Blessed. That's the word that keeps popping into my mind again and again as I sit here in my small teahouse bedroom listening to the sounds of the mountain stream outside my window. Oh, how I am blessed. If I were to keel over this very minute it would be with a silly smile plastered all over my face!
We landed in Lukla like giddy children hopping to get underway. On our way up, we met a local man who kindly slowed his pace to guide us along the starlit trail, one he knew by heart from his younger sherpa days. We stumble into Phakding a little soggy around the edges, our newborn hiking legs feeling deliciously sore. After filling our bellies with hot milk tea and Dal Bhat we curled up under our quilts and fell asleep to the gentle sounds of the woods and river and not one single honking horn!!
I can safely say I underestimate the climb to Namche Bazaar. In my head, 200m looked tame, but when you stack all that altitude into one tiny spot in the form of a big, never-ending mountain, it takes on a whole new perspective. We hit the mountain with a spring in our step, but after an hour of climbing we were being passed by plodding sherpas carrying their weight in huge packs strapped across their foreheads. Another hour and I was studiously emulating their plodding step and the S shaped path they cut across the trail. Finally, bend after heartbreaking bend that only revealed yet another section of the mountain we had yet to climb, we came around the corner and there perched on the side of the mountain was the U shaped village of Namche Bazaar! Assah! We were greeted by two super adorable village child carry miniature sticks (pic#5)who came running at us excitedly and started whacking at our legs with their small weapons and giggling uncontrollably! Yes...I know they look like miniature ANGELS but really under those cute cherub faces are foreigner beaters in the making!;)

Nameste from Nepal

We swapped Tibetan mountains for a jumble of buildings, honking cars, and masses of unwashed humans that is the city of Kathmandu. Inge and I hit the ground running, picking up necessary trekking gear during our whirlwind trip through Tamel and plopping ourselves down in the airport at 6am the next morning, excitedly waiting for our flight number to be called. And we waited...and waited...We went from sitting attentively to sprawled across uncomfortable benches, slobbering all over our new fancy gear. One by one hopeful hikers dropped like flies, some having waited up to 7 days for the skies to clear. But not us, nope, the bad weather couldn't possibly stick around with our clean, shiny faces in the vicinity, right?! In between catnaps, I cracked open my new book, The Alchemist, and latched onto my new favorite trip quote:
"When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it!"
And so we sat there day after day, wanting Everest Base Camp with every corner of our squishy hearts and drinking overpriced Nepali milk tea.
On Day 3 a dusty young Irishman (aka Podge) approached us with an ingenious helicopter escape plan that entailed us finding our wallets and 2 other passengers for the ride. After a few seconds and mulling over the torturous last few days, we agreed! And so we scurried around the airport, from one set of weary looking travelers to the next, Podge working his magic with the ladies and Inge and I taking on the guys. Soon we had a whole group of converts and were ready to hit the skies, but the weather turned even too evil for our beautiful bird...
Day4: Our last chance at Everest. We all filed into the airport with shoulders dropping and spirits low. We had agreed to change our MO today and to act as if there was no place in the world we'd rather be then chilling our heels in the wonderful Kathmandu airport in hopes that this would trick the grouchy Everest gods into letting down their clouds. We wore different clothes, bandannas, hair up instead of down, choose seats closer to the front...4pm finds us broke, we start planning the incredible dinner we're going to have to make up for another dismal day...then the call comes..."Better weather"...psh...If I had a penny for every time I heard that! So NOT impressed. Then we are carted to the waiting room, still looking so apathetic you'd think our grandmother just died. It worked! We are zooming across the tarmac towards the prettiest darn lil helicopter I ever clapped eyes on! And in one of the most happy and exciting moments of my life we take off and that, my friends, is how we escaped the jumble of Kathmandu for the cool green mountains of the Himalayan!
Meet the Everest Base Camp crew, together we tag teamed it all the way to the top!

Colin, 5th Grade New York teacher/philosopher

Podge, the Irish nomad

Us, two purple booted, camera totting dweebs

And Sebastiaan, (Sorry man, never got the chance to grab your portrait basically)







More photos coming soon!

Nepal Bound...

Half the adventure of our vacation time and seasonal Winter/Summer escape from Korea is purely in getting there. It wouldn't have the same flare if our flights didn't have at least 5 connections along the way and maybe a few layovers sprinkled in there for good measure. We like to one up ourselves every time vacation rolls around just to make sure we're doing things bigger and better and making it even more memorable then the last. So, as you can imagine our flight itineraries are starting to get a little complex, our mountains a little higher, and our sense of humor A LOT dorkier. On this occasion, we decided to live on the edge and fly domestic through China at midnight...oh joy. You no longer need an entry visa to touch Chinese soil, however apparently half the country (+ the Beijing airport) missed that memo. I found myself desperately explaining to immigration how I had utterly no desire (zilch, zip, zero) of escaping into their incredibly friendly, always welcoming country with its amazingly lyrical, music-to-my-ears language. I'm not sure if it was my charm or incredibly compelling argument, but they let us in.
After flying through the night and spending some serious bonding time catnapping on marble airport floors, we made a surprise stop off in Tibet. While groggily hauling our luggage through the terminal we asked the attendant the time and he shook his head emphatically and said, "No time." Then he pointed to the ceiling and said "Information." In our sleepy states we stared at the ceiling for a few seconds waiting for clarity to hit and then in usual Mandy&Inge fashion, laughed and gave each other hi-fives for successfully finding the "Land of No Time" where all secrets are revealed by staring at the ceiling! Assah!
And off we flew to the Land where God and Mountains meet.