Yes, I’ll be off for a well-deserved break soon. I haven’t had a really good one for almost 3 years. Some people are surprised that I keep going back to the same place. Don’t I get tired of Nepal? Well, I guess if you get tired of a place for long enough, you’ll eventually miss it. Who wouldn’t miss Tengboche Gompa (monastery) and its breath-taking surroundings? Who wouldn’t miss the proud yet friendly Sherpa people? Mountain food is not quite the type of cuisine I would crave for, but sitting around a fire with virtual strangers, sharing a kettle of heated chang (Tibetan beer) is the sort of “spiritual” experience that you don’t get too often.
A last check with the weather forecast at Everest Base Camp region reported sunny weather with a maximum of -3deg C and a minimum of -14deg C on the 21st of January when I would start my trek to Island Peak (just south of Everest). The coldest days seem to have passed and summit day (26th or 27th) would probably be a couple of degrees warmer. The best part? Clear sunny skies – best for mountain photography. A friend of mine who was disappointed with the not-cold-enough weather in Northern Thailand last month would probably be very happy here.
As I’m packing, my calf muscles are still aching from my final and most intensive training session on the stairs. Going up the stairs is not a problem, but descending with a notebook computer in my bag is still painful. I have exactly 3 days to recover from Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) before I need to make a long, rocky descent from Lukla Airport to Phakding.
Packing for an expedition is never easy. I’m bring 3 packs. One near-empty one would be my shopping bag. You’ll never know what you have forgotten or what you shouldn’t have brought until you’re there. Once in the mountains, turning back means giving up. With the benefit of experience, I now know I should have a backup camera, all loaded with lithium batteries. I know I should have lots of chocolates, dried fruit, Mentos, nuts and probably even a bottle of sambal belachan when the food gets yucky and some masking becomes necessary. Medicines I’ll get from the pharmacy in Kathmandu would include Diamox (acetazolamide), cough mixture, Piriton, Lomotil … the the all important Metronidazole (to fight the stomach-bloating anaerobes) will be brought from Singapore since I already keep stock of it here.
Top on my list of concerns has to be Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS). It’s not a problem if I ascend at the recommended speed and spread out my advance over 18 days, but this is not the kind of time that most Singaporeans can afford (except those who got retrenched). Climbing too quickly will trigger AMS, the milder symptoms of which will include headache and nausea. If the climber is prone to AMS or climbs too quickly without acclimatisation, symptoms will deteriorate to cerebral and pulmonary oedema.
To ascend quickly and safely, cheapskate me had designed a homemade hypoxicator. It’s basically a rebreathing apparatus that keeps lowering the oxygen content of inspired air and forcing the user to rebreathe his expired air. To avoid carbon dioxide induced hyperventilation and acidosis, sodium hydroxide is used to absorb the carbon dioxide in expired air.
As the body detects lower oxygen content on the air, it will respond by producing more red blood cells. That’s how the body acclimatises to high altitude. But simulating high altitude at home, I’m trying to cut down the amount of time required for acclimatisation in the mountains. Does this thing work? My success or failure to do this climb at “Sherpa speed” (as fast as the locals) will give the answer. I’m as excited as everybody who knows about my upcoming challenge.
I mentioned something about my near-empty bag. What shall I buy? Definitely some rare books, black tea, some spices and some Himalayan herbs. Maybe a few Buddhist artifacts that are worth collecting. I’m off.
Dewdrop Notes
Dr Chan's Kitchen