It’s brutal, brutal hard work. Not for the feint hearted.

You don’t sleep. That’s the first thing I realised. You just don’t sleep. You sort of drift in and out waking up with your mind feeling crazed. It was a crazy wake up call for my body. The hike was an easy hike but I was still unprepared for how taxing it was. I also packed far too much adding to the issue.

The second day was better much better but it still wore me down and by the end I could barely walk and move I was so exhausted. The weather grew colder and mistier. I also started coming down with the flu from my stupid play in freezing waterfall water.

The food is all vegetarian no meat once you get up.

Langtang is a spectacular place. Everything is made of heaped stones and wood. The people bring everything up on the backs of the porters. Who walk all day hauling goods up and down the same paths that I struggle to find a foothold on. Whole water tanks, bundles of plans at least 3m long and inches think and full glass window panes are all hefted on the backs of men. It seems an impossibly gruelling task as they march on by.

The walk from Langtang to Kensin Gompa was especially hard. Made so by the fact that my flu made it impossible to lift my bag let alone carry it. Today’s trek was only 3 hours. We hired a porter to carry my bag and I barely managed to walk myself there in 4 and a half hours. The terrain and the view was spectacular and I have countless photos and videos. My head was aching and Lakpa was a bit concerned but I was sure it was mostly from the flu and exertion rather than altitude. I rested for most of the day before seeking out the Canadian. A fellow trekker who was marching up in sandles a shirt and shorts – crazy. His guide Ching was a friend of Lakpa and the four of us became heated card buddies duelling out games of gin and five hundred.

The next morning we made out for the Yala peak ascent. Again no breakfast just my water bottle. About halfway we were overtaken by the Canadian and his just marched on stoically up as if nothing could stop him. We made the peak and what a view. The day was perfect the weather amazing. Ching remarked that someone must have fucked a yak in order to get such lucky weather. We rested a little and decided to press further on and up by following the ridge to the next peak. Another brutal climb and I arrived just as the weather turned and the mist rolled in. The views were still amazing and another two gents managed to meet us there. We witnessed a couple of avalanches on the opposite ridge where the massive glacier was. And even though I was panting standing still, the Canadian and I were still being competitive and moved on to push up further, we were about 5000m at this point and the ridge simply vanished above us. The Canadian lead and I followed and our guide who thought we were crazy simply sat and waited for us to come back. We went up a fair bit further the Canadian far ahead of me and his was enveloped by the mist. Exhausted again I sat to compose myself. My mind found it hard. All my senses were heightened and I could feel my heart blasting away in my chest and the affect of the altitude on my breathing and focus. The Canadian came bounding back down. The way ahead was treacherous and he had started getting dizzy. So we sat for a while against a rock which blocked the freeing wind. We decided we would not go back but rather across the face of the ridge slope. It was dangerous if you slipped you may not stop for a good couple of hundred meters. We pressed on until we hit a landslide and the Canadian went down and back for the guide while i sat and desperately searching the surrounds for snow leopards. I had spent most of my time glued to the binoculars desperately seeking movement denoting a leopard. When I saw the guys below me using the yak path cut into the slope I made to descend. It turned into a full blown run down a steep slope towards them. It was an amazing effort on my behalf just to keep my footing though I lost it a couple of times and my water bottle in one of those slips but I made it down like a madman. Lakpa managed to capture it on film!!

We were now in the valley behind in front of the glacier. In no mans land.

We managed to make it back to town about 3 hours later by walking around the mountains through the valley. Through scrub and river and rock we plodded.

It started like any trip. On a local bus to some place I’ve never been. My guide collected me at 6:30am and we just made the bus as it was driving away. We sat in out seats and it was immediately apparent that I would need to be sitting sideways in order to fit. My knee has a loverly bruise from fighting that urge as sitting sideways made me cramp a lot. My guides name is lakba and I asked how long the trip would take, about 6 hours he replied. So about 8 and a half hours later I was pretty damn sick of the bus. Lakba has magical powers as well. He managed to sleek nearly the whole way, on a bus sweeping side to side with every pot hole whilst laying all over me sleeping. We made such a cute couple. The bus route as well is questionable as we surged through mountain passes we more than once looked like going over the edge to a massive drop all the way down to what looked like a tiny river. It’s actually huge. Once we even stopped so the people standing up and siting on the roof could remove themselves from the bus so we could continue and rejoin us after the peril and passed.

Once we finally arrived I ate.
The food was amazing! I had chicken momo which is a steamed chicken dumpling and it was amazing. Then I had fried rice which was also very very good.

The night was perilous and I slept badly. A thunder strike that shook the foundations of the earth and sounded like Everest coming through my window was quite ominous.

