Nepal and Everest Base Camp 24 March to 18 April
Fifteen Parawais travelled to Nepal to walk to Everest Base Camp
Kathmandu was chaos, bit like the wiring
And poverty is everywhere
The boys wearing their pirate bandanas
The buddhist temples were a welcome relief
Dodgy looking characters
Holy man at a Hindu temple
The planes were not flying to Lukla, so we took helicopters
Phakding
A smiling porter with the first load - 4 * 15kg bags
Pistol and some local lads
Heading off on day one
A line of donkies
Entering the Sagarmatha (Everest) National Park
There were prayer flags on everything
Namche Bazar
Our first view of Everest (back left)
Badjelly
Queen Elisabeth climbing above Namche
Gill and Pill with Everest (far back centre)
The famous school in Khunde Sir Ed helped build
The man himself
We also visited Kunde Hospital
Porters carry amazing loads
Pistol and Mount Ama Dablam
Tengboche Monastery
Two of our porters with heavy loads
GUO
Our first 5000m hill, top of an aclimatisation walk above Dingboche
One of many memorials at Thokla Pass to climbers who died on Everst
Mount Nupse (7,861m)
Gillian
An Italian weather monitoring station
Looking towards Everest Base Camp and the Kumbu Glacier
The glacier is huge (nice moraines too)
Even David is hushed by the presence of Everest above his head
Tony almost at Everest Base Camp
We made it (that's why we're called the A team)!
The Khumbu Icefall (centre of picture) is considered to be the most technically difficult part of climbing Everest. Summit just visible in the background, behind a 'bump' on the west ridge.
Everest at back
Dawn breaks over Nuptse and Everest. Awesome!
We got up at 5am to climb Kala Patthar for an awesome view of Everest (our highest point 5,600m and coldest -8c)
Mt Everest - majestic
Kala Patthar, a quick celebration
The team at Gorak Shep after visiting Base Camp and Kala Pattar.
Alex above Gorak Shep, contemplating big climbs in the future. NW Col (Lho La) above Base Camp in distant right.
Heading towards Cho La Pass
It was quite a climb
One of our Sherpa's (Namkha) and three of our awesome Porters
A fourth awesome Porter (he twisted his ankle this day)
More climbing
Still more climbing
The final scramble to the Cho La pass
Finally made the top
Passang and Tony
What goes up...
Another base camp for another expedition
The Ngozumpa Glacier which we had to cross
Like the Khumbu Glacier it was huge
Monsta
Goyko with the hill Goyko Ri centre
Mount Cho Oyu (8201m) 6th highest in the world
Looking back towards Cho La Pass
Solly
We came across these cute kids sitting in the mist
Old Boots
Paddy
A Himalayan Thar
This little guy kept singing the national anthem over and over...and over and over...and over and over again
The rhododendrons were starting to bloom by the time we descended
We were lucky to see the Danfe - national bird of Nepal.
Solly contempates one of the many Bhuddist Mani stones along the trail
We stayed at Passang's sisters place
Our trekking route
Sunrise on the climb up to Lukla
Solly was a very good Porter albeit a bit slow
Lukla is rated as one of the most dangerous airports in the world
A small runway which runs downwards
Our Sherpa friends (Namkha, Kamcha and Passang2)
Off the helicopter to this sunset from Kathmandu airport - farewell.
The A-plus team continued on to Chitwan National Park and Pohkra
Interesting weeds grow in abundance along the roadsides near Chitwan
We didn't meet a tiger, but saw several rhinos
