The Land of Snows

Shigatse

Shigatse (གཞིས་ཀ་རྩེ) is the second largest city in Tibet . It is located 265kms / 166 miles southwest of the capital city of Lhasa in the traditional Tibetan province of Tsang. It has a population of around 100,000. Shigatse is the name of a city, county and prefecture. Shigatse prefecture has 18 counties and borders Nepal on the south. Mt. Everest, the highest mountain on earth, is found in Shigatse prefecture. Shigatse sits at 3900m / 12,795 feet. Shigatse, like many regions of Tibet, has under went major modernization over the past few decades. Though the train line in Tibet does not extend to Shigatse currently, it will in the future. The Chinese government has plans to extend the Tibetan Plateau railway to Shigatse within the next few years. The only way to reach Shigatse is by road. In 2004 it took nearly 8 hours to drive from Lhasa to Shigatse. Now it can be done in about 5 1/2 hours (there are speed restrictions along this route). The road between the two main cities in Tibet is  one of the best in the country.

The main attraction in Shigatse is Tashilhunpo Monastery. This is one of the most important Gelug sect monasteries in Tibet and is home of the Panchen Rinpoche (Lama). Even though there is really only one attraction to see in Shigatse, it is worth going to. The kora (circular path) around the monastery is great to take and offers some excellent views of the city. There are a lot of hiking options in the mountains surrounding Shigatse. There are several good hotels to stay at in Shigatse and plenty of decent restaurants to choose from. Because of the strict travel rules within the Tibet Autonomous Prefecture (TAR), the only way to legally go to Shigatse is through a travel agency. Traveling by public bus from Lhasa to Shigatse is not allowed for foreigners, though some people are able to purchase tickets illegally (this has not been possible since March '08).

Shigatse is a city full of history and culture. Most people who go to Shigatse only stay for a day or two as part of a week long trip to Mt. Everest and the Nepal border. If you like hiking, there is enough to keep you busy for several days, otherwise two full days is enough to see everything.

For more information about going to Shigatse or Tsang province, please send an email to [email protected]

Mt.Everest Base Camp: The North Face Of Everest

Getting to the summit of Mt. Everest was the goal of many mountain climbers during the first half of the 20th century. Many died in their attempt to climb the highest mountain in the world. Everest, known as Chomolangma (or Qomolangma) in Tibetan, was first scaled by the team of Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary on May 29, 1953. Since then, the mountain has been summited nearly 4000 times. The top of Everest sits at 8848m / 29,028 feet. The base camp of Everest on the Tibet side sits at 5200m / 17,060 feet. The picture above is taken from Rongbuk monastery at 5000m.

I have been fortunate enough to go to Base Camp many times over the past few years. While the coldest time of year to go to Everest is the winter, it also is the best time to get clear pictures. I have been at Base Camp in the winter when it has been -25C (-40C with wind chill) and I have  been there when it has been  -5C.  If the sun is shining, it will probably feel much warmer than what it actually is. The sun at 5200m is quite intense. Sunburns can happen very quickly if you aren't prepared.                                           

Most people who travel to Everest take 5 to 7 days to make the journey from Lhasa to Everest and back. The most popular stops along the way are at Yamdrok Lake, Gyantse, Shigatse and Sakya Monastery before arriving at Base Camp. This is one of the most popular routes that travelers take in Tibet. While this route is on the well worn tourist path, it is a great one to take. The views of the Himalaya are stunning. There is no public transportation going to Mt. Everest. All travel to the area must be arranged through a travel agency. During the high season, the furthest you can go to base camp is to the "tent city", which is 3kms before base camp. From "tent city" you need to take a bus the remaining distance. The bus costs Y25 per person for the round trip ride. Another option is to hike the remaining distance. During the low season, the bus stops running so your vehicle can drive all the way to base camp.

If you have any questions about Mt. Everest or other regions of Tibet, please send an email to [email protected]

 

The Himalaya Mountains

What is there to say about the Himalaya's? They are amazing. Stunning. Breath taking. No one who sees them is dissappointed. With Mt. Everest topping out at 8848m, it is the highest peak in the Himalaya's and in the world. From the Pang La mountain pass (above) on the Tibet side of the Himalaya, you can see not only Everest, but Lhotse (8516m /27,940 feet), Makalu (8463m / 27,766 feet) and Cho Oyu (8201m / 26,906 feet). On a clear day, there are few places on earth more beautiful.

