Day 1 - Kathmandu to Jiri

The day had finally arrived to embark on our 25-day journey trekking to Mt Everest base camp. The plan was originally to fly to Lukla then do a 10-day trek to base camp but unfortunately, flights were going to cost us $600 return. So, in true Kayla and Glenn fashion, we decided to double the trek time by starting in Shivalaya. This would involve an 8-hour bus drive from Kathmandu to Jiri, then a jeep ride to Shivalaya, where we would take the original trekkers route before the airport was built. This would also help us with our altitude acclimitisation, get us comfortable with trekking over mountains and allow us to see a different side to Nepal.

At 5:30am we were on our way to the bus station, not really knowing what to expect but excited nonetheless. The bus ride was mainly uneventful apart from the occasional close call with traffic coming in the opposite direction and a broken down truck blocking the road. However, just like in India, the bus is never too full to stop to squeeze on more passengers, even if they were sitting on the roof.

Glenn spent the majority of the trip giving up his seat for the elderly or mothers travelling with small children. This was made the journey interesting, as he was unable to stand upright in the bus due to his height, making stabilising around corners quite difficult. We also discovered on the trip that jeeps weren’t currently going to Shivalaya due to damaged roads, which would require us to start the walk from Jiri.

After a quick stop at the border control to sign in we arrived in Jiri at around 4pm. We found a nice hotel, checked in and sat down for an early dinner plus some planning with the owner. We finished with an early night ready for our first day of hiking the following day.

Day 2 - Jiri to Deurali

We were up at 5am to get packed and on the road by 6:30am. Setting off, with some vague directions from the staff at the hotel, our first destination for the day was Shivalaya; a town about 3 hours walks away. What we would soon come to realise was that this would be 3 hours in Nepal Sherpa time and that it would be mostly up hill. For normal people this meant about 4½ hours, a lot of stopping to catch our breath and asking locals if we were heading in the right direction.

About 2 hours into the trek I realised I might have bitten off more than I could chew resulting in me chucking my first tantrum of the trip and was ready to turn back. After a small amount of gentle persuasion from Glenn we were back on our way. After turning the corner and coming to our first suspension bridge we were rewarded with the view of a big open gorge and the signs of activity assuring us that Shivalaya was not far off.  Much to my delight we weren’t disappointed and after rounding another corner before crossing another suspension bridge we entered Shivalaya. The first thing we saw was a big sign telling us we needed to check in, so off we trotted to the office feeling a little proud of ourselves. While in the office we picked the brain of the clerk asking how far away Bhandar (our next destination) was and how hard the trip would be. We were assured that after lunch we would be able to make the 5 hour trip and that only the first three hours would be tough as that was the up portion out of the valley.  After a quick lunch we headed off and were soon joined by 5 porters to start the ascent up what would be a very big hill and a very long three hours.  The lessons soon flowed in from the porters of how to tackle the stairs (which was slowly) to avoid stopping at the top of every flight and when was a good time to stop to take a rest at one of the many guest houses/huts along the way. About 2 hours into the climb the rain started, so out came the ponchos and gators. After a small amount of complaining we were back trudging along, hoping the next steep bit would be the last.  Unfortunately, the worst was still to come as we started climbing up what seemed to be the middle of riverbeds only to find out halfway up that we were starting to be attacked by leeches.  After a big girly scream from both of us and a quick think about how to remove them in the down pour we managed to get the first of many off. Along with the continuous rain and uphill struggle, we now had to frequently inspect ourselves for new leeches at regular intervals. My new mantra for the remainder of the day was  “I’m a city girl, I belong in hotels not walking through leech infested jungle. GET ME OUT OF HERE”.

The rain soon died off after a few more steep climbs but then heavy mist set in. A passing porter informed us that we were still an 90 minutes from the nearest town Deurali and Bhandar was another hour from there. With our brains switched off to conserve energy we trekked on and on. About an hour later we came across two houses covered in mist and with high hopes that we were getting close we approached to check directions. We saw the most motivating thing possible with the signs indicating we had reached Deurali at last, with guesthouses nearby.

We stumbled into the first one we came across and headed on up to our room to dump our packs, do a final leech check before heading down for dinner. After a quick dinner and hot bucket shower we were snuggled into our sleeping bags with lights out by 7pm.

Kayla fall count 6  -  Glenn fall count 4

Kayla leech count 5  -  Glenn leech count 7

Day 3 - Deurali to Kinja

Our start today wasn’t as early as we would have liked but as everything in the guesthouse was made fresh we soon realised every meal would be a long event. So around 8am we set off with our first destination being Bhandar (being 30min downhill according to the guest house owner) and Sete being our next stop that night (being 7 hours walk but mostly downhill or flat apart from a big steep 3 hour climb at the end). Setting off, we had high hopes of an easy walk before a lunch break in Kinja and our steep ascent to Sete. It took us about 1½-hours to make it to Bhandar, so we stopped for a quick cup of black tea. Setting off again with further directions from the locals and the reassurance that the trip would be flat and down until Kinja, we were eager to make up the time we had lost the day before having to start in Jiri.

Well we must have taken a wrong turn somewhere because we encountered more ups and seemed to be going away from the river we were supposed to follow most of the way.  We managed to pick up a friendly local along the way who assured us that we were heading in the right direction and we were getting close. Every time I asked if we were 30mins/1hour away he would smile and give me a reassuring nod. I’m soon started to realise either Nepal minutes are different to mine, or they just smile and nod at everything we say. Eventually we made it to Kinja 5-hours after we set off and after signing in we headed straight for the guesthouse we had been recommended to for lunch. At this point due to my exhaustion we decided to settle here for the night and tackle the steep up to Sete in the morning.

