Nialam

So, on the 26th we were bound for China, or in fact Tibet which has belonged to China. The minibus was roof full of our luggage, food, and cooking equipment that will soon be utilized in the Base Camp. We left Kathmandu at 7 am. At all the gas stations we passed there were long queues of cars, vans, and trucks which must have been the consequence of the recent rioting and, most probably, a rationing that had been applied to gasoline supply.

As it goes in the mountains one goes up and down. The first part of our track led us down to 500 meters above the sea level as measured by my Suunto X6 HR. And then we started to climb up the hills towards the small boundary town. The wristop computer can show the height profile graph of the whole track in my notebook which is another bonus feature for me. In the town we had to reload our stuff onto a truck. In one minute our cook had organized an army of helpers to take care of the equipment moving. It was only about 10 minutes of walking with a load but an incredible hustle began in order to grab a thing and earn a little bit of money. There have been insufficient job opportunities up here.

Crossing of the boundary went alright and right after that we got to know our liaison officer. I remembered him from my Cho Oyu & Everest expedition. How couldn't I since he fined us 300 USD. Well, you can imagine that I wasn't jumping up high but at least I already know that he is strict and uncompromising and we will behave accordingly. Of course, he doesn't remember me and has been mostly smiling at us so far.

The journey to Nialam has been adventurous and has gotten our adrenaline going as always. Rather than a road it is more of a cutting or even a corrugation in the steep flank. Throughout the year many avalanches and rock falls thunder through it and leave their imprints. Hence, going this path around the craggy valley has always been adventurous. Nialam is already at 3600 meters and it had just been snowing there when we arrived. The height was quite a shock for the organism, and thus we only drank a lot that evening to allow the organism to cope better with it. And at 7 pm we fell in beds - coincidentally or not - in the same lodge as I slept back in 2002. And memories of Cho Oyu & Everest expedition started to come...