The best time to see the Himalaya's are in the winter. The winter months usually have a lot of sunny days. Summer is also a good time to go, though the weather is not as clear and sunny as in the winter. Winter is also a good time to go because there are less tourists at places like base camp and Tingri which have good views of the mountains.

The Himalaya's  are a dream destination for many people. If you are a solo traveler or are looking for people in Lhasa to help share the costs of a trip to see the Himalaya's, it would be best to check all the reader boards at the popular guesthouses and hotels to find others to go with you. If you are traveling with a group of 3 or more, we can arrange train travel from Xining to Lhasa and then arrange a trip to the Himalaya's. A typical journey from Lhasa to Everest Base Camp going through places like Yamdrok Lake, Gyantse, Shigatse and Sakya Monastery takes about 7 days.

For more information on the Himalaya Mountains, please send an email to [email protected].

Tibetan Hospitality

For this article I am going to write about Tibetan hospitality. According to Wiktionary hospitality is defined as "the act or service of welcoming, receiving, hosting or entertaining guests". Hospitality is something that Tibetans are very good at. I never cease to be amazed at the courtesies extended to me by nomads, college-aged students or by my Tibetan neighbors living in my complex.

I am from the US (west coast to be precise) where we are not really known for our hospitality. I am familiar with the term "Southern Hospitality" and have experienced it to some degree, but even that is of no comparison to the hospitality found in Tibet (and really in most of Asia). When I was young, I read a few stories about people who would hitchhike across the US in the 1950's and totally rely on the hospitality of strangers to make it from one coast to the other. These people weren't free loaders. They would offer to work for the family in exchange for a ride, a hot meal or a place to stay for a few days. Many young people traveled across the States and Canada in this way. Back then it seemed that taking in people was something normal to do. Offering a ride to a hitchhiker was common. Inviting strangers to dinner wasn't weird. But times change. Most people in the US don't pick up hitchhikers. Most people don't stop to talk to people they don't know. Most people would never think of inviting someone over for tea or dinner that they had just met. Some people may argue that it is too dangerous to do those acts of hospitality and kindness in this day and age. I understand that (but I don't accept that as an excuse). But, in many regions of the world (even in some areas that are thought "dangerous") this type of hospitality is found everyday.

I have been fortunate to travel to most corners of Tibet over the past 5 years. In 2006 alone I traveled nearly 25,000km (15,600 miles) overland through Greater Tibet. The hospitality shown to me was amazing. In December 2006, I did some research for The Discovery Channel among the nomads of northern Kham. For 8 days I spent my time with nomads who lived either in black yak hair tents, or in small mud brick houses. When I entered into their homes, they were always excited to see me. Even if they were busy doing work, they took time to sit down with me to talk. Within a minute or two of me arriving, a cup of milk tea or butter tea was in front of me. Every time I took even the smallest sip of tea, someone (usually the wife or oldest daughter) was there to refill my cup. Bread and candies were placed in front of me as well as some dried yak meat. I came to these nomad tents unannounced. They had no idea I was coming. At one place I visited, one of the older daughters began to cook up some yak meat just for me and my two Tibetan friends who were traveling with me (picture is above). Many of the families I interviewed during this trip offered to let me stay in their tents or houses free of charge.

In 2003 my wife and I visited a good friend of mine who lived in northeast Amdo. We were in the area and decided to take the hour long taxi ride to his village (his village was actually only about 25km / 15 miles away, but it took over an hour due to horrible road conditions). The plan was to visit him and his family for a few hours or so and then head back to the county town. When we arrived, my friends family was so happy to see us. They had no idea we were coming, but were still excited that we came to visit them. We visited them for a few hours and then told them we had to get on our way back into the county town. Our friends had a puzzled look on their faces. They thought we were going to stay with them for 3 or 4 days...not just 3 or 4 hours! Even though we had shown up completely uninvited, they wanted us to stay with them for as long as we could. We kindly explained to them that we only had a short time to be with them and that we had to be on our way. They couldn't understand why we would only come to visit them for a few hours. My wife and I felt bad, but we really had to be on our way.

In the US if people show up at your house uninvited, you will probably be annoyed with them. "Why didn't they give us a call before they showed up??", some may think. Most people in the US definitely wouldn't want people to stay with them 3 or 4 days having arrived uninvited. Tibetan hospitality is so much different than that of Americans. I have read many books about Tibetans who have went on pilgrimage to the capital city of Lhasa. Many of them live in places far from Lhasa and it takes them a year or more to walk there. The pilgrims often rely on other Tibetans for food and shelter while on the long pilgrimage. These pilgrims tell many stories of the Tibetan families that took them in during their journey. These families fed them, gave them a bed to sleep in and often gave them a little money or tsampa (roasted barley flour) to help them with the rest of their trip. This may have existed in America in the 1950's, but it is gone today.

