It was Great Success!

Here there be mountains! Flight to Lukla.

The trappings of modern society already hang wearily about as this trip has to an abrupt end, though I have no complaints about well designed indoor plumbing or reliable electrical supply. I do appreciate personal transportation much more though.

Please enjoy these last few snapshots of the world we briefly were a part of including a trip to the medical aid post in Pheriche staffed by two British doctors, a paramedic and their knowledgeable Nepali staff.

Despite us both succumbing to the Khumbu Cough by our final days we managed to see a bit of Nepal's beautiful Himalayan scenery, meet many friendly Sherpas and take care of people suffering from varying degrees of AMS with helicopter rescues occurring daily. We were in the presence of a landscape that words and photographs do insult rather than justice and met people not only from Nepal but from around the world who I think would agree.

Overall this trip was part medical mission, part time-travel, part real time National Geographic expose on the trials and tribulations of not only access to and delivery of health care in the third world but also about a nation caught between its traditions and the lure of all the 21st century has to offer.

But to sum it up - any trip where you forget all your debit card pin numbers and most of the password to various important websites and accounts you know you've been doing the right thing.

Waterfall near Phakding.




Kareem, thriller in Himalaya - Tengboche.





Tengboche Monastery

Simple monument to a sherpa who lost his life on Everest. Also our first glimpse of the mountains this day as our initial hike to Namche was beset by thick clouds. All of sudden we looked up and were like - Holy *&# looks at those mountains! !Lhoste face background.

We thought we were high, and then we saw this guy.

Less than 10 minutes after being in Pheriche, we met the doctors, helped a patient to a helicopter and then it flew bit close to 'ole head piece. Just a taste of things to come.

The Gamow bag, being demonstrated by Jenn (L) and Rachel (R) the two HRA docs in Pheriche. Both hail from the UK and were kind enough to let me hang around the aid post and help out (as well as play soccer dice and drink wine!)

The White Yak - best accommodations in Nepal and my home base for a week of Himalayan excursions.

Morning routine at the Fat Yak: small pot milk tea, porridge, look at map and find new place to explore.
Rinse and repeat.

Amadablum - my personal favorite as it's sorta by itslef and is an imposing presence on the landscape, jutting into the sky, a stairway to heaven.

It was just so damn cold at times! This was the major barrier to enjoying the incredible views of the Milky Way and various shooting starts - at night the cold was almost insurmountable for any significant period of time.

Baby Breakfast Yak.

Mt. Sagarmartha - 25% morality rate for those who make the summit. Needless to say, we stopped after some playing in the icefall.

The K-Man, Kalapattar, view looking westish from whence we came. It was a good thing we bought sweet Nepali beanies and knockoff down jackets.

When in Rome.... sharing a cold one at 16,000 feet.

Base camp rock thing. Seemed like a good place to take a picture. Coolest part was knowing that Tibet was just a stones throw away on the other side of the ridge to the left.

Khumbu Ice Fall - complete with crevasses, ancient expedition leftovers and sweet rocks.

Amadablum from Chola Pass.

Kareem succumbed to the Khumbu cough before I did and after he left I saw no danger in wandering the hills and finding offbeat paths to quench my thirst for adventure. At one point the well spoken owner of the White Yak (a mother herself) asked if my mom knew that I was walking around these big mountains all by myself. I said no, and that it was probably best that way. All's well that end well.

Looking down from the entrance to Chola Pass, still very early in a long, long day.

The view I was greated with when I neared my destination the day I crossed Chola Pass from Pheriche to Gokyo. Worst part was I didn't even have enough rupees to reward myself, I settled for 2 boiled eggs and some coconut cookies - short yellow package for those in the know.

Surprise lake near the top of Kong Ma La Pass.

Triumph! Up above the Amadablum Lakes with (L to R) Nupste, Everest and Lhotse in the background.

Airstrip in Lukla. If you take notice (hard in this small photo) the tarmac in the background slopes down and away to the left, with a plane getting ready to take off. This is like being in a roller coaster, you rumble downhill, launch off a cliff then quickly turn to avoid the opposite mountain.

Returning to Kathmandu.

Above all this trip and the acclimatization to the American lifestyle taught me that people everywhere are just the same, and sometimes a smile and some time spent listening can do more for someone than the most expensive medical intervention, whether you speak the same language or not. And you don't have to travel thousands of miles to smile or lend an ear.

We leave you with one of the more enduring moments of the trip:

Everest on fire at sunset.