SGTrekker 10D9N Everest Panorama Trek (17-26 March 2011)

[SereneXMM]

SereneXMM #28
Sagarmatha National Park is the highest national park in world, located above 3000 meters i.e. 9700 feet. The park comprises the upper catchment areas of Dudh Koshi and Bhote Koshi Rivers. Most part of the landscape is rugged terrain and gorges of the high Himalayas.

The Park is located amidst the peaks which are counted among the tallest in the world. Mount Sagarmatha is none other than Mt. Everest itself. Other well known peaks such as Lhotse, Thamerku, Pumori, Ama Dablam, Cho Oyu, Kwangde, Kangtaiga and Gyachyung Kang are also located nearby. More than 118 species of birds and 26 species of butterflies reside in the park.

SereneXMM #29
Our easy going guy who love photography! A picture can say thousand words. What say you, Acpical?:think::sticktong

 

[limwhow]

T R A V E L O G U E

Day 6: Struggling towards Jorsalle...

The thought of lunch, and the thought of a good leg-rest pushed us all on. Right after the Sagarmatha National Park Guard House at Monjo, it was a steep descend aaaaalllll the way down to the Dudh Koshi River where we would again cross it on yet another suspension bridge.

There we were. None of us will forget this huge side of the mountain along which we trekked downward steep steps. Some of us, e.g. Acpical, would run and fly down instead of employing the more conventional fashion of walking.

Walked all the way down, only to start climbing up again. Here, the poor almost delirious SereneXMM was followed closely behind by our guide Ramesh to make sure she didn't go crazy and jumped down the mountainside... hahaha...

Well, we did cross that suspension bridge. And while wind tore through our straps and belts and threatened to rip our outer shell jackets away, we saw a glimpse of Jorsalle - there! Lunch was there!

Of course, what else was new? When there was up, there would also be down. And here was SereneXMM, Judith and Campoes employing the FULL Power of their trekking poles in supporting their already tired and weakened knees on the last home stretch to Jorsalle.

And JohnnyLCP was so ecstatic in arriving at lunch point that he gave out a yelp! Goose Goi, forever the gentleman he was, very steadily held on to Cheryl's hand while the husband Jack covered her back to make sure she didn't fall backward. Lucky lady - she's got her front and back all covered!

 

[limwhow]

Day 6: Lunch at Jorsalle


So there we were. Our well-earned rewards - lunch. And what was for lunch? Well, you guessed it: Chow Mein, Fried Rice, Dhal Bhat, Mixed Thukpa for main course, and Hot Lemon, Hot Chocolate, Hot Ginger Tea, Hot Milk Coffee for beverages. The first half of the team already had their stomachs filled to the brims with lunch and was all strapped and ready to move out, at that point when we stepped into the restaurant.
Here, Goose Goi, Adrian, vngks, Dinosour, Hawk, Ivypin, Papin... (where's Wind, Stevewhy, wkcheah and CnLeong ah? Oh... maybe they were taking a last minute leak in the bulbless-toilet before the last siong siong stretch to Namche Bazaar) having a nice post-lunch chit chat before setting out.

..while the rest of us gobbled up our lunch inside. Some of us were already having blocked nose and aching thighs, some feeling giddy, some having some shoulder pain... and many were having Namche-Bazaaritis (An extreme form of anxiety symptom for the steep climb up to Namche Bazaar)!

 

[limwhow]

Pei Seh bro. Forgot you brought ba kwa

Haha... 3kg of Bakkwa from SereneXMM and I, another 1 kg from Ah Wind and another 1 kg from Acpical to be exact!

limwhow, did 20Kg backpack up/down 4 times, 25 storeys... and still considered as least conditioned one.. like that I can forget about going la..

What I find from 1-2 treks that I did on smallish hills (some with cable-car ones) is that I tends to "forget" about photography when I physically and mentally tired.. guess such trekking trips are no go for me.. From this thread.. I can still see a lot of shots taken along the way.. well done guys/gals...

Maybe I can consider if the Dr give out boosters (pills/injections) that can keep me awake/active for a substained period of time.. hehehhee..

