Tips on How to Prepare for the Everest Base Camp Trek 1:17 AM

To read all posts on my Everest Base Camp trek, click here for the complete series.

Seeing this map makes me realize how far I've trekked--from Lukla all the way to Everest Base Camp.
Oh my God. Image Credit: Himalayan Planet Adventures P. Ltd.

A lot of people have been asking me how I prepared for Everest Base Camp, what stuff did I bring, what life was like on the trail, etc.  Someone even asked me if I had to ration my food for 12 days and cook my meals over a campfire every night. Lol.

This blog post is written for those who are doing this trek for the very first time and wish to know what to expect. I've also made a previous post on a breakdown of all expenses during an Everest Base Camp trek as well as another blog entry on a complete packing list for trekkers to EBC.

I wrote all these because I wanted to share my experiences, and hopefully help somebody in preparing for this once-in-a-lifetime trek. And if this blog post does convince someone to go and do it, that would make me very happy!

1. Go solo or go with a group or buddy?  Trek costs can be shared between friends and/or couples, especially when it comes to food, lodgings or a nice pot of piping hot chocolate. Plus, you're bound to take each other's photos the whole way going up, so there won't be any shortage of captured memories. Just be sure your trekking buddy is someone you really get along with--because you'll be stuck with one another 24/7. Joining a group can also be arranged prior to the trek. If you are hiring a local trekking agency, they normally group you with others who are scheduled to trek on the same day as you are. You can also arrange with the agency for you and your buddy to trek as a private group. Or, you can always go on those Lonely Planet and Trip Advisor forums where people are looking for fellow trekkers to trek with them on specific two- or three-week periods.

I traveled solo, and I loved every minute of it. There is absolutely no reason for anyone--especially for solo female travelers out there--to be concerned about doing Everest Base Camp alone. First of all, you aren't really alone. There's a guide and porter with you, and at the end of each day, you get to meet fellow trekkers in the teahouse you're staying in for the night.  The trail is full of people, especially during peak season. However, independent trekkers are normally discouraged to travel completely alone; in the event that one needs medical assistance, someone may not be readily on hand to answer the call for help.

The advantage of traveling solo is that I got to do everything at my own pace.  I didn't have to deal with the pressure of keeping pace with total strangers, who may be impatient and way faster than me, or may be super slow. Or they may be the type to complain a lot, talk too much, exhibit annoying characteristics, etc. If I had happened to get stuck with people I didn't really like, then I would have had no choice but to spend 12 full days in their company.

When I craved solitude, I got to have my 'alone' time. When I felt like chatting with people, I'd talk to other trekkers in the teahouse or I'd strike up a conversation with a stranger on the trail. Most of the time, I talked and played cards with my guide and porter, and those were great bonding times. But whenever I felt the need to be alone, I had enough space and time to enjoy my solitude. Solo traveling is pretty fun as it puts you in control of all your travel arrangements.

I traveled solo--and my best friends on the trek were Dhan Kumar (left) and Madan (right), my porter and guide, respectively. This is my favorite picture of us in Tengboche. Everest is right behind us three.

2. Getting a local trekking agency vs. Do-It-Yourself. I didn't even include foreign trekking agencies (located outside Nepal) as an option. They are just too expensive. I mean, sorry, but what's the point of going through them? You can arrange the trek logistics yourself or search the Internet for credible trekking agencies in Nepal. There are plenty of them, and the Nepalis are honest people to deal with.

That said, once you decide to go DIY or through a local agency, this will pretty much spell out how your trip will look like. Decide between these 2 options, and everything else will follow.  It all depends on your comfort level, budget, and how you want to control things. For more information on what to budget for, visit my blog post on costs to expect during an Everest Base Camp trek.

