Despite 10 days of acclimatisation almost all the group had some degree of breathlessness, headaches and lack of sleep last night. While cold there was ample bedding to stay walm with the problem due to very hard beds, difficulty breathing at the altitude & only squat loos 3 floors up. Despite this waking to a clear sunrise was some compensation for the discomfort. The day ahead was another 240 km over 8 hrs. We had to retrace the corrugated road down the mtn back to the highway, a juddering 60 kms over 3.5 hrs but still a suitable time to reflect on a wonderful experience, while not life changing, it will still be remembered for the rest of our life. The rest of the trip was still substantially at altitude with our last pass (Lalong La ... read more

Weather is very stable at present with another cloudless deep blue sky on offer before some light cloud rolling in as usual in the afternoons. Today was another slow but interesting 7.5 hr 240 km drive to Shegar inside the Everest Nature Reserve. The route initially passed through small farming villages but quickly turned to barren rocky hills on either side of the road all the while gently climbing first to a peak of 4500 mtrs before dropping down again only to climb an even higher pass of 5200 mtrs. A 1000 mtr climb for the day. While the outlook was still rugged & remote the scene was changing as we rose the 2nd peak. Large patches of icy snow lay in sheltered areas and covered most of the rocky river bed with a tiny but ... read more

Woke to another clear blue sky day but a chilly7c. Gyantse is a remarkable place in that it has escaped much of the Chinese influence evident in other major Tibetan towns. High on a hill the town is dominated by the recently rebuilt replica of an ancient fort (Shigatse Dzong). The fort was besieged by British forces in 1904 during the famous Younghusband Expedition which was essentially an invasion. We also visited the octagonal shaped Kumbum Stupa built in 1444 inside the Gyantse Monastery & founded by the 1st Punchen Lama. The Monastery was vast but has been significantly destroyed. It is now only sparsely occupied & somewhat rundown but it original grandure is evident with the extent of the frescos on all the walls. Shigatse is only 95 km from Gyantse but still a 2.5 ... read more

Two full days in Lhasa, also know as the "Forbidden City" due until recently its inaccessibility. While now a large city,Lhasa only has a small Tibetan Quarter renowned for its temples & monasteries in and around the ancient Barkhor Street. The street is round with tiny alleyways off to the side and surrounds the Jokhang Temple (sacred to Tibetan Buddhists) and is a place full of religious atmosphere with prostrating pilgrims and a world of exotic trading. The inside of Jokhang is incrediably ornate & inspiring with endless numbers of devotees following rituals that are difficult to understand. No photos allowed. On a hill overlooking Lhasa & Barkhor Street the skyline is dominated by the Potala Palace (meaning Nirvana), historically the home of all the Dalai Lamas. The palace was built in 2 stages. The red ... read more

Today was the start of our tour group with a half day tour around some of the historical sites around Kathmandu. Not a good start to the day with light rain falling & then found i'd left my camera in the room. Then we found our guide for the day was difficult to understand so I tended to turn off listening. First stop was Pashupatinatinath site including a sacred temple for both Hindus & buddhists. As it is based alongside the Bagmati river it is also the main site for funeral services with 3 funerals occurring including one funeral pyre well alight. All the while monkeys are running amock & so called holy men posing for photos for a small fee. No photos as I left camera in room but still not sure what to make ... read more