Preparations

My cold has been incredibly tenacious and even though I feel fine, I am still coughing a lot and trying to rid myself of the congestion in my chest and sinuses. I have been getting myself ready for my trek. I had a few things to pick up and headed into Thamel to shop. After having spent as much time as I have in Kathmandu, my visits to Thamel have become a fate worse than death for me. I venture in from time to time to enjoy the nightlife, but I avoid daytime visits like the plague. At this time of year, when tourists are abundant, it’s particularly bad. I imagine that when the local touts look at me, they just see a giant wallet.

I guess the shopping gods were smiling on me yesterday as I had a very successful day, finished what I had to do in record time, and didn’t even get fleeced along the way. I am particularly proud of a windproof jacket that I found after much searching. It’s a great colour and is even made for women, which is difficult to find here. I’m very excited about it.

I have a colleague from Vancouver arriving in town today, which I’m looking forward to. I have had great success with my Canadian company of late, and expect that Brad’s visit will continue the trend. He’ll be around through the weekend, so I’ll be seeing him right up until I leave for my trek.

I will leaving for the Khumbu on Sunday morning and have booked my return flight for April 23. I can change the return date if I want to, so I’ll just see how things go up there and come back when I’m ready. When I’m in cushy surroundings it’s easy to think of the wonderful aspects of being in the mountains, and forget about the hardships of living in rustic conditions. (Yes, I realise that I just referred to life in Kathmandu as cushy - bit paradoxical given the lack of electricity and water here.)

I will be largely incommunicado while away, but will have internet access in one of the villages about four days in. I expect that there will be lots of other trekkers in the area, and it’s also climbing season, so I’m not worried about being out there alone. There will be lots of company on the trails, so there’s no need to worry about me.

I’ll try to post from Namche Bazaar in about a week or so. After that, I’ll be out of touch for awhile.