Going DIY means hiring your own guide and/or porter and making your room and food arrangements as you go. Guides and/or porters can be hired the moment you land in Lukla. You will of course need to talk to them (and rely on your wits and gut instinct to see if you're comfortable enough to be with them for 12 days) prior to striking a deal. Most, if not all, of the Nepalis I've met along the trail are polite and friendly. Tourism is what drives the economy of the Khumbu region where Everest is, and trekkers are treated with great hospitality.

I opted to get a local trekking agency, Himalayan Planet Adventures (HPA), and I chose their 16-day Everest Base Camp trek package. While getting an agency may be rather pricier than trekking independently, I felt it suited my budget and my idea of how I wanted my trip to be. I didn't want to deal with the hassle of looking for a guide and porter, securing my own domestic flights, choosing a teahouse at the end of each day, and reaching for my wallet after every meal I ate.

When I arrived in Kathmandu, everything was conveniently arranged for me; I just paid for the full package cost--which included my hotel in Kathmandu, teahouse lodgings, food, guide and porter fees, permits, domestic flights, and airport transfers. With this package, I could pick any food item on the menu in any teahouse I was in, and I could also have my choice of hot drink with each meal plus a bowl of soup a day. I didn't have to worry about carrying loads of cash (or losing all that cash!), because my guide Madan took care of the lodging and food arrangements in my behalf. All I had to shell out personally as miscellaneous expenses were mineral water, hot showers, treats (like chocolate), battery charging and Wi-Fi.

When I was stuck in Lukla for a day before heading out to Kathmandu, the HPA team was the one arranging for my revised domestic flight bookings and a possible chopper ride. For me, it was all about leaving the nitty-gritty logistics to the agency so that I could fully focus on the physical demands of the trek.

Again, it all depends on your budget and the level of comfort and control you're expecting on the trail.  It's your Everest Base Camp trek, so feel free to choose whichever option makes you happy.


3. Physical Conditioning. Obviously, you have to be decently fit for this trek. You don't need to be ultra athletic (I'm most definitely not!); just make sure you have had some form of physical preparation a few months before EBC. Some trekkers do conditioning for an entire year prior to the trek. If you do regular exercise, you'll be fine. I do running, boxing and bikram yoga (hot yoga) during my spare time. When I was preparing 3 months before Base Camp, I just merely had to increase the rounds I'd do for boxing, or run a few more extra kilometers as endurance training. I've been doing bikram yoga for two years now, and I've realized that all those breathing exercises at the start of each bikram session really helped me during the hardest days of the trek.   

I'm not the best in taking food photos, but this
tomato garlic pasta with yak cheese tastes so good!
Fresh or  dried chili is always available if you like
your food spicy like I do.

4. Going Vegetarian for 12 Days. It's not like you have much of a choice, actually. Be gastronomically prepared to go vegetarian all throughout the trek. There is no frozen storage system in the Khumbu region, and all uncooked meat are carried up and down by Sherpas. The freshness of the meat can't be guaranteed. So if you have a sensitive stomach or if you don't want to risk acquiring some gastrointestinal illness, avoid meat altogether while you're on the trek. My guide Madan said I could have meat at Namche Bazaar or at lower elevations, so if you are really craving a burger or meat pizza, you can have those at lower altitude levels.

I played it safe and avoided meat completely. I thought I would be weak for the whole 12 days but I felt surprisingly healthy and strong. The Sherpas at the teahouses can really cook up a storm, and they serve really delicious veggie dishes like garlic cheese pasta and vegetable rice. And then there is the ubiquitous staple meal of the Nepalis which they can eat day in, day out and never get tired of--dal bhat. It is a dish that is composed of rice (bhat) and cooked lentil soup (dal) that is most often supplemented by vegetables, potato curry, pickled chili, and sometimes with roti or papadum.

I would sometimes find myself looking forward to a steaming hot plate of dal bhat at the end of a cold, wet day of trekking. The best part is, the Nepalis always serve you more than one round of dal bhat if you're in the mood for seconds or thirds.

I think dal bhat is the reason why Nepalis are so strong and can carry truckloads of stuff on their backs. As my
porter Dhan Kumar would say, "Dal bhat power, 24 hours!"

