Blogs from Everest, Tibet, China, Asia - page 5

As the alarm went off early we were not too keen to get out of the warmth and into the cold air, but a sunrise over Mount Everest should make you move, and it worked a treat as we witnessed a clear view of the summit of Everest warming up. Quickly getting some warm food down us and of course the compulsory at least 5 cups of Chinese tea, we set off on our walk to Base Camp proper. Declining the many horse drawn carriages for a ride up to the camp (Ed has worked out that the fixed price is too high and so supply exceeds the quantity of tourists that require a lift up and down, and so many of the men and horses are idle - so we know his education did ... read more

Et nous revoila apres un long d'absence. Merci a ceux qui nous ont envoye des nouvelles par email. Ca fait toujours plaisir d'avoir des commentaires ou des menaces lorsqu'on ne met pas a jour le blog... S'il-vous-plait, continuez! Pour les autres, il n'est pas trop tard pour commencer. Apres un mois au Tibet, nous avons passe 2 semaines a Kathmandu, au Nepal. La vie y est tres agreable et les gens tres sympas. La meilleure definition qui me vient a l'esprit pour decrire cette ville, c'est une enorme "caverne d'Ali Baba" a ciel ouvert. Apres les restrictions du Tibet, c'est une veritable orgie... Bon, je reviendrai plus tard sur cette formidable ville. Pour le moment, je vais vous faire saliver avec le Tibet. Comment decrire "en mots" cette region. Une multitude d'ajectifs ci-appliquent: grandiose, majestueux, fantastique, ... read more

After acclimatising in Tibet for 8 days on altitudes between 3,500m and 5,000m we move on to Rongbuk, the highest monastery in the world at 5,000m. Just next to it is the last guesthouse before Everest base camp. Facilities are very basic here. Only one room is heated. That's where everybody hangs out over tea, a plate of fried rice or pot noodles. You can meet serious mountaineers and climbers, sherpas and walkers heading for base camp here. Sometimes you can't tell who is who - a group of well equipped climbers comes in and is greeted with an applause from their friends. You don't know if they have been quite a way up on Everest or just for a walk around the block. The toilets are quite breezy and dark - just two holes in ... read more

We came along to this high land upon the newest railway in the world, just built and opened this July 2006. The scenery changing as we crossed from Sichuan into the Tibetan plateau, from scrupulously utilized farmland --every inch of space used to plant either rice, corn, peanuts, or vegetables-- to the endless expanses of land on the plateau, nearly devoid of people but rich in plant and animal wildlife. Clean air, thin on oxygen but filling the whole self with unfiltered sunshine and clarity. The abounding wilderness and the freshness of it all, untainted by people for the most part, struck us profoundly. The once-a-week train was still a novelty to these parts, and people would stop their work in the barley fields and wave at the train in groups. Smiling broadly, beautiful people, children ... read more