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A 18-day adventure by JGM TRAVELS 2023 Read more
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  • JGM TRAVELS 20233 Passes Trek Via Everest BC
    Day 17

    16. Fun Facts - Delayed Plane

    May 19, 2023 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 5 °C

    Fun facts, whilst waiting for our very delayed flight:

    Three passes and EBC elevation- 38,138ft each, 78,276ft combined

    Steps in 14 days
    Grace : 458,421 steps
    James : 344,170 steps
    Combined : 802,291 steps.

    We spent 10,000 ruppes per day on average, equivalent to £25 each per day, excluding wifi and showers.

    We saw approx 140 Yaks, Cows / Hybrid Yaks

    We passed 13 horses with unfit people, riding towards Base Camp.

    We saw / heard 1365 people, clearing their throat and spitting. Very common here with the dry mountain air.

    We drank 105 lites of water between us.

    We took 11.5 diamox tablets between us.

    Grace lowest oxygen sats : 85%
    James lowest oxygen sats : 80%

    Grace slipped over 4 times, James narrowly missed 1 time.

    0 blisters-result.

    Very sunburnt nose, twice. Reflection of the snow and low protection from being so high.

    3 dogs adopted following us for a few KM.

    1 cat seen

    13 good friends made.

    7 nights of Yak Poo Fires.

    1 injury, Grace cut foot in shower.

    No bad weather (whilst walking) apart from to cloudy to fly from Lukla.

    Frost on inside of windows - 8 days... Brrrr.

    Max temp 17'c
    Lowest temp -18'c

    Nationalities met-Swiss, American, German, British, French, Korean, Nepalese, Indian, Tibetan and Isrealie.

    2 times snowed, 1 times hailed.

    Avalanches heard 3

    Numerous huge rock fall.

    Farts smelt - at least 8 per day. Altitude doesn't help, definitely not ours. 🙈

    How many times Gombu had showed us people had recently died : 3

    Glaciers crossed 4.

    Sketchy moments on Glaciers 2.

    Photo's taken 1000.

    Go pro footage 3-4hours.

    Toilets which made us feel sick. 6 times.

    Prayer Mani's span, approx 60 times.

    Rocks collected 8 times.

    Monasteries visited 3 times.

    Best place : Dingboche / Namche
    Worse place : Gorak Shep

    Micro Spikes used twice.

    Best mountain - Ama Dablam.

    Best hotel was in Gokyo, worst in Gorak Shep.

    Nepalese children Freinds - 2.

    Helicopter rides 1

    Plane rides 1 (if we ever leave🤣✈️)    Read more

  • JGM TRAVELS 20233 Passes Trek Via Everest BC
    2
    Day 16

    15. Namche Bazzarr to Lukla, Final Day!

    May 18, 2023 in Nepal ⋅ ☁️ 5 °C

    Today was our last hike day 22km back to Lukla ready for our flight back early on the 19th. We left Sherpa Village in Namche Bazzarr, we brought some prayer flags for the van before leaving and headed out of town. On the outskirts of town was a rubbish pickup point, we had learnt that although trekkers coming to the region brings in alot of money, it also has negative effects from the amount of rubbish which the area accumulates from the additional influx of people for 6 months a year. We carried down 5kg of rubbish to Lukla drop off to assist with this problem, it was sad to discover that not many people decide to help, so we carried as much as we could. We walked down the Khumbu valley, crossing all the wire bridges, it seemed strange to get so far so quickly as it took a couple of days to come up initially, made such a difference walking downhill and every breath getting more oxygenated.
    We stopped for lunch half way and it was the best we had so far, machine coffee which was the best thing ever! Along the way we bumped into friends we had made on the trip.
    We had a huge uphill stint for the last few km to Lukla, the moment we crossed the finish line hand in hand was a roller coaster of emotions. We had made it, 122 miles in 14 days, we had crossed 6 peaks over 5000mtrs, we had been to Everest base camp, we had broken out of our comfort blanket and survived over a week at 5000mtrs. We had pushed ourselves to new heights of mental and physical endurance. We had completed the hardest trek in the Himalayas, 5 days quicker than the recommended time and the best thing was we had done it together as a team. What a feeling, by far our biggest accomplishment to date.
    Ohh, nearly forgot.... we had also seen the biggest..(picture number 8)😂😂,
    We had an emotional moment with our guide and walked to our Tea house for the night. It was so luxury, ensuite with free hot shower and electricity, very special. We had a lovely dinner with Gombu and Sange and gave them our tips of appreciation. We treated ourselves to sizzling chicken and some treats from the local mini mart as a reward!
    We fly out of the Lukla the dangerous airport 😬 at 8.30 tomorrow morning and back to Kathmandu where we have booked a delux room with a bath for the next few days for abit of relaxation. We can't wait to eat fried chicken and take a chill as we are exhausted now!    Read more