5. Bring cash. I kind of learned this the hard way.  Before the trek, I made sure to withdraw enough money from an ATM in Thamel, Kathmandu, because I read somewhere that there would not be any ATMs to be found up on the trail (for very obvious reasons). No credit card machines either past Namche, of course.  So make sure you have Nepalese Rupees with you before you fly to Lukla. This is so important. When I got back from the trek, I was kind of running low on cash and I wanted to withdraw money, especially when I was stuck for an extra day in Lukla.  No ATM machines there, but you could ask your guide to bring you to a few banks in Lukla that can swipe your credit card for you, and then they will provide you with the cash equivalent.  Thankfully, I didn't have to do that, as I was able to fly to Kathmandu the next day.

Dhan Kumar places dried yak dung into the stove. Yak dung
is used as fuel everywhere in the Khumbu region to keep
people warm by the stove at night. 

6. Expect basic accommodations. This is a trek to Everest Base Camp, after all, so best to lower your expectations.  Frankly speaking, roughing it during the trek is really part of the charm, and I was glad to go through such an experience. Teahouses (which are like small, more basic-looking Swiss chalets) along the trail normally offer rooms that contain two single beds each, common toilets (some have common shower facilities), a big common dining area where everyone gathers--and zero central heating system. Well, there's the stove in the middle of the dining hall that's basically the warmest place in the entire teahouse--but it's only lit for a few hours every evening.

Toilets are usually the squat kind, but many teahouses have at least one Western toilet. As for showers, you can encounter either a 'bucket shower' or a 'gas shower' in some teahouses. Read about my bucket shower experience if you're the type who needs to have at least one or two showers during the entire trek.

Rooms get smaller the higher you go up, but are decent enough, if you're not the fussy type. All rooms have pillows and blankets, and you could always request for extra, when it's low season. Come peak season, you will need to depend on your sleeping bag and just one blanket to keep you warm--as teahouses can really fill up fast with trekkers.  Trekkers who aren't able to get a room end up sleeping in the dining hall.

Most teahouses at higher elevations are powered by solar electricity; there are times when you are unable to charge your phone or camera at all because there is no electricity.  So when you are in a teahouse that does have electricity, do grab the opportunity to charge your gadgets. You wouldn't want to run out of batt when you get to Base Camp.

A typical teahouse dining hall (with a stove in the middle) found throughout the Everest trail.

A Sherpa carries his heavy load up the trail. It's just a
typical day's work for them, but it's so mind-boggling
to see so many of them do this all the time. Super humans!

7. Give way to Sherpas and yaks. Try and compete for space on the narrow trail path with a yak--and chances are, you'll be injured by its sharp horns, or worse, you may get nudged off the cliff. When a train of yaks is arriving, you need to stop trekking, step aside, and practically press yourself against the mountain wall to avoid being a yak victim.

As for Sherpas, you can't help but respect them and give them the right of way-especially when they're carrying thick stacks of plywood on their backs or heavy drums filled with goods.  The people of the Khumbu region are impressively strong, but they're human, too. When you encounter them on the trail carrying heavy loads, give them a break by not blocking their path. The reason you have a roof over your head and a decent bed to sleep in on the remote trails of the Himalayas is because Sherpas carried all those construction materials on their backs up to the top.

8. Respect the local culture. Be mindful of local customs, and when your guide tells you to always walk on the left side of a prayer wheel or a Buddhist Mani stone wall, or turn the prayer wheel in a certain direction, just do so.  And it doesn't hurt to learn the local language either. Basic phrases like 'namaste' (hello/goodbye-which is also said a lot in my yoga classes) and 'dhanyabad' (thank you) are commonly exchanged between the locals and trekkers alike. I have an affinity for learning new languages so I asked Madan and Dhan Kumar to teach me as much Nepali as they could. I had them laughing in stitches every time I'd say something funny (or naughty) in Nepali, which is a nice language to learn.

