Trekking to peak happiness
 

BY CHANDANI Jayatilleke

LUSH dense forests, flower carpeted mountains, amazing landscapes, biting cold wind and sub zero temperatures - Prasanna Jayawardena and Jaliya Bodinagoda found themselves entwined in these breathtaking surroundings in the Himalayas for over 20 days. They were heading for the Base Camp of Mount Everest.

Known as one of the most spectacular adventure treks in the world, it unravelled a combination of marvellous beauty and challenge.

The imposing mountains appeared in many different forms; frozen, snow-capped, lonesome and varied from green to brown, grey to silver and rocky to ice.

The most beautiful was Mt. Everest which emerged like a black pearl with silver dust on it, these are the enchanting impressions of Prasanna and Jaliya who went on a trek to Everest Base Camp recently.

Lawyers by profession, Prasanna and Jaliya are keen lovers of adventure, trekking to be exact. In Prasanna's case, he has been on many trekking activities in Sri Lanka and also in Nepal and Africa, prior to the current one. Yet, for Jaliya, it was his first long, serious trek.

"I was interested in joining the Sahara trek and when I told this to Jaliya, he said he was interested in Mt. Everest. But, neither of us had gone to the Himalayas before. Then we decided to go to the Mt.

Everest Base Camp. This is the point where Everest trekkers spend weeks in order to acclimatise their bodies to high altitudes prior to their 'big lap'," said Prasanna.

Accordingly, they planned the tour by going through various internet options. "Finally we found a reliable and a reasonable company which charged about US$ 700 per person for the whole tour.

Well.. when the duo arrived in Kathmandu, the capital of beautiful Nepal, they thought it was not very cold.

They were yet to experience real cold. They rented jackets, special sleeping bags, (these are not available in Sri Lanka) and other items needed for the journey from Kathmandu. "We made sure that everything was laundered!" Prasanna who has a great sense humour quipped.

"Our team consisted of four people, the two of us, another trekker Nick who is an engineer from Australia and our Sherpa guide. It was a perfect team of dedicated people. Each and everyone of us was looking forward to seeing the world from the Himalaya mountains," Jaliya said.

From Kathmandu we went to Lukla on a small aircraft. "That was the flight of our lives. The landing of this flight was the most dreadful and yet fascinating experience we have ever had before. The pilot needed a lot of skills to land in that small tarmac," Prasanna said.

For a moment, Jaliya and Prasanna thought it would certainly crash on the wall at the end of the tarmac. To their astonishment, and to everybody's relief, it was safe and smooth.

From this point they set off on their trekking.It was plain walking. Mountains began to emerge after a while of walking. Walking in the midst of a range of mountains was an exhilarating experience.

"It was such a fantastic feeling. It cannot be described or achieved through any other leisure activity," said Prasanna.

On the way they passed many interesting lodges, tea houses and kiosks run by Sherpas.

Each day, they walked with a small day pack, about 10 to 15 km, exploring various sights and vistas. "Because of the high altitude, it was difficult to walk anything beyond that limit." The food they had was basic, but tasty. It was a combination of Sherpa and Western dishes. "For instance, you can taste a sherpa version of a pizza or a dish of spaghetti," they said.

They stayed in various log houses where they slept in sleeping bags in tiny rooms. Waking up in the morning was a huge task in that biting cold. Although the log houses have heaters, Jaliya and Prasanna found it extremely difficult to sleep in that bitterly cold environment.

"Well, you get really tired, as you climb on, the air gets thicker and your body has to get accustomed to that. You can easily get mountain sick at the high altitude," Prasanna said.

"Although we found it difficult to climb, we watched with delight the children of the Sherpa clan climbing up efficiently, some even reading books on their way to school. Their bodies are quite used to that climate.

As you climb up, the scenery is more and more breathtaking, if you are left with any breath! "The trek is certainly a spectacular all-around experience that captures the natural beauty of the Khumbu region and the grace of the Sherpa culture.

