I’ve had plenty of time on my hands here in Kathmandu, but not all of it has been completely productive, due to the dual challenges of feeling a bit under-the-weather with a post-Everest cold, and the electricity supply frustrations here in the city.
I have spent a lot of time lounging around in bed, eating my leftover Mountain Man Trail Mix, dried fruit, and sultanas as a semi-luxurious breakfast-in-bed. I keep having to sweep the bed out though, as any spilled granola mix has a particularly gravelly texture, and isn’t too comfortable to lie around in! I have ventured out every now and then for a coffee, to sort out my laundry, get a haircut, or do a bit of shopping.
But I have finally managed to get around to editing the few random video clips taken from the two-week long Everest Trek. It’s taken me a day or two to do this, as I have had a lot of other stuff to catch up with on the computer, and only limited time with access to electricity! When the electric goes off, it’s back to the book with the head torch until power comes back on, sometimes as much as six hours later.
There is a timetable for electricity black-outs, but like many other things here in Nepal, it just seems to be a vague guideline rather than reliable information. I’ve learned my lesson, and keep the laptop connected to the charger all the time that the electric is on, so at least I have a full charge when the power suddenly goes off!
I didn’t bother with video too much on the trip, but I’m pleased with the 360 degree views of Base Camp, and the alarming take-off from Lukla airport.
I tended to concentrate more on photos, and took hundreds of them. I am using a couple of the pix I took as part of my charity fundraising goal. My particular favourite is the view from Gokyo Ri summit with the tiny town of Gokyo far below by the lake in the snow, with the huge glacier behind it.
The music on the video is called “Om Mani Padme Hum” by Tibetan Incantations. The original piece of music is over 24 minutes long, and is extremely repetitive. In Namche Bazar it plays endlessly on repeat from every second shop doorway, and I’ve heard it in several shops here in Kathmandu too – it’s like an awful, endless Tibetan version of Chinese water torture!! It is impossible to escape from it, and this music will be forever connected in my mind to this trip.
For interest, here’s great 360 degree view from Everest summit I found on the internet – Panoramas.dk – amazing 360 views of many other places too.
Below is a animation I made of our route, based upon the original map from Himalayan Encounters, but altered to reflect our somewhat speedier journey!
