Finally caught up with Praveen yesterday here in Kathmandu. Was supposed to meet last Friday as we both assumed he would be back from Namche itself. But surprisingly he decided to take on the Base Camp.

Again hats off to you Praveen for being able to brave the endurance of extreme trekking with minimum gear and making it to the Everest Base Camp. It was a privilege meeting you bro. I am amazed at how you plan out things in the last minute with small amounts of information and still manage to complete your goals effortlessly and successfully. I hope you had a good time here in Nepal.

Best wishes for your journeys ahead. I would really love to do something of this sort but definitely not this huge, someday down the line. As you said its about discovering oneself rather than lacking company and going solo.

Once again really privileged to have met you and gained some gyan in a short time...After all I am the first xbhpian you met during the tour right? Though you never expected, that too in Nepal. hehehe....

this is simply too much .. i seriously CANNOT believe it !!!!!!!!!!!

@praveenkm: where you required to buy the permit to reach base camp and where you charged the enviornment clean up fees when you where returning from basecamp.

Base camp is ground 0 there are still camp 1, camp2, camp3, camp 4 and then final submit.

You getting down and tired at basecamp proves how hard it is.

Sharing some information

Base Camp - 5400 m / 17700 ft.
Icefall - 5500 m - 6100 m / 18000 ft - 20000 ft. - A real world horror park, with all sort of wierd things possible here.
Camp 1, Valley of Silence - 6100 m - 6400 m / 20000 - 21000 ft.
Camp 2, 6400 m / 21000 ft.
Camp 3, Lhotse wall - 6800m - 8000 m / 22300 ft - 26300 ft.
Camp 4, the Deathzone 8000 m / 26000 ft. (name says it all)
Balcony - Not an official spot, but a place to change O2 cans while on reach to "The Sumit"
The Knife edge - Scariest part, its like walking on kife edge at 27500 ft, fall on left, you are into 8000 ft free fall in nepal, fall on right you are into 12000ft free fall in tibet, its better to opt for fall in tibet as you get litle more time to live for (4000ft)
The Submit - Final niravana.

One day - Some day
Mt. Everest always calling .....

@viny: Would love to read the whole text... if you can post hte source ...

Wow man! Awesome pics and write up. Great going buddy!

@Praveen - Brother that was true that its more of discovering oneself then yearning for company. You are having a time of life & making us mortals just wish if we could all be up there.

With minimum things you are doing it all..... Base Camp, Ponmuri, glaciers, etc. Why don't you try to trek Mt.Everest with ZMA??

Pics are all wonderful & I ignore my office work just to ensure that I'm updated on this thread.
Hey, would you be coming to Delhi or Lucknow on your way back?? If you could just give an approx idea of dates you would be in these places..... I shall sneak on any opportunity to meet you & share your experience !!

@kriss, thats a little piece of GK that i recorded in brain due my deep attraction toward MT. Everest.

If you really wana enjoy the track to Mt. Everest, then checkout this virtual tour link
Discovery Channel :: Interactive climb of Everest

Discovery also telecasted "Everest: Beyond The Limit" - a complete documentary showing all the camps and the submit achieved by a group. Its and an interesting documentary to watch. You can get a copy of same in DVD format as well as on net.

its huge praveen ,its taking longer than any thing to load in my computer with my slow connection. :d
going great praveen,so you trekked atlast.alll the pics are very nice.

liked this one :

Dude, amazing stuff. I am horridly jealous yet again.

Awesome!!

Thanks for the link, that was very interesting.

Day 92-94 - June 8-10 - The Kid messed it up!

Freedom finally after being a forced guest at the police station! Guess to balance out things there has to be a setback after a triumph. Some bad luck after a unbelievable run of good luck. Just when i got back on the road towards Pokhra and still getting into the ride mode it happened! A kid ran onto the road from behind a parked truck and before i even realized there was a kid on the road, he got hit by my bike and sent to the other side of the road rolling! i did not loose balance and was still riding, but looking at the poor kid roll i stopped. Well not surprisingly crowd gathers. Inspite of what i have heard i dont get beaten up nor my bike gets burnt. Instead was told to get into the pickup with the kid to the hospital. On my humble requests and a onlookers help i was allowed to ride my bike followed the good Samaritan. Then i was escorted into a police station, where the guy said about my innocence and i was to stay their till the kids gets medical attention and discharged! The kid has taken a hit on his and has a CT scan and is under oservation.