We have many Tibetan friends. Tibetans don't celebrate birthdays. Many Tibetans are not even sure when their birthday is (I once had a friend tell me that he was born either in the spring of 1981 or spring 1982. His father wasn't quite sure.). Since I am an American, birthday parties are a part of my culture. I always have a birthday party and invite between 25 to 35 of my good Tibetan friends to my house for a party. I always tell them NOT to bring me gifts. Since Tibetans don't exchange presents or even celebrate their birthdays, I wouldn't want to ask them to do something that was contrary to their culture. But every year almost all of my Tibetan friends bring me a gift. My office at my home is filled with gifts my Tibetan friends have given me over the years (from yak heads to sheep skins). Their hospitality to me isn't just shown in their homes. They bring it with them to my home as well.

I want to say thank you to the countless Tibetans I have met over the years who have shown me a form of hospitality I have NEVER been shown in my country. Of all the things I have learned from Tibetans, I hope I never forget how to be a hospitable person. Most Americans are too busy to show real hospitality. Maybe it isn't just that they are busy. Perhaps they just don't care. I know I didn't care about it before I came to Tibet. But after living on the Tibetan Plateau for 5 years, I hope I have changed. Thanks for taking a minute to read this.

Tashilhunpo Monastery

Tashilhunpo monastery, located in Shigatse, is another of the six great Gelukpa monasteries of Tibet. This monastery was founded in 1447 by Gyalwa Gendun Drup who was the nephew and a disciple of Tsongkhapa. Gyalwa Gendun Drup went on to become the first Dalai Lama. Later, the fourth Panchen Lama Lobsang Chokyi Gyaltsen, added major additions to the monastery.

Tashilhunpo Monastery is famous throughout Tibet for being the home of the Panchen Lama. The Panchen Lama is the second highest ranking lama in Tibet after the Dalai Lama. The Panchen Lama is said to be the incarnation of Amitabha Buddha. Since the fifth Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobsang, the person occupying the seat of Dalai Lama has been involved in the final selection process of the new Panchen Lama. In turn, the person occupying the seat of Panchen Lama has been involved in the selection process of the new Dalai Lama.

The most famous Panchen Lama was the tenth, Chokyi Gyaltsen. The tenth Panchen Lama was born in 1938 in a small village in northeast Amdo province, Tibet (modern day Qinghai). He was officially recognized as the tenth Panchen Lama in June 1949. In 1968 he was sent to prison for criticizing the conditions of Tibet and in particular the conditions of the Tibetans of his home province of Amdo. In 1977 he was released from prison, but remained under house arrest in Beijing until 1982. After being released he was considered to be politically rehabilitated. He was soon given the office of Vice Chairman of the National People's Congress. Even though he was given this position, he continued to speak out and represent the Tibetan people. He died under mysterious circumstances in January 1989 shortly after arriving again in Shigatse.

Tashilhunpo is located in Shigatse, 265km / 166 miles west of the Tibetan capital of Lhasa. Shigatse is the second largest city in Tibet and is located on the Friendship Highway...a highway connecting Lhasa with Kathmandu, Nepal. In the 1950's Tashilhunpo had a monk population of around 4000. Today it is a fraction of that. Tashilhunpo was closed during the Cutural Revolution, but was hardly damaged compared to most monasteries across Tibet. It was reopened in the early 1980's and has since become a major tourist attraction among foreign and Chinese tourists.

Getting to Shigatse and Tashilhunpo Monastery is easy. There are multiple buses per day going between Lhasa and Shigatse. Most people stop in Shigatse for a night or two on the way to Mt. Everest or the Nepal border when booking a 4WD trip from Lhasa. For more information about Shigatse, please send an email to [email protected]

 

 

Ganden Monastery

Ganden monastery is another of the six great Gelukpa sect monasteries in Tibet. Ganden is located 47km / 29 miles east of the Tibetan capital city of Lhasa. Ganden was founded by Tsongkhapa, who was the Tibetan buddhism reformer who started the Gelukpa sect. Tsongkhapa had his disciples build the monastery and it was finished in 1409. Ganden was the first of many Gelukpa monasteries to be built in Tibet. Tsongkhapa spent most of his last years at the monastery. He died at Ganden in 1419 and his remains are still kept there today.