Thanks for the encouragment, ClemC!
Eh... if I had such a jab I would have stationed myself at Lukla and just get filthy rich simply by jabbing each and every trekker that flies in from Kathmandu every day! Hahaha...

 

[ClemC]

Thanks for the encouragment, ClemC!
Eh... if I had such a jab I would have stationed myself at Lukla and just get filthy rich simply by jabbing each and every trekker that flies in from Kathmandu every day! Hahaha...

Jab every day, better profit.. jab once only, little profit.. :devil:

I thought there is, da$%ed.. I must have watched tooooo many sci-fi movies alreadi..

 

[papin]

My humble shots to share.

 

[papin]

Adding some more shots during trekking.

 

[Daoyin]

Day 6: Lunch at Jorsalle


So there we were. Our well-earned rewards - lunch. And what was for lunch? Well, you guessed it: Chow Mein, Fried Rice, Dhal Bhat, Mixed Thukpa for main course, and Hot Lemon, Hot Chocolate, Hot Ginger Tea, Hot Milk Coffee for beverages.

Food sounds good. Keep it up.

 

[limwhow]

Jab every day, better profit.. jab once only, little profit.. :devil:

I thought there is, da$%ed.. I must have watched tooooo many sci-fi movies alreadi..

Haha...

Food sounds good. Keep it up.

Certainly it does, certainly it does! Thanks, Daoyin!

Adding some more shots during trekking.

Whoa, papin! These two really have feelings to them. I really like animals on the trek!
Nice..!

 

[Jack n Cheryl]

Hey all

We have been following up on the travelogue religiously right from the first day. After looking at all the gorgeous photos that you guys have posted, sad to say we can't find a decent photo to post. ;p haha... Thanks to your photos especially those posted by Dr Lim and Serene which have made us indulge in reminiscence Looking forward to more photos and new posts from you guys. Cheers!!

 

[limwhow]

Hey all

We have been following up on the travelogue religiously right from the first day. After looking at all the gorgeous photos that you guys have posted, sad to say we can't find a decent photo to post. ;p haha... Thanks to your photos especially those posted by Dr Lim and Serene which have made us indulge in reminiscence Looking forward to more photos and new posts from you guys. Cheers!!

Jack n Cheryl!
You both are modest! Don't like that - come come join the fun.
Throughout the trip, every one of us was shooting at interesting sections of the trek. And there are certain subjects: flowers, plants, animals, still life, macro, landscape, trees, motifs, food, people, children and even a scene of us doing something that I am sure only you both caught it but not any one else.
That, in itself, would make it a very memorable record shot.
And if you both look closely at my photos - most of them cannot make it one. But still, I felt that they are record shots memorable enough to share with our team.
So like what SgTrekker's Adrian say: "This is not a competition. It is your own walk at your own pace."
To which I would add: "It is your own shot to make it your own memory." And it is precisely this memory that we would like to have you share with us, all of us in the thread.
So waiting patiently for both of you. You can ask Johnny. He has been doing simply great!

 

[ClemC]

well said :thumbsup:

Althought I'm not part of the team that did the "Everest Panorama Trek" (sorry for the intrusion).. I have been enjoying the beautifull crafted Myanmar & Everest Threads..

Special Thanks to Limwhow.. (I know there is a lot of background work!!!) and NOT forgetting the rest of the team, every single member that contributed to the threads.. you lot kept the thread going, make it interesting, provide views on posted pictures, etc... MAKE THE THREAD FUN.. it is EVERY, SINGLE ONE THAT CONTRIBUTED that make it fun...

