Everest Trek Day: 00
Tomorrow I embark upon the greatest challenge of the trip thus far; a 20 day trek through the Himalayas to the base camp of Mount Everest. I'm excited and yet slightly nervous. After five months of mostly urban (dusty and polluted) settings a stint in the high mountains will be great.
My trekking buddy, Emme arrived from Sydney, jet lagged but looking forward to the journey ahead. She was met by myself and Emily, who has been in Nepal a month. For two days there were three high school friends across the world in Kathmandu together. Our time at school seems worlds away.
Today was spent madly preparing, buying permits and flights and the like. Huge protests, an army of riot police and closed banks didn't stop us. Nepal is a country with a political system in complete disarray. Protests, strikes and the like are a common occurrence as people vent their frustration at the broken system. Their political history is long and fraught. Today the rally was by the Maoists, hammer and sickle flags flying.
Tomorrow isn't actually a walking day, it involves a long bus ride to Jiri from Kathmandu. From there the mountains await.
On the eve of my trek in 1988, the Maoists were holding a protest in the street near my hotel. Some things never change, except perhaps their commitment. Happy trekking!
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