I was up at 6:30 breakfast some porridge and honey consumed and we set out at 7:00. It soon became apparently clear this shit is fucking ridiculously hard. All those people that just bound up mountains on a weekend are full of shit. A quarter of the way in I nearly threw up. Sweat wouldn’t stop and at our first rest house I lost a quarter of my stuff and left it there as my bag was simply far too heavy. We come back there at the end so I can load up again once I’ve had some practice…

I managed to soak myself in a waterfall which was amazing only that I completely overlooked my shoes and first day in they are soaked. I am now trying to dry them by the fire, a forlorn hope I think.

The hiking was made worse by the fact that every time we climbed we then descended. Why? I don’t know perhaps the trek makers have a sense if humour. I certainly didn’t. It was hard, brutally hard! More then once I just had to stop and rest, remove my pack and just sit whilst my heart thumped in my chest and my legs jiggled.

We moved on at a much slower pace. Poor Lakba looked so bored as I could barely lift one leg in front of the other to keep myself going.

We made the halfway point and I refused any lunch a half of a Chibati was enough. Coke was a godsend! Lesson learned. No food on treks!!

We plunged on up and down mostly up and my heart fell every time we had to go back down. It was just knowing that my effort which was great, was simply wasted.

The afternoon dragged on. Managed to see some monkeys but the elusive red panda and big cats (lynx, tiger and snow leopard) remained out of reach.

We finally made it to our overnight stop. 8 hours later, my legs barely functioning my shoulders aching, but we were here.

I know tomorrow will be harder, the trek is all up hill as we move from our 2400meters to 3400meters. A longer walk and all up hill! Uphill!! Brutal is not the word!!!

I’ve been keeping a video log as I go, mostly it just captures me on the verge of a heart attack unable to make intelligent comment. Time for bed.

I’m on the bus! It’s 4:00am! I haven’t slept. We are finally climbing into mountains! So exciting!

Last couple of days I was searching expecting to see giant mountains in the distance and I have not been able to. Very disappointing. The Himalayas are the largest mountains in the world and I can’t fucking see them, figure that out! But now we are climbing into them and the sky is alive with lightning like I’ve never seen before. It’s like a flicking lightbulb flash two three flash flash two flash two three, every two seconds or so the sky lights up. And it’s been this way for 10 hours now!!! Ever since the sun went down simply amazing!!!

Set to reach Kathmandu in two more hours if we are on time. I’m hiding underneath my jacket so the light of the iPad doesn’t upset everyone else sleeping. It’s a cramped experience.

I can see the outline of the mountains with every flash. I wanted to travel during the day but so far Nepal is hotter than India and the sweat just pours off you if you think about stepping outside. That and the over crammed nature of the day buses sought me to seek the overnight ac bus, ahhhhh ac!!! It’s costs an exorbitant $8.50 For the 9 hour ride!

Been in Kathmandu for a couple of days now mainly in mind around Thamel and it has been amazing. I love it, it’s very touristy but also nice. It’s smells good, there are shops full of fun and adventure everywhere. Loverly narrow streets where small little cars and bike and the dreaded push tuk scramble around each other.

I managed to secure my parcel sent from. Kimbo to my hotel in Kathmandu and apparently it was a lucky and rare occurrence for it to arrive and be accepted, excellent!!

Mitch managed to squeeze in by gift as well which is going to be dragged around with me now. An AFL footy!! Can’t wait to kick that around Everest base camp with Pigly!

There are all sorts of handicrafts here, beautiful items yak fur blankets and Kashmir scarves, bone skull ash trays, wooden crafted goods, lots of metallic bangles and jewellery and heaps of woollen goods. I managed to pick myself up a loverly angry birds beanie that has caused a rift between me and Pigly, but it has stopped my eggs from going missing…

It feels nice here, heats up a bit during the day but the evenings are pleasant and cool. I found a very touristy bar called the New Orleans which has kept me happy with Cuban cocktails and good tasty food.

I spent today running around buying items needed for my trek, boots, glasses, waterproof pants, etc. in preparation for my hike to base camp I though it prudent to spend my days now hiking around to test myself out. I managed to meet a nice chap called Romiero, who owns the Mi Casa hotel, who has planned out an adventurous separate trek of about 12 days for me. In a region near the Everest region, but far less frequented by tourists, he described it as a cultural tour. If I dreamed of Tibet and yaks and untouched awesomeness then this was the place. No noisy Chinese tourists or other westerners. Sounded pretty good so I signed up. The trek will take me up to about 5000meters and to some pretty spectacular sights if everything works out. Best part is I will be alone with my guide and carrying my own equipment. I expect the first few days to be a brutal brutal experience.