Contrary to popular belief, the Dalai Lama is not the head of the Gelukpa sect. The abbot (commonly called a "tripa" which means throne holder in Tibetan) of Ganden monastery has always been the leader of the sect. The tripa is not a reincarnation like the Dalai Lama. Instead he is appointed. Each tripa of Ganden monastery serves a 7 year term. The Ganden Tripa traditionally has been one of the highest political and religious leaders in Tibet. The current Ganden Tripa is Khensur Lungri Namgyel who was born in Kham (east Tibet) in 1927. He is the 101st Ganden Tripa.

Before 1950, Ganden had around 5000 monks. Today it has around 500 monks. During the Cultural Revolution the monastery was completely destroyed. It was rebuilt in the early 1980's. Ganden is well known for its kora. The kora (pilgrim trail around the monastery) gives you an awesome view of the Lhasa river valley from 4500m / 14,760 feet. During Tibetan New Year, thousands of pilgrims from across Tibet go to Ganden to walk the kora.

Getting to Ganden is easy. Buses leave from in front of the Barkhor in Lhasa every morning from 6:30am to 7:30am. A roundtrip ticket costs Y20 ($2.50USD). The trip takes about 70 minutes. The entrance ticket for the monastery costs Y45 ($5.75). Buses return to Lhasa at around 1pm. The kora around the monastery takes about an hour.

High Mountain Passes

The highest mountain passes in the world are in Tibet. You don't have to drive too far to find a 3000m, 4000m or even 5000m+ pass. Tibet is covered in the highest mountain ranges on the planet with roads going over them. One of the highest passes in Tibet is the Tang Gu La (pictured above). Heading south from Golmud to Lhasa on Highway 109 you cross this monster pass at 5231m / 17,158ft above sea level. The oxygen levels here are less than half of those found at sea level. Most people experience at least some minor symptoms of altitude sickness when going over passes like the Tang Gu La. Minor symptoms include a headache, shortness of breath and nausea. Many Chinese and foreigners, who cross this pass on the bus, take an oxygen can or oxygen pillow with them to help relieve some of the symptoms. The new train now has oxygen available free of charge in all of the sleeping berths and seats making it much more pleasant going to Lhasa.

The Ba Yan Ka La mountain pass, pictured on the left, is one of the borders between Amdo province and Kham province. The Ba Yan Ka La is found on Highway 214 heading south from Xining to Jyekundo. The sign lists it at 4824m, but there are two other small signs off to the left (near the prayer flags) that give two other elevations which are over 5000m. My altimeter always lists this pass at around 4950m / 16,236ft so I am going to say that is the "official" elevation of the pass.

The Kamba La pass has a great view of Yamdrok Lake and sits at an elevation of 4852m /15,915ft. It is located less than 2 hours southwest of Lhasa heading towards Gyantse. This is one of the most beautiful mountain passes in Tibet. The winding road drops 400m / 1312ft down to the lakeside.

This pass is found just before entering Chumarleb, about 5 hours northwest of Jyekundo. At 4690m /15,384ft, the temperatures here in the winter are brutally cold. High winds blow here all year long. The town of Chumarleb sits not too much lower than this pass. The town sits at around 4300m / 14,104ft. It's crazy to think that the mountain passes are this high, but the mountain tops are so much higher!

This pass is found on the road between Drido and Jyekundo way out in the middle of nowhere. At 4797m / 15,735ft it is one of the highest passes in northern Tibet. The pass, like most others across Tibet, is covered in colorful prayer flags.

This is another high pass found in southern Tibet. Being at 4812m / 15,783 feet takes the breathe right out of you.

The Gyatsola pass stands at 5220m / 17,122 feet. You cross this when heading to the north face base camp of Mt. Everest. The wind at this eleavtion is always intense.

Journey to Everest

A trip to Mt. Everest is a dream for many people. We have been fortunate enough to see Everest and the Himalaya on several occasions and I am sure there will be many more opportunities since we live in the area. For this travel adventure, I am going to write about a trip I made there in January 2006 with my good friend Brian. Enjoy!

Brian came out in August 2005 to be a volunteer teacher at the NGO where I work. We both had a long winter holiday and wanted to take a trip during the break. My wife had to work so she wasn't able to make it (she went to Everest with me on a previous adventure). Brian was thinking of heading south to Thailand, but I threw out the idea of going to Everest. He didn't even have to think about it! Everest was where we were going.