Always turn the prayer wheel in a clockwise direction.
And always walk on the left side of a Buddhist Mani
stone.

When you see Sherpas carrying their heavy load or are at rest on the trail, just say, 'Namaste. Ke cha?' Then watch them break into smiles. 

To be honest though, I think the one local thing I had difficulty accepting was that guests are served their food first, and guides/porters have to wait at least 30 minutes or an hour after for them to receive their food. It is understandable that Nepalese would want to consider their guests as first priority, but as a trekker traveling with both her guide and porter, I felt uncomfortable being served food while my two companions, who were equally tired and hungry as I was, had to wait some more. In my country, regardless of social or economic status, food is served to everyone at the same time and people normally eat together. 

But the Nepalese teahouse owners were pretty nice about my requests to have Madan's, Dhan Kumar's and my food served together. They were a little surprised about such requests, but very obliging. 

9. Buy all you need in Thamel, Lukla or in Namche. If you've forgotten to get some trekking gear in your own country, you can do last-minute shopping in the bustling backpacker district of Thamel, Kathmandu, the best place to be in for all your trekking needs. Lukla has a lot of shops too, but with lesser choices compared to Kathmandu. 

As for Namche Bazaar, think of it as the Rivendell of your trek.  It is the last point of civilization as you know it. Goods become scarcer and way too pricier as you ascend past Namche.  So if you need to buy trekking gear, hand sanitizer, energy bars, multivitamins or even a deck of playing cards, Namche Bazaar is your last chance to do so.   

10. Counter Altitude Sickness. Last, but certainly not the least! Acute mountain sickness (AMS), or commonly referred to as altitude sickness, is, I think, the great equalizer when it comes to trekking. Regardless of fitness level, age and even mountaineering experience, everyone is bound to feel AMS at some point past the 3,000 meter mark.  It just depends on the degree of altitude sickness that you've contracted. Altitude sickness is no joke, and can even lead to death. On the day I was to reach Base Camp, I learned about the deaths of two trekkers who never made it due to altitude sickness.

Mild AMS is normal and is experienced by many.  But severe AMS is debilitating, and any person with moderate to severe AMS should already be given the medical attention needed.  Under such cases, the trekker experiencing bad altitude sickness is already made to descend as rapidly as possible before it becomes fatal.

Mild symptoms include headache, fatigue, breathlessness, and loss of appetite--all of which I experienced at some stages and which were addressed immediately.  You know you already have severe AMS if you're experiencing severe headache, disorientation, vomiting, breathlessness (even at a standstill) or if you're exhibiting irrational behavior. If these symptoms are happening at the same time or one after the other, you need to descend immediately or have your guide arrange for a helicopter evacuation, weather permitting.

Here's how to avoid severe altitude sickness:

a. Proper Acclimatization - I talked about acclimatization in this post, as explained to me by Naba and Madan of Himalayan Planet Adventures. The general rule is to 'climb high, sleep low.'  And for about every 1,000 meters of ascent, you will be asked to stay an extra day at that current level in order for your body to adjust and acclimatize.  Your guide should be able to advise you on this. And please do not trek completely alone. Who's going to guide you down the path when you have a massive headache, and you're retching and feeling dizzy and disoriented? When I was experiencing minor AMS on the way to Pangboche on Day 4, Madan and Dhan Kumar were there to help me and monitor my condition.