Well this turned out to be a 2.5 days of holdup. I was not detained but was not allowed to go till the kid gets discharged it seems. It does not matter if its not my mistake. I was on vehicle and kid on foot so i have to pay! I know something similar is there in india but the cops have a say in India and they can if they want to try to pick whose mistake it is. But around here, even the cops follow bigger vehicle's mistake's rule! They are just afraid of crowd attacking the station. The matters here settle here among the involved parties who decide the amount to be paid and the cops just sign off the agreement! The same in my case. I was to be there the other party puts across their demand. It can be any thing! Was shocked when the cops themselves told that if a bigger vehicle is parked and a smaller vehicle hits it then the bigger vehicle owner has to pay! Well you get the picture. i was even told that the kid is not from the locality else i would most surely be beaten up and my bike burnt!! This is the state of affairs here and cops don't have much of a say. I see like 20 sets of helmets and fiber shields and body armor lying outside ready. It seems its the same in all the stations.

It was very uncomfortable 2.5 days at the station. The cops took care of me like a guest, getting me things from outside like food, mineral water and was even given bed in officer's quarters. Treated with lot of respect. Just that i was under watch full eye and announce if i have to use the loo. It seems if i run off the guard at the gate would be held responsible and he has to pay! The whole exercise looked like the cops were caught in between something and were trying to keep me happy there!

Well about the stay it wasn't pleasant at all. Of course one would not like it in 5star hotel with out freedom. Spent most of the day on the guest couch fighting with the mobile. Ate with the cops on the mass lunch. The have only two but huge meals per day and i am used to eating many times but lil. But was escorted out for my eating outside in between without any fuss. They were helpful and at the same time sympathetic on my situation. But i have to stay! Was given officer's bed but i could hardly get sleep. Very basic loo etc. But was offered the best they got!

Today for the second time the discharge got delayed and was uncertain of when that would happen. This got me real frustrated. I even almost called the India embassy. But before that i requested the officer in charge that i be allowed to go and talk to the child's caretaker. After all its the kid's mistake and some responsibility has to be taken by the child's caretaker. I was obliged and i rode down to the hospital with a cop behind me. After quite some mins of walking around the various wards finally spot the boy and the care taker. The boy seems to be fine and the care taker had no idea of my plight. Tried to reason about fairness of the situation giving example like i when let go a pickup that hit me cos i found him not guilty. And i should get the same consideration. Not that i hit the kid standing on the footpath! etc... But all i got was it was like rule in Nepal that bigger vehicle guy has to pay... but atleast they guy was just sticking to the hospital bill unlike some cases where the cops said like some people in the same situatio would demand double and tripple of the bill amount and still have to pay.!! all this talks made the hospital staff agree to discharge today. They were just taking their own time without clue before now. Though i suggested not to discharge for this reason, its best for the kid to be there if required, but just let me go with the current bill amount as all the major expences were billed! It seems they were just waiting for doctor who otherwise would have happily turned in tomm.. Around 9k is the bill and i kinda reasoned on that. i know that i have to pay any way but did not want to agree easily and make them think that they can extract more. Had i not taken the initiative, would have been there for a day or 2 more!

7.30 in the evening the kid and the guardians show up and with a bill of 7.5k. One of the cop whisks them away and when back its 10k! i gave my displeasure and then i was whisked away and settled for 9k. well i knew i am getting lettoff easily compared to in India. But did not want to convey that. There is no record of the incident from the cops perspective and all they have is the agreement between the parties written in a notebook on which we both signed!! And yes i am out back to Kathmandu in the nice restaurant now. I was offered to stay for the night as it was late but i politely declined for obvious reasons. I have lived in the basic amenities in the trek and now wanna get back to my own. Aaaah Good to be back on my own! Kathmandu is still keeping me back for tonight and hopfully i ride out to some place tomm...

Some pix i took stealthily...


My office for the 2.5 days...


The guest sofa where i spent the days!!


The shield ready for action. Each have scars of may action days!!


My bike's got some shelter too and the keys still with me!!

Darth Veda: They look small prolly because of the clarity in atmosphere.. but trust me they keep going up and up an up. can you believe that Mt Everest is 3kms straight up from the base camp

i-Uze: it was great meeting you man. Never thought would meet a biker that to xbhpian in Nepal. But have to confess you were the second xbhpian cos diffuser was the first one i met. sorry

Thanks devil boy...

sam92 even i cant believe it :d

thanks moeed

Thanks Abhishek: i should be heading towards delhi.. Hope to make it thus far not sure of exact dates though. Would be nice to meet you too

Sorry Nabendu: but could not get net for quite some time so the heavy pages. glad you liked the pix...

hehe hitanshu: gotcha :P

@Praveen : Dude, u are one helluva tourer man!

Hats off to u

pokemo .. ur having crazy adventures man ..
glad things didnt get too complicated .. and you are back on the road again ..

phew!