One small suggestion (if it is not alreadi done).. someone or even SGTrekkers might want to duplicate the threads (like the completed 4-parts Myanmar threads) and put it into a mini-CD. This can be distributed to the participants (if SGTrekkers is kind) or sold to the participants (if need to recover cost). I guess it will serve as a very good memory of the whole trip (maybe you will want to remove some posts from intruders, like me, and make it more memorable) Just a suggestion

[p.s. limwhow - your shots mostly cannot make it ha?.. then next time bring PnS can alreadi la.. LOL..
There are a few gems and the other pics are more than good enough as record shots la !!!.. everything is relative la.. definitely ALL PICs are more than good enough for me]

[p.p.s. I think I said tooo much as a more Trekker, sorry will keep low profile now]

Jack n Cheryl!
You both are modest! Don't like that - come come join the fun.
Throughout the trip, every one of us was shooting at interesting sections of the trek. And there are certain subjects: flowers, plants, animals, still life, macro, landscape, trees, motifs, food, people, children and even a scene of us doing something that I am sure only you both caught it but not any one else.
That, in itself, would make it a very memorable record shot.
And if you both look closely at my photos - most of them cannot make it one. But still, I felt that they are record shots memorable enough to share with our team.
So like what SgTrekker's Adrian say: "This is not a competition. It is your own walk at your own pace."
To which I would add: "It is your own shot to make it your own memory." And it is precisely this memory that we would like to have you share with us, all of us in the thread.
So waiting patiently for both of you. You can ask Johnny. He has been doing simply great!

 

[stevepow]

Kudo to you guys and gals. Was reading at page 7 before I left for my China's trip and now you're at 26....alot of reading and viewing on the wonderful postings by you people
Lift my hat off to you all....

 

[divinemoment]

Kudo to you guys and gals. Was reading at page 7 before I left for my China's trip and now you're at 26....alot of reading and viewing on the wonderful postings by you people
Lift my hat off to you all....

My boat mate friend, its time now for you to put up pics for us to enjoy.

 

[divinemoment]

well said :thumbsup:

Althought I'm not part of the team that did the "Everest Panorama Trek" (sorry for the intrusion).. I have been enjoying the beautifull crafted Myanmar & Everest Threads..

Special Thanks to Limwhow.. (I know there is a lot of background work!!!) and NOT forgetting the rest of the team, every single member that contributed to the threads.. you lot kept the thread going, make it interesting, provide views on posted pictures, etc... MAKE THE THREAD FUN.. it is EVERY, SINGLE ONE THAT CONTRIBUTED that make it fun...

One small suggestion (if it is not alreadi done).. someone or even SGTrekkers might want to duplicate the threads (like the completed 4-parts Myanmar threads) and put it into a mini-CD. This can be distributed to the participants (if SGTrekkers is kind) or sold to the participants (if need to recover cost). I guess it will serve as a very good memory of the whole trip (maybe you will want to remove some posts from intruders, like me, and make it more memorable) Just a suggestion

[p.s. limwhow - your shots mostly cannot make it ha?.. then next time bring PnS can alreadi la.. LOL..
There are a few gems and the other pics are more than good enough as record shots la !!!.. everything is relative la.. definitely ALL PICs are more than good enough for me]

[p.p.s. I think I said tooo much as a more Trekker, sorry will keep low profile now]

Hi Clement,

I'm no lawyer but I reckoned there is an issue of copyright. Pics posted in CS has the consent of individual owners but not neccessary give away the rights to the “world at large” to use it, either by copying or any means. Permission has to be soughted from various parties, get some kind of endorsement, lest that guy may turn around against the distributing party. You never know what will happen thru mass distribution however restrictive is imposed, one of these day you may find your pic landed up in some magazines and that rogue unknow to you is making money out of it.

Nothing against your suggestion but just my honest opinion.

BTW, if you know Limwhow, he has been always very modest.

-----------------

MORE MORE MORE pics pse. Keep it up, keep it going.

 

[Daoyin]

Yeah, more pictures please. Riverted here to see how this exciting story unfolded. Looking forward to seeing photos of the inside of the monasteries that only a CANON camera can provide.

 

[stevepow]

My boat mate friend, its time now for you to put up pics for us to enjoy.

Back only yesterday's evening and still in the process of sorting the pix

Will definitely put up pix for sharing in due course

 

[limwhow]

T R A V E L O G U E

Day 6: Onwards to Namche Bazaar - All the way!

Lunch was truly our last break before the final push towards Namche Bazaar.
By the time Team 2 had lunch, re-hydrated ourselves and eased ourselves, Team 1 had been quite a distance higher up already.

