BASE CAMP EVEREST HERE WE COME!

So.....tomorrow is the first day of our trek to Base Camp Everest and I'm feeling nervous and excited at the same time. Myself and 5 other volunteers (2 Canadian, 1 Singaporean, 1 Danish, and 1 Australian) and are all set and ready to go. We leave Thamel (in Kathmandu) tomorrow morning at 5.30am and we catch a flight to Lukla, which is the start of the trek.

We met our 'guide' today who's name sounds like 'Dodgee' - lets hope he isn't. He seems really sweet and is only 22 years old! He tells us he is from the mountains and has lived there all his life. He is the first from his family to climb all the way to the top of Mount Everest, which he did earlier this year and he has taken tour groups to Base Camp Everest almost 10 times.

I asked him if he wouldn't mind checking the weight of my backpack today and he told me it is a good weight for the porters. We will be having 3 porters to CARRY ALL OUR BACKPACKS THE WHOLE WAY to Base Camp Everest (5400m)! Mao (boy from Singapore) is going to carry it himself - we will see. I've taken a few things out of my bag because of the guilt from knowing that each porter will be carrying on their backs TWO of our BACKPACKS! It's unbelievable how they do it. We've been told that Day 2 and Day 6 are the most strenuous days of walking for us. The biggest risks are Altitude Sickness so we will be taking it slow...apparently.

Unfortunately, I ate a dodgy chicken fahita dish for dinner last night (in Thamel) and now I'm having toilet trouble - PLEASE PLEASE I hope it goes before tomorrow!

I doubt there will be internet where we will be going but if there is I will do my best to let you all know that I am ok. Not sure what the phone situation is like there either. Another trekker told us that when he tried to use internet up at Base Camp, it wasn't working because a YAK had crashed into the satellite and broken the connection!

Wish me luck!!! My next round of photos are sure to be amazing!

Lots of love to you all,

Nadine xxx
P.S The monks have all been behaving themselves recently because I told the Head Lama from the monastery about their behaviour...he wasn't at all pleased so he 'disciplined' them! He went away for 10 minutes after I had spoken with him about them. Then, when I returned to the class they were all silent and the stick was positioned nicely on my desk...poor monks. Best they BEHAVE THEN!