A glimpse of what's to come

More than a week has passed since we left home. We are presently in Tingri at an altitude of approximately 4,350 metres.

The drive from Kathmandu to Tingri was literally a stroll down memory lane. The bumpy ride away from the hustle and bustle of Kathmandu, the winding road along the banks of the Bote Kosi river, during which we needed to change buses several times due to mud slides blocking our progress and last but not least the suspension bridge at the 'Last Resort' where three years ago I got hooked on Bungee Jumping. Finally we got to Kodari, the Nepalese border town where we spent the night. We crossed into Tibet in the morning and spend most of the day in Znagmu. For old times sake I got a hair cut but avoided ice cream – a practice which resulted in me contacting giardia during a previous trip consequently losing all gastrointestinal restrains all the way to Lhasa. After two night in Nyalam we finally got to Tingri, our last stop before embarking on our final approach to Cho Oyu.

Tibet is a mystical place. A land of extremes. A kingdom of tradition and beliefs. Life is simple here, but tough. The land is barren and arid and the cold is unforgiving. The Tibetans work hard, one can see the hardships these people endure ingrained in the parched skin of their faces. However, you will always get a heart warming smile whenever you come across these fascinating people.

Yesterday evening we got a glimpse of what lies ahead. We looked south and could see the start of the Nangpa La pass into Nepal. To the left of the pass lies Cho Oyu which at first was shrouded in clouds as if to tease us but after a while the clouds cleared to reveal this amazing massive in all it's glory.

The lengthy approach simply adds to the anticipation of what is to come. Today we almost got to 5,000 metres on our second acclimatisation trek. Our bodies are slowly adapting to the ever increasing altitude. Some things cannot be rushed. These cycles of walking high and sleeping low will greatly reduce the chances of us getting altitude sickness, increasing our possibilities for success.

Tomorrow we leave early. We will drive to Chinese base camp, our home for the next few days and the launch pad for our climb. No more running water, no more electricity, no more mattresses and comfortable chairs. The wait is finally over, bring it on, let the fun begin.