Adrian said the day before:

"On the last stretch up to Namche Bazaar, most of you would either have kept your cameras, or some of you would most likely pass your cameras to your porter, and you all will probably not be taking any pictures but instead be focussing on walking and regulating your breaths."​

Well, certainly Adrian was correct. In fact, he was almost correct for the vast majority of us simply just dumped our cameras and concentrated on taking that arduous climb up. But several hard-core photographers were STILL hard at work. Including me. (hahaha...) but just that my own shots had become worse and worse and more and more slack!

Here, right after the lunch, we started walking... with apprehension of what was to come, but not exactly knowing what to expect. It was very interesting that as we trekked, we found the ground going into a transition - we walked into a terrain of big rocks and gravels, and we could hear the roar of the Dudh Koshi on our left. Before we knew it, we were walking just right next to the great river at the water level!
This was the very first time, ever since we started trekking two days ago, that we had come so close to the meandering great river - just at its bank!

Most of Team 2's members and all of Team 1's members were ahead of both myself and SereneXMM were really among the last to arrive here. By the time we reached this beautiful rocky beach, many of our team mates were already shooting themselves crazy. We could see JohnnyLCP, Jack (the Jack part of Jack n Cheryl) and Goose Goi happily firing away at the background, while Acpical has bravely set up tripod on one of the big flat rocks taking long exposures of the Dudh Koshi river!

Mahesh the main guide pointed to a small cluster of houses in the far-away hill, made sure we all saw them, and said:

"There! You see some of our Team mates already walking along that sloping curvy path? Yes, there is where we are going to head towards. It is NOT Namche Bazaar yet, don't jump into that conclusion wrongly. But for us to walk from here to that high point, a fast trekker will take one and a half hours. For you all.... I think maybe two hours..."Mahesh placed it very diplomatically.​

Two hours! I faint!!!
Come on! Let's keep walking... I don't want to reach Namche Bazaar after sun-down!

 

[ClemC]

Hi Clement,

I'm no lawyer but I reckoned there is an issue of copyright. Pics posted in CS has the consent of individual owners but not neccessary give away the rights to the “world at large” to use it, either by copying or any means. Permission has to be soughted from various parties, get some kind of endorsement, lest that guy may turn around against the distributing party. You never know what will happen thru mass distribution however restrictive is imposed, one of these day you may find your pic landed up in some magazines and that rogue unknow to you is making money out of it.

Nothing against your suggestion but just my honest opinion.

BTW, if you know Limwhow, he has been always very modest.

-----------------

MORE MORE MORE pics pse. Keep it up, keep it going.

Bro Diviinemoment - never meant the "miniCD" is for mass distribution.. meant it as distibution for those participants in the trek and yes, it will be good and necessary to get the agreement of those who posted.

As for posting to CS, I think once you posted it on a public site.. no sure how much rights you still have to the pics. Have heard stories that publishers just need to state that the photo is taken from a "so-and-so" public website and not necessary to get from right signed off by an inidividual photographer.. BUT I'm no lawyer, so I am also in the dark.

If there are lawyers here.. would be great to hear how much rights we still retain once the photo is posted up in CS?...

Sorry, suppose to keep quiet.. (and I only know limwhow from his postings in the threads... so I cant claim to know him )

 

[limwhow]

T R A V E L O G U E

Coming to the last suspension bridge, the Larja bridge before we started the REAL non-stop climb to Namche Bazaar. Here, Campoes (he is one of the hardcore SARP members. I am VERY proud of him. Well done, Campoes!) kept going even from such an awkward angle trying to capture that best view of the bridge. The altitude at 2905m hasn't even touched him yet!

Right after the bridge, that was where the tracks became narrower, the wind blowing in our hairs became sharper and the roar from the Dudh Koshi in the valley below became louder. But one thing didn't change - and that was the Dzopkyos. Oblivious to the dangerous, precarious nature of the trail, they still walked non-chalantly down at their own sweet pace, leaving the SgTrekkers to siam them like crazy, precisely like what SereneXMM was doing here.

With every few tens of a steps, our elevation got higher by a few metres. We were coming close to 3000m. Here, only a few shooters were still left shooting... not surprising to see who it was... hahaha..