We chose drive in and fly out. So we are heading for the Nepal and China border. As Tibet is no country off its own since end 50’s we have to get through several steps at the Chinese border. These are the toughest border controls we have ever had in our lives.

6 officers you have to pass to make it and the check your luggage and take what they do not like. We made it within 2 hours, 50m!

It is crazy, you do not get a stamp into your passport, your printed Visa gets a stamp only.  They will take this Visa paper when you leave again so you do not have any prove you have been into Tibet.

On the way to Lhasa we passed Nyalam (3700m) and Shigatse (3900m). We had to go through several passport checkpoints and made it over two passes, (Lalungla Pass 5150m and Gyanchuia Pass 5248m). We also spotted Mt. Everest 8848m, Mt. Xisapangma 8212m and Mt. Cho-Oyu 8201m. In Shigatse we went to Ta Shi Lhun Po monastery which has the largest indoor Maitreya Buddha statue (future Buddha) worldwide.

We could watch the Tibet off the monks. They discuss about philosophy and live itself. Very funny to watch! Usually you watch the locals but here they watch you. They just stop next to you watch with fascination into your face.

In Giantse we visited the FORT and a monastery where three different schools of Buddhism are living. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures anywhere so far. The Chinese government is restricting this as well as who is becoming the next Panchin Lama and the numbers off monks in Tibet.

For dinner we went into „Happy Renunion Tibetan Restaurant“. Tey lead us into the kitchen as they did not speak a word English. They pointed onto some food and we only nodded. We got a separate room and had visitors every 5 minutes. Locals just came in one by one to watch us for some minutes. How funny that was!

(05-21.11.2010)

We haven’t had internet for some weeks now. That is the main reason why we cannot translate everything we wrote in German, that’s about 15 pages. Try google translater or see only the highlights below.  Or write us an email.

We started with a bad flue and about 6 hours delay to Lukla due to bad weather. After finding two porters for our 68 kg luggage we headed the next two days uphill only to pass a ridge at 4125m. That was pretty tough and exhausting. 

To see 4 Yaks and a funny bird let us forget our acing body for some minutes.

During the trip it was always cold. Our sleeping bags were not good, the lodges were not heated and we wore whatever we had. For food we had different stuff but always very delicious.

On the way to the high camp at 5800m we stopped two nights each in Kothe (3500m), Tangnag (4300m) and Khare (5000m). Uphill our healthy conditions become better each day. We passed marvelous views, fascinating rivers and landscapes. We saw avalanches coming down, lakes and sun and moon at the same time. The people here having a really tough live but are always smiling and helpful.

At Tangnag we started taking Diamox to prevent High Altitude Sickness. Nadine had some difficulties breathing. At Khare Micha’s headache disappeared and we could try the high camp.

Usually we were walking all by ourselves as there are some groups with up to 15 people ahead off us and a few groups behind us. In October they have thousands of trekkers, now we meet about 100 only.

When we finally arrived at high camp our tent was standing already.  The place was really tiny and dirty as all the trekkers leave the rubbish. Now I am very happy not to be at Everest Base Camp as this must be a shithole and dumb station.

The temperatures dropt as low as -15 degree Celsius during night and we could not sleep at all. It was just to cold, to hard, to windy. We made ourselves ready around 4am to try the peak. The last 5 days nobody made it to the peak, their argument was WIND.

It took us a while to get ready. We changed our goal from day to day. When we booked our goal was 5000m. Once there we said, snowfield at 5300m, once there we changed to high camp 5800m. Since we are here already let’s see sunrise at 6000m.

We started in complete darkness and made it in time. When I was following uphill behind Sungai and Nadine I good tears in my eyes. This was just to beautiful and peaceful. Just amazing, mind blowing, the toughest experience we have ever made in our lives. That’s what we were here for, to make an experience at the limit.

In the background we had mt. Everest (8848m), Mt. Makalu (8463m),Lhotse (8501m) and Nuptse (7879m), what a landscape.

We made it for sunrise to 6000m. Who can say: I have seen a sunrise at 6000m?

This makes you forget all the pain, the elephant riding on your chest while you are walking uphill and all the doubt you have.

Even if you mind tells you to stop you continuo walking as you don’t want to give up. You walk 40% uphill and do not stop until the wind get so strong that the temperature drops to -25 degree Celsius and the wind is blowing with 100 km/h into your face.

After 3.5 hours fighting uphill at about 6300m we gave up as we found our personnel limit right here. We made nice pictures. It took two minutes till I could not feel my fingers anymore, could push the trigger of the camera anymore. We had the mountain fur us alone, nobody else in sight.

On the way down the weather turned bad, good that we had sunshine all the time. It started snowing 5 hours later and the temperature dropped even more but we were already on the way to 3800m.

We made it back to Lukla in three days and arrived in a chaotic situation. Due to bad weather hundreds off trekkers could not fly out. We discovered that 2000 tourists were stuck and desperate to get out. Our flight was scheduled in 4 days only but we had only 40 US dollars with us and no credit card.

People are so desperate as they have to get their flight to Europe or elsewhere that they pay up to 800 US dollars for a helicopter flight. Others are walking out of Lukla which takes 4 days and one day bus ride. We sit and wait. Within the last days we walk 6800m altitude uphill and downhill again, why should we now be stressed?

The weather changes a day before our departure, lucky us. We even make it one hours earlier out of Lukla than expected. Lucky us! We took one shower within the last weeks and are so happy coming into Kathmandu.

Fact: We had an awesome time, never experience something like that before and we will do it again with better equipment.

Nici will not come with us into India and will fly home 03.12. All the best for you and good luck on you way!