Everest Base Camp & Kala Patthar 07-23.05.2011 (6)

12May2011 - Debuche(3600M) > Dingboche (4400M)
Today, gonna be tough. From 3600m to 4400m. A nett ascent of 800m to reach Dingboche. Risk of having AMS amplified. TBK looked better but still not 100%. Stopped at a pass by restaurant for lunch, a restauraunt owner who had scaled Everest , helping in some expedition & a high altitude marathoner who clocked 3:47 from EBC to namche bazaar, 42k. Remind me of some Sherpas in trail running attire who rushed down the trail in super fast speed while we were on our way up. Must be their training.

The terrain became more & more 'retro' with the rocky n stony ground. We were indeed entering the higher point of Himalaya mountain range. We were surrounded by mountains. Humongous mountains. Land in Nepal is still growing with the tectonic plates activity at the core. When land kept pushed up, land slide happens to adjust the change. Eventually, it could become a flat land in few thousand years later. Some point at 4200m, it became cloudy and I do scare of rain at such altitude. We can't afford to fall sick! I broke away gradually from the group at the back, and tried to catch up RWen & GWah who had already reached the next lodge.

Once I settled my room with my usual roomate GWah, I instantly wrapped myself up with warm gears. At a time, the cloud covered the whole Dingboche. I thought, oh no, is it gonna rain? Chill wind kept blowing while I stood myself outside the lodge, on a rock-made fence with hope that the rest of the team can spot me from far, & that they will get the morale boost as they had made it for another day. So glad all made it safely but Choy & CLeong disturbed with AMS again. Dr TBK came to their rescue as usual although he himself was like a 'muddy buddha' who attempts to cross a river with his own health problem. At 4400m, we begged for sunlight & it feels like there's only 1 climate up there, COLD! Can't take off your socks, cold; always tuck in the hands into the pocket, cold; moisturize ur face & ur nose hole, dry & cold; insist to keep drinking water to hydrate & some said that keeps away AMS, but it makes you a frequent visitor to toilet at outside the lodge, cold; brushing teeth, clean your face in the morning, super bloody cold.

We settled ourselves to the cosy dining area. Once someone suggested to play UNO to kill boredom, we made that whole area like our own place. Can't forget pots of hot lemonade at that altitude too. It made us felt so good.

Unconsciously, AMS creeped into all of us too albeit at mild level. Everyone had lost their appetite. At dinner, I didn't eat much but forced myself to swallow some eggs for protein. Later, we had kinda heaty debate in a cold dining area about the itineary going fwd. Forgo Chola Pass seems a done deal after considering the overall team fitness. But with the next day is a rest day for acclimatization, we were still hopeful to step on EBC together as a team. Choy n cleong did look better n hopefully, the acclimatization day worked out a magic on them.

A winding high trail. 2 mountains divided by a valley with glacier river gushing down.

They are the transport, asset, and perhaps, Sherpas' best friends. Yaks. But, they are our cause of traffic jam ;-) 

This reminds me of a chinese word. 田. 

Amitabha. Colorful buddha painting on the rock. 

Vast land.

Land slide. 

Glacier water from the top.

Stones are stacked up as a boundary manifest as well as to fight wind erosion towards the house.  

Ever changing landscape.  

Glacier water. 

Posing outside Sherpa Lodge. Amadablam Peak at the back. 

The room that turned into a fridge at night. At 4C, it jammed my Suunto Core too!  (Updated: Suunto replaced the whole unit when I made a complaint to local distributor. Faulty reason? Could be due to 'old module'. Anyway, fair enough, just that, won't have chance to test it out again at such altitude & climate)

In a second, mist?cloud? covered Dingboche. 

Everyone loves this dining area. Because it's warm! Practically , it's each climbers' activity room. But for our group, we made it like Pasar! Riuh rendah.

I miss UNO! But BEWARE, when it makes u laugh so much until you feel dizzy easily. Thin air remember!