During each day on the trail, one can expect to come across a variety of things, from the quiet sounds of a large forest to stunning razor sharp giant Himalayan peaks," Jaliya said.

Yaks with loads of goods on their backs were the next common sight during the trek. Yaks take most of the room when they trek and some times they could even push you to a side to make room for themselves. You've got to be watchful, he added.

They went to Thangboche (12,600') and visited a village, Khunde where the great trekker Edmund Hilary had his headquarters. There is a school and a hospital in this village after his name. In Thangboche, they visited a monastery.

"Next was Dyngboche (14,400'), where we saw some greenery and vegetation after miles and miles of lonesome mountains. Then we did a trek to Lobuche (16,175') which was a tough climb and you came to a place like a graveyard. That area was very Tibetan.

Then we crossed the Khumbo glacier and went to Gorakshep (17,800'). It was the closest human habitation to Mt. Everest.

Their next stop before the final destination was Namche Bazaar (11,470'), the diverse and beautiful market village where they spent a day acclimatising, resting, and exploring the countryside, markets and cool drink shops.

Next came the final destination, the Everest base camp which was about 17,500' high.

This is the place where trekkers associated with expeditions to Mt. Everest, camp and stay in order to prepare themselves for the 'big lap'.

At this point Prasanna opted to rest while Jaliya took another ascent to Kala Pattar, an 18,200 metre trekking peak, which sits just above Everest Base Camp. "It's a spectacular place to capture the immense grandeur of the upper Khumbu Valley," Jaliya said.

After a chance to explore base camp and the Khumbu Glacier, they began their descent, which was much easier. "We felt better as the air got thinner while descending," they said.

Recalling some of the memorable experiences, the duo said the water was a precious thing during the tour. "For bathing you have two options; hot water in a bowl or a hot water shower for a few minutes." While Jaliya opted the hot water option, Prasanna preferred the shower option.

In one instance, when Prasanna took a hot shower, he felt the peelings of potato and carrots on his head. "Later we realised that they reused hot water in which carrots and potatoes were boiled," Prasanna said.

Before they set off on the Everest trek the duo climbed the Sri Pada to get some experience. "We took the Kuruwita road which is a rather difficult trek," he said.

What qualities do a trekker need to develop?

"You need a lot of stamina and dedication. You have to be totally focused," they said.

What have you learnt during this tour?

Jaliya: "For me personally, there were many lessons which we could use in day to day life. Besides, it is a great experience, one can look forward to.

It teaches you lessons in defeat and achievement. At one point when we were trekking, I noticed that I was much better than a particular foreigner. But after a few hours of trekking, he overtook me.

This taught me a good lesson, that I can be overtaken by someone, despite the strength factor. And also everybody has a peak time.

Anybody can go through these experiences in lives too. It was a time to reflect on your own life. You come back with refreshing thoughts. It's total rejuvenation. I brought a rock from the base camp as a souvenir which will remind me of this great tour forever."

Prasanna: "We are professionals and our professions demand a lot of time from our day. We have little time to think about rejuvenation and also about our own development as persons. If you want to have a full life, you need something beyond your profession and routine exercises.

Through adventure and trekking, I experience change.

"I am also a scuba diver and I do a lot of outdoor activity to keep a balance between my professional and personal life. On a previous occasion I had done the Kilimanjaro trek too.

"Trekking makes you feel humble. It's all about challenge, beauty and relaxation. You learn a great deal of tolerance. It's an enjoyable risk, you breathe a new spirit, and come back refreshed."

How about another trek?

Jaliya: "Another trek...mmmmm...I would certainly do it again. But I need to collect money and also get some holidays to do so."

Prasanna: "Next, I would like to go to the red sea for diving.

What do you like to convey to our adventure loving people?

"Well... People should learn to be adventurous. Instead of just spending holidays abroad, people should think about going on treks which are really fascinating.

In Sri Lanka alone, there are good treks. The annual Kataragama pada yathra is a good trek. Among the other popular treks are Kirigalpotta, Totupolakanda and Great Western," the duo said.