  • JGM TRAVELS 20233 Passes Trek Via Everest BC
    Day 15

    14. Lungden to Namche Bazzarr

    May 17, 2023 in Nepal ⋅ ☁️ 3 °C

    We had what we considered a luxury room last night , we had an ensuite hole in the ground!
    Both of us slept really well and managed to have a bit of a lie in , 730 breakfast , ready for walking at 0800. The walk was lovely , pretty much all downhill and felt nice to go lower in altitude, breathing was so much easier and we didn't feel as 'cloudy'. There were more trees and flowers as we descended.
    The walk took about 8 hours yesterday, stopping at Thame for lunch and exploring the local monastery. The monastery didn't appear far away from Thame, but was quite a strenuous uphill walk- especially after a large lunch of veg noodles . Fortunately it was completely worth it. The prayer room was just beautiful . We all donated to the monastery and walked back down the hill .
    Namche Bazzarr was 4 hours from Thame , but didn't seem that long at all .
    As soon as we got to Namche Bazzarr, James and I headed straight for the hot showers ( first time in ten days , I know its gross !!!) . We both stayed in there so long the shower had timed out and gone cold , but it was the best shower we had ever had.
    At 1900 , we met the rest of the gang at the local steak and burger House, where we had meat for the first time on the trip in the form of yak burgers and drank our first beer too . It was such a lovely night, full of laughter. We plan to meet Galen and Katie in Kathmandu soon and wished Yoshi a lovely time camping ( Yoshi is staying in the himalayas for a while to do a solo camping trip) . We hope to meet him in Aus someday too.
    James and I both slept very well after our beers, ready for a 0700 start tomorrow.    Read more

  • JGM TRAVELS 20233 Passes Trek Via Everest BC
    1
    Day 14

    13. Gokyo To Lungden Via Renjo La Pass

    May 16, 2023 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ -3 °C

    Last pass today! Today we set off at 6.15am, it started off very misty and we could barely see infront of us. We are both getting exhausted now as we have crammed a 21 day trek into 15 days. It was a steep climb up to the Renjo La 5360mtrs and when we got about half way we came above the clouds and all of a sudden we were greeted with the most beautiful view, definitely the best view we have had the whole trek. As we climbed it got even better and by the time we got to the top the cloud cleared a little and we ended up with a view of Gokyo lake and the himalayan mountain range behind. It felt like we were so close to Everest, we imagined the people summiting as it was a beautifully calm day and perfect for a summit. James, Grace and Yoshi made it to the top first and as the rest of the team got up we all cheered as it was such an achievement to reach the top of our final pass. We all had a cheer and congratulated everyone, I started a time lapse on the Go Pro which will be on a later video once I get home. Galen and Katie disappeared off for 15 minutes and both came back in tears, they had just got engaged! What a special place to do it, huge congratulations to them. We had about an hour at the top and then had to get our Micro Spikes on to descend the other side, it was very icy and snowy. It took us about 3 hours to get to Lungden we decided to stop here for the night as we were all tired. We had an afternoon of playing cards and swapping stories. Early dinner, ready for a 20km hike tomorrow.Read more

  • JGM TRAVELS 20233 Passes Trek Via Everest BC
    2
    1
    Day 13

    12. Rest day at Gokyo

    May 15, 2023 in Nepal ⋅ ☀️ -4 °C

    Last night , James and I made the decision to spend another night at Gokyo , the view of the lake is just stunning and our lodge is so comfortable . We appreciate the consequence is having a very long three days at the end of the trek , but we think it will be worth it .
    This morning, we walked most of the way up Gokyo Ri , in the hope to see a beautiful view of the Gokyo lakes , unfortunately about 100 metres down from the summit , the cloud really started to block the view .
    We sat down for a while , with a hope that the cloud will clear , but it didn't.
    Bearing in mind that we have a really tough day tomorrow , we decided to go back down and typically by the time we managed to reach the bottom, the sky had cleared .
    We ordered an early lunch and chilled for a bit . We linked up with some friends for the rest of the afternoon and had a look around Gokyo , sitting in a cosy bakery for a couple of hours .
    James and I sorted our rooms out , ready for our early start tomorrow and just about to have some supper .
    Breakfast at 0500 tomorrow , so we are walking for 0530 . The last pass to go , whooo !!    Read more

