some Korean martial art. They seemed very proficient but it was far from great entertainment. Only a couple of hours to while away, so an ice cream and seal watching was the order of the day. Again so relaxing and enjoyable. I loved the V&A; it was a far superior version of Gun Wharf or West Quay. Perhaps it was its location, with that mountain as its backdrop and the lovely warm summer sun but I was at home here and would definitely miss this place. It was vibrant without being over the top; it was not just for young backpackers who wanted to get plastered and rowdy but it catered for all sorts. At 4.30pm four rather attractive young ladies waltzed onto the stage with their instruments. This was a South African version of Bond. Both female quartets although this one different in that a violinist was replaced with a flutist, and a very glamorous one at that!!!!! If truth be told all four were rather lovely, although the flutist was gorgeous. But I was obviously more interested in the music Lol. They did a sound test for 15-20 minutes during which time the crowds’ gathers and the amphitheatre was as full as I had ever seen. Had seen a few concerts and most were dreadful – young lads playing really loud awful rock /grunge, but this was a pleasant surprise. The concert commenced at 5pm with a jazzed up version of Beethoven’s5th then some Offenbach and Mozart. They were as good as Bond although the leader – the flutist knew she was very sexy and played on it, but we are blokes and enjoyed watching her wiggle her hips!!!!! They played for 45 minutes and did not stick to jazzed up classics. Being from South Africa they played some traditional tunes as well as a couple of Latin numbers. They ended with Carmina Burana and Bach’s Toccata & Fugue, to rapturous applause. It was a thoroughly enjoyable concert and I now have their website, www.sterlingeq.co.za on my laptop favourites so that when their debut album is released on March 27th I can hopefully download a copy.

I will do a summation of my dislikes and likes later on but this should keep you going for a while.