14/6/97

Up and away at 8-30; it's light at 7, but until the sun reaches you at 8 it's bloody freezing. We soon make an unfortunate discovery; we're on the wrong side of the river, east of Tingri. We should have been to the east of the river to begin with, and now it looks like we'll have to wade the blasted thing. After half an hour trying to find a way across keeping our feet dry I leave the others, and carry on our side in the hope of a bridge, and another 5k on I find one. After crossing, I wait for an hour, but I can see no sign of the other two, so I carry on alone.

The first village I pass through, Lungjiang, is full of the usual pesky kids, so I don't linger but push straight through where I meet a local who is also travelling to Rongbuk, and we walk together for a few k's along the side of the river. After we cross a couple of stream beds and a mini-pass, we meet some of his friends with a donkey and cart which I help to push up a few inclines. This gains me some chang, but I decline the offer to carry my rucksack- honest Tony! I draw ahead of them as I go along as the donkey seems to be making heavy weather of the terrain. About 25k south of Tingri I'm at 4700m, and the track and the river turn east and start to climb. This is now becoming difficult, but 5k further on the path flattens out as I ford the river; unfortunately getting my feet thoroughly wet, much to the interest of the shepherder and his assistant I meet there.

Another 2 k and I can see a nomad camp off to the south, so I go in in company with my other friends who have now caught me up, and get some butter tea for 1Y. The locals are surprised when I drink it all and ask for more, but the fact is that if the butter it's made with isn't rancid it's OK. I then carry on until the track forks; I take the right fork which is supposed to take me over the easier route over the Lamma- La pass ahead. By this time it's 7-30 pm and I'm getting very tired, so I find a large rock to lie behind and lay down the bivi bag. By the time the sun goes down I'm asleep about 40k along a journey that is probably about 90k long- not bad. Of course the locals are already across the pass or somewhere near it!

Just after Lungjiang	Up to a mini pass
The track turns west and starts to climb towards a ford	Looking towards the Lamma-La pass near to the first nomad camp

15/6/97

Wake up around 7 as the light arrives with respiration's at 15, but resting heart rate of 90! I content myself with some sausage in my sleeping bag until the sun reaches me. After the 2k my carefully dried feet get wet again as I ford another stream; why did I get those goretex boots anyway? After that it's another 2k to the top of the Lama-la pass at 5150m, which is unusually marked by a cairn and a single prayer scarf. You can soon see why; there's a valley between me and a second pass at the same height; people are so pissed off seeing this they don't regard crossing this pass as something to celebrate! In the valley are some nomad tents (about 5100m- highest ever settlement I've seen!) and some extremely efficient dogs who keep me a long way away. After the second pass, I meet a couple of porters carrying gear for Rongbuk. I must look tired at this point, as they press some sugar crystals on me before going off down the valley which gently slopes down to Zonmug.

Zonmug was a hoped for rest stop 10k down the valley where I was to obtain a little butter tea, but after crossing the valley to see the place it appears deserted, with only a couple of dogs and a wild horse to keep me company. Ah well, back down another 5k to the river by the 4WD track that I had travelled along last time, where I found the two porters waiting for me; kind of them. However, it was obvious that they would get to Rongbuk before dark and equally obvious that I would not. Near perhaps, but not there!

Crossing the raging torrent to the 4WD track appeared to guarantee me a ride to somewhere an awful long way away; Xegar perhaps (!), so I turned south and moved up the valley next to the river through two more ruined monasteries, trusting that there would be a bridge. There was one just as the valley forked 10k further on; left to Everest, right to another mountain. However, by this point it was nearly 7-30, and I was too tired to go any further. I managed to stay awake for a while looking at Everest's summit, just visible over another mountain.

Next to the bridge over the river. Everest is the mountain nearly concealed on the left	The Pakistani expedition when I was last at Base

16/6/97

Woke up feeling fairly bad. The sore throat was now definitely a lung infection, and my left lung was rather painful. I understand that erythromycin makes you dozy, so I put off taking any, especially as the course lasts a week. Instead, I trogged over the bridge, and on up the 4WD track. After about 5k, a Toyota bounds down towards me and stops. Inside are two of the Pakistani's I met last time I was here. They're moving out today and have some bad news; both the attempts on the summit failed, one at 8620m which must have gutted them. The wind was just too bad, and that was that after two and a half months here. I sympathized, and moved on. Moving up the track I notice what looks like shortcut footpaths, and they are worth taking! Finally, after 15k of uphill I'm back at Rongbuk.

The expedition truck was just loading up, both with the Pakistani's stores and whichever of the locals could fit on the top. They will drive down to Kathmandu and stay there for a week, then fly home; I get the impression that Kathmandu is the preferred option! While watching them go, I see another Westerner.

Ross is a Czech who got here a week ago, and wandered up to base camp to see it and nothing more. The Pakistani's were friendly, and suggested that he come with them to the next camp to retrieve some gear. We'll feed you and have a yak carry your rucksack he was assured. They then spent the next week taking him all the way up to Camp III! He was grateful for the opportunity, but the joke wasn't quite funny yet! As we settled down to drink gallons of sweet tea, an Israeli walked in.

Shy must have been pacing me along the way, but he was in better shape than I was; he wanted to walk back out along the 4WD track, while Ross and I were definitely for taking a lift if we could get one, at least back to the highway. The first chance arrived at four when a Landcruiser with two Germans arrived. Unfortunately, they explained to us that what with their driver, guide and cook (!"!!) they wouldn't have room for Ross, who was in a bad state. I bit my tongue before saying what I thought of them, but left wishing I could bomb Berlin! Ross had a healthier outlook; he would never ask for anything from a German. Going back to the cafe, we ordered some thukpa (meat and noodles). Part of Rongbuk's essential charm is the fact that you never get what you order, not to mention the fact that it's usually 2 hours later when you actually get your noodles minus the meat. This is a monastery, so you can't really expect meat, but it might help if the shopkeeper stopped trying to play the guitar and sing; I swear that Everest itself would run away if it had the chance!

Expedition truck leaving Rongbuk with hangers on!	Shy at Rongbuk; the guy in the grey jumper runs the accomodation

17/6/97

Woke up, and Shy and I wandered off to base camp. It was easier than last time, and we took great pleasure at motoring past the Germans at mach 9; they soon gave up, and called up their Landcruiser. The base camp was deserted now the Pakistani's had left, and Shy and I contented ourselves with gazing longingly at Rongbuk glacier which I certainly was in no condition to ascend, then went back.

Once we had got there, who should we see walk in but the British/Chinese couple I thought had given up on my first day. They looked worn but happy, and were somewhat non-plussed to have the evil faced little so-and-so (not a monk) who runs the monastery's "hotel" operation try to ensure they paid the full hotel rate to pitch their tent 20m from the monastery. We stopped to listen, but this enraged him all the more and he tried to push me over shouting that it was none of my business. He soon learnt that you don't shove people 4 inches taller than you, and an amicable compromise was reached. Thankfully, the majority of the monks here are much friendlier!

At this time Ross felt he had to leave as his visa ran out on the 21st. There was no sign of a lift for him, and if he had to walk all the way to the highway before getting a lift he had to start moving straight away. Shy and I should probably have gone with him.

The moraine at the end of Ronbuk glacier, looking from base camp	Me and Everest; nearly as tall!