Hello to all adventure freaks.
This is a write up of my recent trek to the Everest base camp with one of my close friends in November 2016. Just to give you guys a hint of the back story that led to this trek. It had been a couple of months since I quit my job, I was supposed to go for higher studies but I guess a part of me wasn't ready to go yet.
I wanted a break so I deferred my higher study plans and this gave me a nice window in time to indulge in activities that would make me happy. Trekking was priority number one. So I started discussions with this friend and soon we zeroed down to EBC.
To be completely honest I cannot even recall what made me choose this trek over others. I always had Pin-Parvati pass trek in my head. Nevertheless, I was excited. I was also eagerly looking forward to this challenge as it would be my longest and highest (altitude wise) trek till date.
Rendezvous was at Kathmandu as my friend was coming from Singapore and me from India. I traveled in local buses from Delhi to Varanasi and from there a Volvo bus ride to Kathmandu via Sunauli border. We met at Kathmandu, stayed in a dormitory of some nice hotel in Thamel.
I was surprised to see their rate list in US dollars which I later realized is because of the high number of westerners coming and staying in Thamel. The major task now was to book a porter, get TIMS card and also book our flights to Lukla and back, which is the starting point of the trek.
I had done some internet research beforehand so we wanted our porter to join us at Lukla itself. That way we could save money as taking a porter from Kathmandu means one has to pay for his flight charges as well. Finally, we found one such agency, finalized the deal, the guy did our flight bookings and TIMS card. That evening we went around and got ourselves sleeping bags on rent for the trek plus other useful things including meds.
Come tomorrow morning and the weather was all clear and we were ready to take off. They use small turboprops that can seat around 18 people to fly to Lukla. It is a short 45 minutes flight to Lukla. Landing really is the scary part of the whole flight experience as it is a very small runway with the upgradient so that planes can stop easily. After reaching Lukla we met our porter discussed the itinerary and then set off on the trail.
EBC as a trek is actually a lot different than the treks we are used to here in India. It's full of luxury, so much variety in terms of food. Liquor is available at every lodge. You get paid internet access, satellite phone if you feel like calling someone. Want a nice hot shower after a day's long trek? Just show them the money.
Heck, they also have pool and snooker tables along the trail for you to enjoy your free time. Lodges have a big hall as a common dining area. It includes seating as well as heating and television as well in some lodges. Most of the people sit in this area in the evening as rooms are pretty cold. So it is also a good place to meet and chat with fellow travelers. As far as I can remember most of the lodges that we stayed in were run by sherpa guys who had summited Everest and other surrounding high peaks. You could see their summit pictures proudly hanging in the dining area. It felt like every other sherpa guy there was a climber. But then you realize why these guys are so revered in the climbing industry. They are indeed tough people.
It took us in total 10 days to finish this trek, seven going up and three coming down. Gaining altitude gradually is wise as it helps in acclimatization. We faced no altitude sickness, letting our bodies adapt to altitude naturally without the help of any meds.
EBC Trek itinerary that we followed:
Day 1: Lukla to Phakding
It is an easy day involving only 3 to 4 hours of downhill trekking as Phakding is at a lower altitude than Lukla. Accommodation in Solukumbu region (in Nepali, roughly translating to lower Khumbu region) is in Lodges and not tents.
Several big lodges are available at every halting place. Rooms are pretty cheap though, our two-bedroom without an attached toilet was 200 Nepali rupees. Rooms are pretty clean and the best part is the toilets, which throughout the trail are so clean and properly maintained.
But the rooms being cheaper comes with a condition that one has to eat food in the very same lodge otherwise higher room charges apply. Food is not cheap, to say the least, it may be cheap for westerners but not to us Indians and this is where the equation changes. Just to give a hint, a very basic Nepali dal-that dinner which is just a lentil with rice and some sabzi costs approx. 500 Nepali rupees per plate and the rates keep going higher as one goes to higher campsites on the trek. Maybe it so because of the remoteness of the place but still expect to shell out 1500 - 2000 Nepali rupees minimum on eating every day.
The reason one does not see any tents pitched in this area is that the trail passes through Sherpa villages all the way to Gorakshep and so the same people have constructed these lodges which now is a constant source of income for them.
