http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/ en-us Gallery 2 RSS Module, version 1.1.0 Thu, 28 Aug 2008 06:50:39 +0800 120 http://pics.desandies.com/d/3005-5/everest.jpg http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/ http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY06_02.jpg.html http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY06_02.jpg.html
Although it was illegal, Alison and I decided to hitch a ride back to the guesthouse. Most Tibetans travel on the back of trucks, but for tourists is is not allowed. We were only going about 1km, so we figured we'd be OK.]]> photo Sun, 10 Jun 2007 03:28:18 +0800 http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY06_01.jpg.html http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY06_01.jpg.html
This valley was so pretty. You sould watch the storms as they formed in the clouds, rolling across the sky.]]> photo Sun, 10 Jun 2007 03:28:18 +0800 http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY05_8.jpg.html http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY05_8.jpg.html
We passed through several small vilages on the way out. This is a typical tibetan village, with whitewashed houses and haphazard lanes. The yak dung and sticks are stored on the wall for use as cooking fuel.]]> photo Sun, 10 Jun 2007 03:28:18 +0800 http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY05_07.jpg.html http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY05_07.jpg.html
The mountains are powerful. Up here, you really can't help but to find yourself connecting with something deep inside, something that speaks directly to the earth. OK, maybe that's just me...]]> photo Sun, 10 Jun 2007 03:28:18 +0800 http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY05_06.jpg.html http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY05_06.jpg.html
Heading back to Lhasa, we pass through the Pang-La pass again. This view, behind our guide, includes 5 of the 8 tallest mountains in the world. ]]> photo Sun, 10 Jun 2007 03:28:17 +0800 http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY05_05.jpg.html http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY05_05.jpg.html
This little guy lives here, a place of imagination for the world. I wonder if he knows how famous his hometown is.]]> photo Sun, 10 Jun 2007 03:28:17 +0800 http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY05_04.jpg.html http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY05_04.jpg.html
The next morning it stayed clear.]]> photo Sun, 10 Jun 2007 03:28:17 +0800 http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY05_03.jpg.html http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY05_03.jpg.html
The four of us pose in front of the famous mountain. We got lucky on our last night and the mountain was clear again.]]> photo Sun, 10 Jun 2007 03:28:17 +0800 http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY05_02.jpg.html http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY05_02.jpg.html
This is the marker at the actual Chinese Base Camp. The mountain is known as Chomalama in Tibetian. This is transliterated into Chinese as well. 5200m = 17060ft.]]> photo Sun, 10 Jun 2007 03:28:17 +0800 http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY05_01_001.jpg.html http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY05_01_001.jpg.html
This is Ganden, Kayin's little friend. He was 3 also, and tended to hurt himself.]]> photo Sun, 10 Jun 2007 03:28:17 +0800 http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY04_07.jpg.html http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY04_07.jpg.html
Wow... Finally, the third evening, right before sunset, the clouds clear. Everest shows herself. Fantastic.]]> photo Sun, 10 Jun 2007 03:28:17 +0800 http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY04_06_001.jpg.html http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY04_06_001.jpg.html
Finally we spent 4 nights at Rongbuk/Everest Base Camp. We didn't have a lot to do, so we made friends. Alison got friendly with this girl, who was 3 at the time. Her name was Samye.]]> photo Sun, 10 Jun 2007 03:28:17 +0800 http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY04_05.jpg.html http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY04_05.jpg.html
Places like this really give you the sense that you are not very important in this world. This outcropping behind me was just an insignificant bump compared to the peaks surrounding the valley.]]> photo Sun, 10 Jun 2007 03:28:17 +0800 http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY04_04.jpg.html http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY04_04.jpg.html
The proprietor took us down to the cave and showed us the alleged handprints of the revered master. The experience was quite interesting, as a steady stream of herders and farmers arrived here from all over Tibet.]]> photo Sun, 10 Jun 2007 03:28:17 +0800 http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY04_03.jpg.html http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY04_03.jpg.html
An outpost of the Rhongbuk monastary sat over a cave where a revered Tibetan Buddhist master made his hermitage in a cave here. When we pulled out our cameras, the ladies got really excited.]]> photo Sun, 10 Jun 2007 03:28:17 +0800 http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY04_02.jpg.html http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY04_02.jpg.html