A bowl of garlic soup a day keeps the altitude sickness away.
I had one every night while on the trail. 

b. Drink 3-4 liters of liquids a day - Because of the demands of the trek, you will easily consume at least 2-3 liters of water a day. Never allow yourself to be dehydrated, as this helps contribute to AMS. Liquids such as hot chocolate and garlic soup also helped me a lot; garlic soup is a natural preventive method against AMS and is pretty delicious.  Coffee and too much tea are actually not recommended during the trek, as these cause heart palpitations. As much as I am fond of coffee, I had to stop around Day 3.

c. Take Diamox - Diamox (generic name: Acetazolamide) is the medicine one takes to counter the effects of altitude sickness. On the Internet, there are differing opinions as to when to take it--whether to start taking it 24 hours before the trek or to take it when you start feeling symptoms, or to simply avoid it at all. My advice: consult a doctor prior to the trek. Diamox can affect people in different ways. In my case, I only took Diamox when I started contracting minor altitude sickness, which was in Day 4 of the trek. My daily dosage was 250mg--split into two, so I could take 125mg in the morning and 125mg in the evening. You can buy Acetazolamide in Kathmandu or in your own country. In the Philippines, it is known as Cetamid. Some typical side effects of Diamox include frequent peeing and a tingling sensation on your toes and fingertips.

d. Pace yourself - I honestly don't get why some trekkers feel pressured into going up to Everest Base Camp as fast as they can. This isn't a race. Nobody back home would really care about your pace per day or if you outpaced your trekmates; they just want you safe and alive. I hear and read sad stories about how there are ultra-fit, super competitive people who trekked to EBC only to descend because their bodies couldn't handle it, that they didn't acclimatize properly, that they overexerted themselves, etc.  In some cases, trekking with a group even presents dangers, as people have different stride lengths, endurance levels, and pacing--and all this makes some feel 'pressured' into keeping up with the overall pace of the group.

e. Avoid alcoholic beverages and cigarettes during the trek - You do not want a hangover to enhance your experience of altitude sickness. You really do not. And breathing the thin air through the nose or mouth is already a hard task; you won't be able to smoke properly anyway. Reserve the liquor and tobacco for your last day, when you're back in Lukla.      


Sorry for the long post, but that's pretty much it! All the important stuff to know before heading off for the Everest Base Camp trek. This is my last post on Everest Base Camp (whew!) and I hope you found something useful or at least mildly entertaining in all the 10 or so posts I've written.  The grandeur of the Himalayas has inspired me so much that I'm actually planning my next trekking trip to Nepal. I won't say yet where in Nepal exactly I'm going but I hope to update you on that one of these days. :)

Hello, goodbye, and see you again soon, Nepal!

Everest Base Camp Trek - Day 3: Trek to Kyanjuma 3:31 PM

To read all posts on my Everest Base Camp trek, click here for the complete series.

The views on the trail. Photo by Gina Sales, 2013

Day 3: May 31, 2013

My guide Madan once told me that he has had some clients in the past who, after Day 2, had decided to turn back and not push through with the rest of the trek.

Well, I didn't want to be like those people. I had my heart set on reaching Everest Base Camp even if I had to brave a thousand crazy jokepes following me everywhere.

Yay, go, Bryan, my fellow Filipino trekker! Wish I brought my own flag! 

Although I wasn't in the mood to trudge in the rain once more after that nightmarish second day, I was glad that my headache and slight fever were gone when I woke up the next morning. In the dining hall of the teahouse in Namche Bazaar, I was pleased as punch to encounter a Philippine flag on the wall as I was having breakfast.  It was to be the first and last Philippine flag I saw all throughout my trek--and I completely regretted not bringing one. I didn't know that EBC trekkers all over the world would be so hard core about bringing flags and decorating the walls of teahouses. I promised myself that the next time I visit the Himalayas, I would carry one, and place it in one of the teahouses as proof that I've made it to Everest Base Camp and back.

But on that third day, I was just so happy to see my country's own flag. The Nepalis I encountered on the trail would always remark that there aren't a lot of Filipino trekkers in the Himalayan region. Even Madan and Dhan Kumar said that I am their first Filipino trekking client. Ergo, I had become a novelty to these Nepali people I've met--and I would always get a load of questions from them about myself and my country.

