Monday 7 September - 1800 hours - just before dinner time
Today - being the last day at CBC - was an easy day with a 4 hour trek with no particular elevation gain - just to not stay idle and to pass the time. I had the first shower in 4 days - not particularly warm but just enough for a quick necessary one. The sun came out in the afternoon (it had been raining the previous 24 hours) so we took the opportuinity to wash some clothes; the rest of the day was dedicated to packing our stuff and weighing it (max 40 kg each) so that it may be taken to Base Camp by truck and yaks tomorrow.
A few words about our team :
Apart from the three Maltese climbers (Greg, Robert and myself) our expedition also comprises 4 Brazilians, a Guatemalan girl and our Scottish guide Victor Saunders.
Manuel (53) and Andrea (27) are a couple and they are professional guides. They've just come from guiding a trip to Everest Base Camp and will head to Kilimanjaro soon after Cho Oyu. They're clearly well prepared physically for this expedition. For Andrea, this expedition is particularly important because if she makes the summit she will be the first woman from Central America to have climbed Cho Oyu.
Luis (37) is a professor in organic chemistry from Sao Paolo and he's been climbing for the last 15 years or so. Like practically all members of this expedition, his highest summit is Aconcagua. Luis is my tent-mate for the time being until we get our own tents at Base Camp.
Felber (40) is an introvert electrical engineer from Brazil - introvert probably because his english is not so good but he's very much at ease when he talks in brazilian with his colleagues. He seems to be the slowest climber in the group but that doesn't mean anything as it's usually the slower climbers who make it to the top.
Lucas (28) has the body of a model for perfume adverts. He's very powerfully built - he's a professional rock climber in weekends and works at his father's wood-cutting business during the week. Surprisingly, he's the only other married member of the team, apart from myself. Clearly marriage and mountaineering are not perfectly compatible.
Victor is well, Victor. He's just unique... he's a bag of laughs but at the same time he's as knowledgeable as they come. You can talk to him on about anything (politics, current affairs, physics, mathematics and of course mountaineering) and still find out that he'll win an argument hands down on any subject you put to him.
The group is excellent....which not only improves our chances of success, but also helps in having a good time during the long afternoons/evenings in the mess tent and during our climbs.