  • JGM TRAVELS 20233 Passes Trek Via Everest BC
    Day 12

    11. Thagnak to Gokyo over Glacier

    May 14, 2023 in Nepal ⋅ ☁️ -4 °C

    Today was our 2nd rest day, we had a lovely lie in till 7.30 am but James woke up with a very stiff neck after sleeping funny on it. We had a lovely breakfast, probably the best so far. Only a 3 hour hike today but felt much longer as we set off across the Ngozumpa Glacier, which is extremely active in movement. It took us about 2 and half hours to cross and all we could hear was rock fall everywhere. We really had to keep concentration as the route across the glacier is ever changing. We stopped at a pool of water and watched in amazement how many rocks were constantly falling in, the glacier is melting and this causes the rockfall. It was over 1 mile wide and when we finally reached the other side we had a near vertical assent to get out, we really had to move quickly as this was a severe danger zone for rockfall and you could hear rocks falling everywhere in front and behind. We finally got to the top and were greeted by Gokyo Lake, a beautiful sacred lake which was the bluest of blue. Gokyo 4750mtrs is stunning, and probably one of the nicest / cleanest places we have visited on the trek. We had some dinner and wrote down some funny facts to publish once the trek is done. An early night as tomorrow we set off for our final pass, the Renjo La Pass, 5345 mtrs, we are both looking forward to ending our Diamox after the assent as its gives us tingly face, hands and feet aswell as needing a wee frequently. We are both looking forward to breathing normally aswell and each day after tomorrow will get easier as we descend nearly 1000mtrs each day.Read more

  • JGM TRAVELS 20233 Passes Trek Via Everest BC
    Day 11

    10. Zonglha to Thagnak via Chola Pass

    May 13, 2023 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ -6 °C

    This morning hurt, as Grace only had three hours sleep for some reason (James was snoring too loudly). We dragged ourselves downstairs for breakfast at 530 and had some porridge.
    We set off at 615 to tackle Chola pass.
    We had to pack our micro spikes for the first time, which was super exciting. This pass was no where near as long or difficult as Kongma La. It took us about 3 hours to hit the top at 5440mtrs, crossing a glacier in the snow, wearing our micro spikes which was exciting.
    Gombu (the actual name of our Sherpa, we were told he was called Phure Sherpa by the tour operator, Gombu was to polite to correct us for the whole of last week) was telling us about all the people who have died on the passes this year, including one only a week ago as we were walking up which filled us with loads of confidence 😬.
    At the top, we had a quick snack before heading down, which was much more difficult than going up as it was very icy, snowy and steep. Luckily there was a wire rope to hold onto, but Grace still managed to fall on her arse twice.
    It took about 90 mins to reach the bottom of Chola pass, then another three hours to reach Thagnak.
    We spent the afternoon recovering from the previous very full on days. We are really happy that we have now completed Everest base camp, Kongma La and Chola pass with only Renjo La pass to go. Our guide Gombu says he only does the three passes trek once or twice a season which is making us more determined to get the full trek done. One more to go!!    Read more

  • JGM TRAVELS 20233 Passes Trek Via Everest BC
    Day 10

    9. Gorak Shep to Zonglha

    May 12, 2023 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ -3 °C

    Today we were pleased to leave Gorak Shep, we found the altitude quite difficult, headaches and lack of appetite hit us hard. The toilets were something from nightmares too.
    Anyways, we had a bit of a lie in this morning and had breakfast at 0630, ready for hiking at 7.
    The hike today was so much more chill, we walked mainly downhill for 3 hours back to Leboche for some lunch-which we really appreciated as we couldn't face food yesterday.
    After Leboche, we walked a further 4 hours to Zhongla, which was a mixture of up and downhill.
    Along the way, we saw a beautiful bright blue bird and some really cute snow partridges.
    After a final push uphill we finally made it to our teahouse in Zhongla, which is just wonderful-especially compared to Gorak Shep yesterday. James had a hot chocolate and I had masala tea (my new fave, like chai tea but better) when we arrived.
    We also treated ourselves to a bowl of warm water for a wash - it felt like luxury 😂.
    Had a lovely evening sat by the fire with a lovely group of people just chatting.
    Up tomorrow for 5. 30, ready to tackle pass two of three, the Chola Pass!    Read more