Before leaving Namche Bazaar, we stopped by a store so I could stock up on key items such as hand sanitizer, bottled water, toilet paper, ziplocs, multivitamins, playing cards, and chocolate bars. (Yes, chocolate bars are a great source of energy on the trek.  Snickers, Mars, and Bounty are sold everywhere on the trail and will help pull you through a hard day's trek. Everest is simply the best justification for devouring all that chocolate.)

Madan was raising his eyebrows as I did some panic-buying like it was wartime or something; I suppose he was wondering how I was going to cram all those inside my already-full day pack. (I ended up stuffing some items into his backpack, haha.) But really, the best place to stock up is in Namche, since goods become scarcer and pricier as one goes up.

The stone staircases leading out of Namche Bazaar are rough and steep. My teahouse is located at the bottom!

The road leading out of Namche Bazaar is steep and a bit cruel. I was irked to see this cane-wielding Sherpa woman (who looked about 80 years old) pass me on the way up. Jesus. I felt I was the 80-year-old one. And in just about 10 minutes since we left Namche, I had already completely burnt off all that I had eaten that morning.

Normally, trekkers stay at Namche Bazaar for an extra day to acclimatize.  But we were heading that day to Kyanjuma, which stood at an elevation of 3,500 meters (11,482 feet)--almost the same as Namche. But to get to Kyanjuma, I would have to do a series of ups and downs for a few hours. Thus, I would still be getting the 'benefits' of a proper acclimatization: a day's walk to keep me fit and adjusted, as well as being able to sleep at the same altitude level for another night.

The trek to Kyanjuma took 4 and a half hours that day. It was a gradual, sloping walk with absolutely marvelous views of Thamserku, Kwangde, and the surrounding hills. There was one mountain that particularly impressed me; I pointed to it and asked Madan what its name was.  He looked to where I was pointing and shot me this incredulous look as if to say, you must be kidding. After being rendered speechless for a few seconds, he then said matter-of-factly, "That is not a mountain.  That is just a hill."

Face palm. I kept forgetting that the hills in these parts would already be considered mountains in the Philippines.

The village of Kyanjuma. Elevation: 3,500 meters (11,482 feet).

Reached our teahouse in Kyanjuma past 1:00 pm. It was cloudy during the trail, but at least we weren't trekking in the rain. Throughout this EBC experience, I had learnt to be grateful for any good things--small or big--that came my way. We stayed in this homey teahouse called Ama Dablam where the motherly owner prepared some really delicious vegetable momos and pasta with tomato sauce and yak cheese.

The entire afternoon and evening were spent playing cards with the boys. Seriously, there is nothing else to do after a day's trek except read, write notes, eat, play cards, stay warm by the fire, and sleep.  That basically sums up life on the trail.  Madan refreshed my memory on the card game 'Crazy 8' and then he also taught me 'Mr. President' and this super silly game called 'Hello King, Hello Queen, Hello Jack' which had the three of us laughing hysterically all the way into the night. It would end up being our favorite game during the trek.

Still no electricity that day.  My iPhone's battery had died already that afternoon and I was running low on camera batt. We played cards with our headlamps on until we realized that it was time to go to bed--at 8:00 pm.  Even though it was so cold in my room, I slept comfortably that night, snuggled under thick blankets with my camera close to my chest to prolong its battery life through body heat.

* * *

If you want the same Everest Base Camp trek experience I had, visit Himalayan Planet Adventures and go for the 16-day Everest Base Camp trek package.

Everest Base Camp Trek - Day 2: Phakding to Namche Bazaar 12:17 AM

To read all posts on my Everest Base Camp trek, click here for the complete series.

I enjoy taking stolen shots of these two: my porter Dhan Kumar (left) and my guide Madan (right) 

Day 2: May 30, 2013

This was, without a doubt, one of the worst days on the trail.

During the trek briefing back in Kathmandu, Naba of Himalayan Planet Adventures (the trek agency I chose) told me half-jokingly, "If you don't cry by the end of Day 2, that means you're fit enough to do the Everest Base Camp trek."

