Everest Base Camp Trek Diaries - Day 13


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February 14th 2010
Published: August 9th 2017
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Geo: 28.1204, 85.4626

I woke up at 6:30, packed my bags and headed for breakfast. This was the final day. 7 Hours to Lukla from Namche. The day was perfect and Dustin was feeling good and full of energy.
After breakfast we set off downhill for about an hour, laughing and joking, all in high spirits as we looked forward to getting to Lukla.
We passed many other trekkers along the way who were heading up, testament to the weather and season changing into peak season. There were quite a few Koreans that do the trek but usually in a big group and decked head to toe in all the best gear. We stopped to sign away from the Sargarmatha National Park where they keep a tally of the months tourist figures and it was about 700ish for January 2010 which was a 200 person increase from other January's in previous years. Also testament to the popularity and accessibility of the trek.
On the way back, we passed a small village where Dustin and Chelsey both saw kids playing in a field covered with dirt and animal fecal matter, but they were running onto and around a bunch of vegetables that were being laid out to dry. So i don't think they are concerned with hygiene as much as we are.
We stopped off for lunch in the same place Radek and myself had lunch on the first day of the trek, so we knew we were halfway there. Krishna had taught me the word in Nepalese for friend which is "Sati" or "Satee", and as we were walking i passed a small kid who was lying on a bench who said "hello" to me. I replied "Namaste Sati" and the boy sat up as he was completley amazed from the response. It was funny to see the reaction. We continued to walk through the vally heading South, passing more small villages and taking in the last few amazing views and silence. Then we started our 200m ascent to Lukla which ascends over a period of slopes and steps. One final push to the final destination and end of the trek. We ran into the Danish couple as we were near the end.
I was slightly ahead of Dustin as we neared the entrance to Lukla. He tried to sneakily beat me to the top of the steps, but i had him covered.
I had done it!
I was overjoyed at the scale of my achievement. We walked through the town and closer to the airport for our accommodation where i sat in my room and unwound.
A little while later i went to get something to eat and within 30min I had eaten 2 Mars bars and a pack of chocolate buscuits. Chelsey and Dustin treated themselves to a hot shower, but at a small price. I could have got one but i wanted to wash my hair, so i thought i would wait one more day. I'll probably spend hours in the shower and what a feeling it will be too.
After 2 weeks without a shower it make you appreciate how lucky we are to have these things. A lot of people in India and Nepal are not as lucky to be able to take showers.
During the evening we played some cards next to the fire and had some dinner. We tried to find a bar for some drinks but all were closed. So we came back where i had another mars bar and hot chocolate. I seem to have been eating quite a lot of food over the last few days, I've never eaten so much in a day.
Dustin, Krishna and myself shared a beer in celebration of our trip and then we hit the sack for a 6am rise for our flight back to Kathmandu.

Reflection:

What an unbelievable trek this has been. I have always imagined doing it and now it has come true and has been a reality and I am overjoyed. It has come and gone so quickly. From leaving Kathmandu to Returning back has been amazing, spectacular and inspiring. I'm not sure if i would have had such a good time if i had not met Radek, Dustin and Chelsey and am thankful to have shared the experience with all three, including Krishna as well. The memories will stay strong and will no doubt inspire other adventures. Who knows maybe Mount Kilimanjaro with Dustin and Chelsey i n a few years?
I have loved seeing this part of the world and hope to visit again soon. Luckily i will get a taste in Pokhara. Then back to the always chaotic affair that is India. I can't believe that i have come to India and Nepal for my first big overseas trip and that i have accomplished the famous Everest Base Camp trek. So many more things to look forward too.
I hope you have enjoyed these blogs and maybe have inspired or given you a taste of what to expect. Nepal has been so amazing and i rank it high on the list of places in the world to go to. Even though i have only been to four countries. I will look forward to coming back and trying many of the other treks.



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10th December 2011

Great story, very helpful, im going to do that this february, thank u :)
12th December 2011

thank you and good luck, enjoy every moment and every sight
20th April 2012

chncnj

Tot: 0.193s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 11; qc: 49; dbt: 0.0669s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1; ; mem: 1.2mb