Glenn fall count 2  -  Kayla fall count 0

Glenn leech count 3  -  Kayla leech count 1

Day 4 - Kinja to Sete

This day started a little slowly as I was feeling quite under the weather and wasn’t sure I could even carry on. After a bit more rest we decided to try to make it just to Sete, transferring as much of the weight from my pack to Glenn’s in the attempt to make it a little easier for me.  Unfortunately, it became apparent early, that I was too weak to make the 3-hour climb up the steep 1000metre ascent to Sete. Much to my delight we came across another Nepali couple that were heading the same direction and offered to play porter for me for the day for under $10. Slowly we progressed up with me stopping regularly to catch my breath. Along the way we stopped at a small farm in order for our new friends and us to have some lunch.  We then trudged on and in no time, with only a few more steep hills to climb, we made it to Sete. After a hot shower, hand washing our clothes and an early dinner we went to bed aching all over.

Fall count 0

Leech count 0

Day 5 - Sete to Taktor

After a brief discussion about what the trek ahead entailed and a quick cup of black tea we were on the road again. Our destinations for the day were Goyam for lunch and Junbesi to stay for the night. After setting off, we soon made it to Dagachu where we ran into the wife of our porter from yesterday and their three children. We stopped for some tea and a quick chat then hit the road again as we still had about an hour before we would reach Goyam.

Arriving at Goyam, 3200metres above sea level, we stopped at nice guesthouse for lunch where, due to the altitude, the food was basic but filling. Our break became quite entertaining with the hosts young children trying to communicate to us but not realising we didn’t speak Nepalese. At the end of our hot lunch we put our packs back on before continuing on to Junbesi.

The next hour saw us ascending even higher, reaching 3500metres, where we soon discovered how difficult it could be carrying our packs with less oxygen. The walk was mainly uneventful but at times disheartening due to being told different time frames to our destination from every person we asked.

When we started to descend quickly I soon got my hopes up that our destination must be close. This eagerness resulted in me twisting my right knee, which forced us to stop for the night, 1½-hours from Junbesi. Luckily, there was a guesthouse nearby, run by a local farmer and his family. After some brief introductions, we settled into our room, lathered my knee in tiger balm before heading to the kitchen for a well-earned cup of black tea. While sitting in the kitchen/dining room, sipping at our tea, the owner entertained us with his infectious laughter while making what he claimed was moonshine. Initially, we thought he might be pulling our leg until we went back to our room to wait for dinner only to discover a large Marijuana plant growing outside our window amongst the veggie patch!

Instead of being offered a menu to select our dinner meal from, our Sherpa friend had just asked us what we had wanted (Sherpa stew) and when. After spending some time in our room, playing cards, we returned to the kitchen ready for dinner. We then discovered what we had asked for dinner was being made for the whole family (whether they liked it or not) and we watched as the farmer and his wife prepared the stew. We ate our meal with the family, chatting between each delicious spoonful of stew. After one to many refills, we headed to our room ready for a good nights sleep.

Before dozing off we made a quick dash to the outside toilet, only to realise it was a small wooden shed built over a stream with a hole cut out of the floor (we wouldn’t want to live downstream). While lying in bed reading our books, we became aware of a small tap-tap-tap at the window. When we looked up we realised we were being invaded by all the moths in Nepal who wanted into the light but were slamming into the window instead. 

Fall count 0

Leech count 1

Kayla injury 1

Day 6 & 7 - Taktor to Junbesi and a rest day.

After a nice night sleep we awoke early, packed up our stuff and headed back into the dining room for black tea and potato butter pancakes. Like the Sherpa stew, the night before, the food was delicious and shared with the family.

We had a short day ahead of us, as we were only walking as far as Junbesi about 1½-hours away. We would be stopping there to get my knee and stomach checked out at the local clinic. The walk was mainly downhill and uneventful apart from jumping out of the way of the school children that were running down the hill or dodging the cow poo. Once we reached Junbesi, we dropped our packs at the Everest Trekker Guest house (owned by the father of previous nights host) and headed off to the hospital. This turned out to be a 15-minute walk away, through farmland, on the outskirts of town. When we had explained my symptoms to the “doctor”, who looked more like a child, they prescribed anti-inflammatories, deep heat and a pressure bandage for my knee, as well as some antibiotics for my stomach. While waiting for the pills and our change we noticed plaques on the wall stating that the Lions club and Wilderness societies from Australia were helping this medical outpost survive.

After this we headed back to the guesthouse, organised some lunch and a hot bucket shower, before enquiring about hiring a porter to carry my backpack for the next two days of our journey. We hoped this would give my knee some extra time to heal. After a discussion about time frames and what would be best for my knee, we decided one full day of rest was in order before continuing. When we headed down for dinner that night we were introduced to our porter. We then tried to explain that we wouldn’t need him until the day after tomorrow and that we would only need him to help us as far as Bupsa, two days walk away. Due to the fact that he spoke no English, we spoke no Nepalese and he had been drinking this became very difficult. Lucky for us our host was on hand to translate and solve any misunderstanding. While eating our dinner we were spoilt when they changed the TV channel over to an English program for us, the first in some time. Once our bellies were full we headed back up to our room for a few hands of Rummy, some reminiscing and a short read before going to sleep.

Although we weren’t heading anywhere we awoke at 5am to keep in our routine and when the sun rose over the village we headed down for a nice easy breakfast and more map reading. Our rest day was spent reading and playing cards. We then had an early dinner and slept well.