In Lhasa we contacted my good friends at the FIT travel office at the Banak Shol hotel ([email protected] ...by far the best travel agency in Lhasa). We arranged a 7 day trip by Toyota LandCruiser. We paid Y3700/$463 for the LandCruiser rental, driver and all necessary travel permits for the area. Our driver (Dhondrup) was a native of Lhasa and had made the drive to Everest over 200 times. From Lhasa, our first destination was Yamdrok Lake, which is considered to be holy among Tibetans. Yamdrok is a beautiful lake that sits at almost 4500m/14,760ft. Mt. Nojin Kangtsang (7191m/23,587ft) sits in the distance.  There is a mountain pass before you descend down to the lake. The Kam Ba pass sits at 4794m / 15,725ft. By the time we reached the pass, Brian was feeling the effects of the altitude. We stopped at the top and he threw up several times. By the time we actually got down to the lakeside (a drop of around 300m/985ft) he was feeling a lot better.

From Yamdrok we made our way to Gyantse. Gyantse (elevation 3950m/12,957ft) is home to the Gyantse Kumbum, which is the largest stupa in Tibet. Gyantse was also the sight of a major battle against British soldiers in 1904. The Gyantse Dzong (fort) sits on a hill high above the town. From the top of the fort, you get an excellent view of the Gyantse Kumbum and of the rest of the town. From Lhasa to Gyantse is 250km/156mi. We stayed just one night in Gyantse before heading to Shigatse.

The next day we woke up early to head west to Shigatse. Shigatse is only 97km/61mi from Gyantse and takes about an hour to reach. Shigatse is home to the famous Tashi Lhunpo monastery. The Tashi Lhunpo monastery is the home of the Panchen Lama's. Shigatse is actually a city with over 75,000 people. Even though it sits at 3900m/12,792ft, it is much milder in the winter than most places in Tibet. Brian and I spent 2 days in Shigatse wandering the streets. We actually found a hamburger restaurant in town called "Georgia Burger". We had dinner there one night and it wasn't too bad (of course I have been living in Tibet for over 4 years. I am pretty sure I have forgotten what a good hamburger should taste like). We stayed at the nice 3 star Manasarovar Hotel located on the east end of town. The winter rate of Y140/$17.50 was a bargain so we stayed there both nights. In Shigatse it is common to find Tibetans sitting around drinking "chang", a homemade Tibetan brew made from barley. You can buy a small glass of it all over town for around Y0.5/ $0.06. One day while we were out on a walk, Brian and I came across the guy pictured below hauling around a large slab of meat tied to his back. It made us laugh.

From Shigatse, we made our way to the small town of Shegar. Shegar is 232km/145mi southwest of Shigatse and sits at an elevation of 3900m/12,792ft. About 20km/13mi before we reached Shegar, we got our first glimpse of Everest and the Himalaya mountains. The weather in in southern Tibet in winter is usually clear with bright blue skies. We had a flawless view of the mountains. It couldn't have been any better. We stopped and took many pictures of the Himalaya. This region of Tibet is often traveled by horsecart. A couple of horsecarts passed us while we were taking pictures. Shegar is a very small town with basically nothing to do. We met all the locals in town within the first 5 minutes. We stayed at the comfortable Kongjong Guesthouse for Y25/$3 a night. We met some kids on the streets (I mean "street". The only "street" in town is the Friendship Highway that leads down to Nepal) that were selling fossils. The only English words these kids knew was "fossil". They kept following us around town trying to get us to buy one, so I ended up buying one of these fossils for Y1/$0.12. The kid promptly went over to a store and bought some candy. After about 10 minutes of being in Shegar, Brian and I were bored out of our minds. So we found some of our own "fossils" and tried to sell them in town (our "fossils" consisted of us drawing pictures of yaks and people on small rocks). For some unknown reason no one wanted to buy our "fossils". We then went down to a frozen river and invented games to play. I am pretty sure I won. Shegar is not a good place to stay if you like excitement...or electricity...or heat. I always sleep with a cup of water by my bed. That night in Shegar I woke up to get a drink of water. My water cup was frozen solid. That night it was -20C outside and our guesthouse had no heat. I just licked the ice and went back to sleep.

The next morning we left for Everest. Since it was winter, we weren't going to camp at base camp (-25C/-12F or colder at night). We just wanted to go there and spend a half day or so. From Shegar to Everest base camp is about 110km/69mi. The road is good for a dirt road. It took our driver about 2 1/2 hours to get there. Along the way we crossed the Pang La pass that sits at 5120m/16,794ft. From this pass, you get an incredible sweeping view of the Himalaya mountains, including Mt. Everest. We stopped at the top and took many pictures. Since it was still early morning when we arrived at the pass, the temperature was extremely cold. It was difficult to stay outside, but it was worth it.