A closeup of the ruins. It seemed like they were very old, but I don't think they were terribly ancient. The climate and the forces of nature tend to give things a wheathered look.]]> photo Sun, 10 Jun 2007 03:28:17 +0800 http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY04_01.jpg.html http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY04_01.jpg.html
This is a shot of the north valley. Everest is hiding behind the clouds there. The velley was filled with ruins of previous iterations of the monastary. It seems that quite a few people lived here at one time.]]> photo Sun, 10 Jun 2007 03:28:17 +0800 http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY03_06.jpg.html http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY03_06.jpg.html
The mountain was shy, and didn't show her face. the first 2 days we stayed there.]]> photo Sun, 10 Jun 2007 03:28:17 +0800 http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY03_05.jpg.html http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY03_05.jpg.html
Good morning. As a consequence of living in someone's front yard, we picked up a few local friends. Most tourists stay in the guesthouse, or camp further up the valley in preparation for ascent. They local children found us approachable I guess, and seemed fascinated in everything we did.]]> photo Sun, 10 Jun 2007 03:28:16 +0800 http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY03_04.jpg.html http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY03_04.jpg.html
Across from the monastary, a guesthouse was being built. This kid seems to be missing his mom.]]> photo Sun, 10 Jun 2007 03:28:16 +0800 http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY03_03.jpg.html http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY03_03.jpg.html
The Rhongbuk Monastary, the highest in the world. This community apparently has been here for over one hundred years. How they managed to eake a living out of this valley I will never know. The holy site is placed at the gate of the northern approach to Everest, we ended up camping right on the lawn.]]> photo Sun, 10 Jun 2007 03:28:16 +0800 http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY03_02.jpg.html http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY03_02.jpg.html
Alison and I sit on the gate of the Himalaya. The Pang-la pass was supposedly the last one before entering the true himalayan range. Even though it was August, it was cool and crisp at 5000m. Some of the nearby peaks still had snow.]]> photo Sun, 10 Jun 2007 03:28:16 +0800 http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY03_01.jpg.html http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY03_01.jpg.html
These kids came to the door of the car to ask for candy. Somehow the only english words these children know are candy and money. It breaks the heart to see them, but it also breaks the heart to know that giving them anything only exacerbates the situation.]]> photo Sun, 10 Jun 2007 03:28:16 +0800 http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY02_05.jpg.html http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY02_05.jpg.html
Andrew and I pose in the Dingri Valley. The Tibetan side of the Himalayan range is very dry, with most of the rainfall dumping on the Nepal side. The fact that the people of Tibet have been able to make a living on the high plateau is a testament to their tenacity.]]> photo Sun, 10 Jun 2007 03:28:16 +0800 http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY02_04.jpg.html http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY02_04.jpg.html
This picture was taken right outside the house. The view from here was unbelievable. The peak you can sort-of make out through the clouds is Cho Oyu, the 6th tallest mountain in the world, at 8200m. ]]> photo Sun, 10 Jun 2007 03:28:16 +0800 http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY02_03.jpg.html http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY02_03.jpg.html
The next day we arrived in Dingri, the supposed staging point for our trek to the Everest Base Camp. Our guide took us to meet his mother-in-law. She was a sweet, if slightly near-sighted lady who mistook Alison for her daughter. It was here where we also were introduced to the Yak Butter Tea etiquette. The host shows his or her hospitality by refilling your cup after every sip. Good thing Yak Butter Tea grows on you.]]> photo Sun, 10 Jun 2007 03:28:16 +0800 http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY02_01.jpg.html http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY02_01.jpg.html
Kayin got friendly with the staff. They were really nice, as were most of the people we met on our trip.]]> photo Sun, 10 Jun 2007 03:28:16 +0800 http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY01_04.jpg.html http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY01_04.jpg.html
Two kids hang out to watch the tourists.]]> photo Sun, 10 Jun 2007 03:28:16 +0800 http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY01_03.jpg.html http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY01_03.jpg.html
The first hotel on the way. It was a quaint little thing. The rooms were not much more than wooden frames and dirt floors, but they had an indoor bathroom.]]> photo Sun, 10 Jun 2007 03:28:16 +0800 http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY01_02.jpg.html http://pics.desandies.com/v/adeh/travel/everest/DAY01_02.jpg.html
My friend Andrew and I pose in front of a tibetan pass marker. Mountain passes are sacred spots in Tibet, and every one is festooned with flags flapping in the wind. ]]> photo Sun, 10 Jun 2007 03:28:16 +0800