And so I woke up that second day, knowing that I would be facing a long trek with some particularly challenging uphills. Our destination was Namche Bazaar, the biggest Sherpa settlement in the Himalayan region which stood at an elevation of 3,440 meters (11,283 feet).  That meant a total ascent of 788 meters (2,585 feet) for that day alone. My heart sank when we left the teahouse at Phakding, for I had noticed that the light rain that had started falling early that morning seemed to show no signs of letting up.

In fact, it rained the whole day. Gloomy weather altogether.  What was supposed to be a 7-hour trek that day became 9 hours of misery because of the muddy, slippery trail that we had to deal with. The trekking poles were a blessing, especially in the last three hours of painful uphills past Jorsale village at the end of the day.

I was doing alright that morning in spite of the weather. A combination of uphills and downhills quickly got me worked up into a sweat, and I was already dying to peel off the layers of clothing I had.  I was covered head to toe in waterproof gear (God bless Columbia for making such excellent waterproof hiking boots; my feet stayed completely dry) which shielded me from the rain and the cold--but sadly enough, I was totally sweating inside my softshell jacket and light thermals.

One of the things I enjoyed most in the trail were the suspension bridges.  There were around nine of them, I think, and I considered them a welcome break from the monotony of trudging up and down muddy, dung-filled paths. It was a good thing I wasn't afraid of heights, because the bridges were a bit scary in their own right--narrow, slippery at times, with the great Dudh-Kosi river rushing beneath. I stopped somewhere near the middle of a suspension bridge just to take a quick video using my iPhone.

My first sobering experience during this trek happened on a suspension bridge. I was conversing with Madan after we had easily crossed a bridge.  And then to my surprise, four Sherpas seemed to burst from out of nowhere, carrying a stretcher with someone lying on it. They ran--flew was more like it--across the bridge, because obviously the life of whoever was on that stretcher depended on their speed.

I was flabbergasted. I knew Everest Base Camp wasn't a rainbows-and-unicorns kind of trek and I was even expecting to half-stagger, half-crawl into Base Camp--but I hadn't counted on seeing someone on a stretcher. On my second trekking day, for heaven's sake. I was jolted into the reality of the situation; on rainy, cloudy days such as this, a helicopter rescue is pretty much a no-go. For anyone needing critical medical rescue on the trail under such bad monsoon weather, it was either rapid descent on foot, rapid descent via stretcher, or staying put wherever you were (with the last option likely leading to death, as medical facilities are virtually non-existent on large stretches of the trail).

I remember saying, "Oh my God, oh my God, I don't want to die...!" And the boys were looking at me in semi-amusement, with Madan hastening to say, "No worries, you're with us mountain men. And I have a medical kit!" And Dhan Kumar just grinned at me and said, "Don't worry, chicken curry!"

I nearly died laughing. Who was I to worry when I had such excellent companions on the road to Everest?

The jokepe, a hybrid of yak and domestic cattle,
can be found frequently on the trail to Everest

I mentioned earlier that I had to deal with dung on the muddy trails.  The rain had turned some parts of the road into pools of slushy mud that had rocks and dung everywhere. It was hard to tell at some point what I was stepping on.  The reason there's so much dung on the road is because many animals ply this route up to Base Camp and back--horses, yaks and jokepes (a hybrid of yak and domestic cattle)--which all carry food, water, trekking equipment and trading goods up and down the mountains. The yak is the main beast of burden in this country, but is seen higher up on the trails.  So what I encountered a lot in the first few days were the jokepes, who are not as hairy as yaks but have the same scary-looking horns.

Every time a herd of jokepes is encountered on the trail, everyone needs to step aside and practically hug the mountain side. Stay on the edge of the mountain or hill, and chances are, a jokepe can nudge you off the cliff with its horns. Good luck with having to deal with them on a suspension bridge.  Because when you do, you need to turn back and run and wait for all of them to pass, because the bridge is too narrow to fit a person and a herd of jokepes. These animals kinda scared the living daylights out of me, and I always made sure to avoid them in a major way. Death by jokepe doesn't seem like a dignified way to leave this world.