From the Pang La pass we continued south to base camp. Along the way we passed the small village of Tashi Dzom where my wife and I stayed two years earlier. Less than an hour later we arrived at Rongbhu monastery. Rongbhu is the highest monastery in the world at 4990m/16,368ft. Rongbhu monastery has an excellent view of Mt. Everest. From Rongbhu it is only 8km/5mi to base camp.

A few minutes later we arrived at Mt. Everest base camp. Even though I had been there before, I still was in awe and amazement. I was standing in front of the world's highest mountain! Brian and I got out and were shocked at how warm it was. Base camp sits at 5200m/17,056ft. With bright blue skies and a bright sun it actually felt quite warm even though it was January. Neither of us wore our big coats. We got out of the LandCruiser and started walking towards the mountain. In the busy summer months, there are many tourists at base camp everyday, but in the winter it is rare to see another person there. Brian and I were the only ones there on that January morning. We climbed up several small "hills" trying to get the best shot of Everest. We came across a small memorial area that was made in remembrance to those who died on Everest. On top of one of the hills, I actually had cell service so I sent some of my friends a text message.The night before in Shegar, we made a bunch of signs to hold in pictures to send to our friends back home. I made the one below for my wife who had to sit this trip out. After a few hours or so at Everest, we headed back to Shegar and then made our way back to the city of Lhasa. It was another great trip across Tibet that I won't be forgetting anytime soon.

Everest through prayer flags

This was taken from the top of Pang La mountain pass at an elevation of 5120m/16,794ft. From the top of this pass, there is a stunning view of the Himalaya Mountains . There are 14 mountains over 8000m/26,240ft on earth and you can see 4 of them from this pass. The Pang La pass is around 20km southwest of the small town of Shegar heading to Everest Base Camp. For information about going from Lhasa to Mt. Everest please send an email to [email protected]

Chomolangma: Mt. Everest

Mt. Everest, known as Chomolangma in Tibetan, is the highest mountain on earth at 8848m (29,023ft). Everest has base camps on both the Tibet and Nepal sides. The Tibet side base camp sits at 5200m (17,058ft). During the winter months, the views of Everest and the Himalaya are at their best as the skies are usually bright and clear. Rongbhu Monastery (pictured above) is the highest monastery in the world at 5000m. Everest base camp sits 8km to the south and dominates the background of Rongbhu.

Getting to Everest is easy from Lhasa. There are numerous travel agencies in Lhasa that can arrange a 5 to 8 day trip to Everest. If you are traveling with a group of friends it is possible to take a 7 day trip to Everest and back to Lhasa for as little as $120 per person. Most of the way to Everest is along the Friendship Highway...a highway that connects Lhasa with Kathmandu, Nepal. About 240km (150 miles) before the Nepal border you turn off the Friendship Highway and head south to base camp. The turnoff to Everest is 6km past the small town of Shegar. Many people going to Everest straight from Lhasa choose to stay the night here and then head up to the mountain first thing the next morning. From the turnoff, it is 99km to base camp. On the way to base camp you cross over Pang La, a mountain pass sitting at 5120m (16,795ft). From Pang La (pictured below) you get an amazing view of the Himalaya. There are 14 mountains in the world above 8000m (26,242ft) and you can see 4 of them from this pass (Everest, Makalu, Lhotse and Cho Oyu). Coming down from Pang La you reach the small village of Tashi Dzom. There is a small guesthouse there that we have stayed at a few times called the Chomolangma Benpa Guesthouse. It is a comfortable guesthouse run by a friendly Tibetan family, but can be very cold in the winter.

 At Everest Base Camp, there is a small hill that is covered in prayer flags. On top of the hill there is a sign that says you are at Chomolangma Base Camp at an elevation of 5200m. There are plenty of places to do some hiking, but you will need additional permits to go to any of the advanced camps. Hiking at 5200m (17,058ft) takes a lot out of you so only those who are fully acclimatized and used to high altitude hiking should attempt to go any higher.There is a memorial area at base camp for those who have died trying to climb it. Most of the memorials are small piles of rocks with a small headstone with the persons name written on it. Many of the memorials are adorned with Tibetan prayer flags.

If you are interested in going to Mt. Everest, please send an email to [email protected].