  • JGM TRAVELS 20233 Passes Trek Via Everest BC
    Day 9

    8. Leboche to Gorak Shep to EBC!!

    May 11, 2023 in Nepal ⋅ ❄️ -17 °C

    This morning it was a 6 o'clock start, which was rough after a 24km Route the previous day, which was extremely difficult.
    However we woke with a spring in our step as today we would be visiting Everest Base Camp. We had a 3 hour walk up the Khumbu Glacier to Gorak Shep, which was slow due to the popularity of the route to EBC. A fairly mellow walk with only a few hills today which our legs were grateful for and seeing glimpses of Base Camp and the Khumbu Ice fall spurred us on.
    We got to Gorak Shep (roughest place so far) which was 5200mtrs and had some lunch. We then set off for Everest Base Camp 5364mtrs which was super exciting. As we were walking we were having glimpses of Everest (real name - Chomalungma, bloody brits swooping in and changing the actual name). As we arrived at base camp, it was extremely busy with over 150 different teams as it was Summit Season, they only have a small gap in May when it's possible due to the weather. There was huge ice peices and the Khumbu Ice fall was extremely intimidating (we were told by Phure during April and May over 8 people die attempting to get to Camp 1, via avalanches or falling into crevasses). We had a few photos by the big rock with EBC which was exciting to finally be here and a must do. It was not as messy as we had been told and all the tents seemed strategically placed and tidy. We spent about an hour at Base Camp walking pretty close to the Ice Fall, you couldn't actually see Everest at the camp but we had some good views on the way. We left to hike back along the Glacier to Gorak Shep and had about an hour and a half before we had to Hike another mountain called Kala Patthar 5535 mtrs, to watch the sunset across Chomalungma (Everest) we climbed to about 5400mtrs and left Gorak Shep at 4.00pm. Unfortunately our guide completely messed up the time as Sunset wasn't until 6.50 pm which was a very long wait at - 10 to 15 degrees. Grace lasted about 2 hours, and then had to go down, I was very jealous she was going to get warm as it was bloody freezing. Our water bottles had frozen and then it seemed to take forever for the sun to go down. However it hit about 6.40pm and Everest literally glowed the brightest golden colour, it was so special and definitely worth the 3 hour sub temperature wait. We took some pictures and then ran back to the tea house to warm up. What an experience and sights I will never forget.
    We had some dinner and neither me or Grace could eat as being at 5200mtrs for a long period of time was making us feel abit wierd. We went to sleep and surprisingly slept really well both having a solid 9 hours.    Read more

  • JGM TRAVELS 20233 Passes Trek Via Everest BC
    Day 8

    7.Chukkung to Leboche via Kongma La pass

    May 10, 2023 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ -5 °C

    Today we woke at 0415, ready for breakfast at 0500. It was absolutely freezing, there was frost on the inside of our windows! We wore our wooly hats, gloves and summit coats but we soon were too warm from walking such steep hills!
    Everything felt so much more strenuous today as we were gaining altitude. On the way to the summit of Kongma La we saw a family of musk deer and also some mountain mice - they looked like mini chinchillas and were so cute! Our friend, Katie told us that the pokemon character is based on the mountain mouse.
    After 5 hours, we finally reached the top of Kongma La, it was exhausting! However, Leboche was still a further 3 hours away (more like 4 haha). The descent was very rocky, with lots of slippery skri. There was also another 2 hills we had to climb. This was by far the hardest thing we have ever done.
    We saw some beautiful glaciers along the way, they were the bluest of blue.
    We finally reached our lodge after 9 hours of walking - fair to say we are absolutely exhausted. We both sat with our lovely new Freinds and drank 3 cups of hot chocolate absolutely loaded with sugar. This really sorted us out.
    Upstairs we went to get our rooms sorted and have a refreshing baby wipe shower-this is as good as it gets in the Himalayas. Very much looking forward to our huge portion of tomato, cheese pasta and a bowl of popcorn. And then straight to bed! We are exhausted!    Read more

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