By the second half of the day, the rain had gotten worse. My boots and the lower part of my hiking pants had mud streaks--and in all likelihood, jokepe dung as well--all over. Met a group of trekkers on their way down, and one of them (a female) slipped right in front of me, falling on her butt. I was lucky not to have been hit by her; otherwise, I might have slipped as well, or worse, fallen off the cliff. 

We were somewhere past the 3,000-meter elevation mark, and I was breathing heavily already from the high altitude.  By that time, I was feeling a slight headache and I wondered if that was the start of altitude sickness. I forced myself to take it easy, and do it one step at a time up the steep and slippery paths. The uphills in the last few hours were a challenge, and I knew that this was the difficult part that Naba was talking about. One trekker--an American man in his fifties--on his way down yelled out to me encouragingly, "You can do it!" 

On this trail, all trekkers are the best of friends.  You all just simply had to be, regardless if you knew the person or not.  No one can feel your pain as acutely as your fellow trekkers.

"Altitude can kill." This was the sign that greeted me before I entered Namche Bazaar territory. Such cheer. (Oh, and free movie, anyone?) 

It was a blessed relief to have finally reached Namche Bazaar at the end of a long day of traipsing in the rain and mud. Near the entrance to Namche, I even had to deal with this annoying jokepe who followed me everywhere I went; when I stopped, it stopped. And when I started huffing up the path, it followed me closely from behind.  It took all of Madan's willpower not to laugh because I kept saying to the jokepe, "Go away, stop following me! Madan, make it go away, please!" 

The difficult trail on Day 2 did not make me cry, but that jokepe sure drove me close to tears. I was so petrified of that ridiculous animal, I could barely stop and admire the large Sherpa settlement of Namche Bazaar. The busiest and most populated part of the Himalayan region, Namche Bazaar consists of a sprawling mass of colorful houses, restaurants, and tea lodges all prettily laid out by the side of a hill.  

We stayed at The Nest teahouse in Namche; it was owned by the same person or family managing The Nest teahouse by the Lukla airport. When we got to the place, there was no electricity; that entire part of the region had to go without because the government was doing repairs of some sort that affected the power. My room was spacious and I had my own bathroom, but the hot shower was practically non-existent. Was feeling so extremely dirty from all that mud that I peeled off my clothes without hesitation and braved the cold shower.  Which was a mistake, really, because by the end of my bath, I was shivering in the cold and nursing a headache that was getting a bit worse.

We reach Namche Bazaar. Elevation: 3,440 meters (11,283 feet)

Madan wanted me to take Diamox (altitude sickness medicine) already at that point, but I pleaded and said I'd wait and see first.  I was feeling slightly feverish after nine hours in the rain, and I took flu/fever medicine and Dolfenal (a painkiller) for the headache.  I didn't want to add Diamox into the mix, as I wasn't sure how my body would react to it combined with all those meds. But I had to follow at least the order from my guide to have garlic soup along with the dal bhat I had for dinner. Apparently, garlic soup naturally helps ward off altitude sickness.

I collapsed into bed in my pitch-black room after dinner. It was 9:00 pm. Fell into a deep, blessed sleep but I woke up at around 2:00 am when I felt something fall by the side of my face, on my hair. Then it fell off my bed and I heard it skitter across the floor in the darkness. Under normal circumstances I would have screamed; it sounded like a mouse or a rat. But I was too exhausted and sick to care, and so I went back to sleep, mumbling to myself that at least it wasn't a frog.

No tears at the end of Day 2.  If I had managed to survive nine hours in the rain plus a headache, a lovesick jokepe, and sharing a room with a rodent in the darkness, then sure, I could handle anything in this trek.

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If you want the same Everest Base Camp trek experience I had, visit Himalayan Planet Adventures and go for the 16-day Everest Base Camp trek package.