Dispatches

October 7th:

We arrived back in Kathmandu yesterday. It took us two days from ABC to get back here. Mark and Wolf left today for back home. Eric's dad arrived today. I'm wrapping up Cho Oyu tasks before I fly out tomorrow. It was a fun time had by all. We are all looking forward seeing our friends and family soon!

October 4th:

Our final day here at Cho Oyu ABC! We are all excited to get back to Kathmandu and depart back home or to our next adventure. Everyone is busy packing up equipment here at camp. Tomorrow we will depart camp after breakfast.

Today we will have our final card matches and relax with Cho Oyu towering above us. The winds have picked up significantly and it seems the summit window has closed for the season.

Last night we had our celebration dinner with Champaigne and toasted our success! We stayed up late (9:30 p.m.) and played cards. It was a beautiful starlight night with a 3/4 moon and Cho Oyu lit up.

We say hi to our family and friends. We will see everyone soon!

Cheers,
Chris

October 3rd:

100 percent success rate on Cho Oyu and all back at ABC!

Our entire group is back in ABC after a safe and successful climb of Cho Oyu. It all started on September 28th when we climbed to camp 1, the 29th we climbed to camp 2 and the 30th to camp 3. Wolf had stomach issues the entire time, so he made an extra effort by making it to the top. Undi, Eric and I saved weight by not bringing a sleeping bag to camp 3 and had a very memorable cold night there.

Our summit day was very rewarding. We woke at 11 a.m. by making hot drinks and breakfast. Wolf's breakfast didn't sit too well with him and it came up shortly afterwards. High Altitude effects your digestion, so it's quite common for people to loose their appetite or to throw up.

We left for the summit at 1 a.m. with our head lamps on. Our group climbed relatively quickly. As usual Eric was right on my heals not even breathing hard. Everyone enjoyed the rock band section of the climb with it's mixed rock and ice and near vertical part. By daybreak we were already on the summit ridge leading up to summit plateau. We had one of the best morning sunrises that I could remember. The morning sun on the surrounding mountains was breath taking. Wolf with his usual optimism expressed his enjoyment at this point. Mark must of had a shot of Red Bull, since him and Eric were first to the summit. We realized we were at the summit when Everest, Lhotse and the entire western cwm was glaring us in the face. This was 8 a.m. After summit photos, we were ready to head down to the oxygen rich air below us. It took us 3 hours to reach camp 3 even though we stopped a few times to take in the Himalayan mountain range around us.

Once we arrived at camp 3, both Mark and Wolf flopped in their tent. Our goal was to reach camp 2, and Eric, Undi and I had no intention to sleep another night at camp 3 without our sleeping bags, so we took a part Mark and Wolf's tent with them in it. This encouraged them to pack up and head down. We spent the night at camp 2 at 7100 meters that felt like sea level compared to camp 3.

Yesterday was a long day. We all cleared everything from camp 2 and brought it down to camp 1. From camp 1 it took us 4 & 1/2 hours to reach ABC that normally takes 1 & 1/2 hours. Our cook helper Pemba met us about 45 minutes from camp with juice, coke and beer. Of course we invited friends who we knew from the mountain to join us as they hiked by. We toasted our success as the sun was setting behind the mountains. It was a beautiful sight to remember.

We were one of the first groups to summit Cho Oyu this year! I think what was so exceptional is that all of the smaller groups here at ABC worked together to organize the fixing of the line to make the route to the summit possible. When small groups or individuals work together, it can make a big impact or make things possible.

I would also like to thank our Sherpa's Undi and "Super" Myla who helped make our climb possible. They worked extra hard to carry loads for us. Also special thanks to Michael Fagin who gave us accurate weather reports for us to plan our summit day.

We had a pre-celebration dinner last night. As normal our cook Babobrum made an exceptional dinner! We were all too tired to celebrate past 8:30 p.m....even Eric!! Today is showers and resting. Our depart date from ABC is on the 5th and back to Kathmandu on the 6th.

Until tomorrow!

Chris

October 1st

Hey this is Chris on October 1st. Just wanted to let you know that our entire group, Mark, Eric, Wolf, Myra and myself, sumitted at 8:00am on Cho Oyu. We left camp at 1:00am with great conditions. Everyone did well and we are now safely down at camp 3. We will be moving down to camp 2 today. It was a good summit day and we had a lot of fun. We will call in again later.

Chris.

September 30th

Hello this is Chris calling. We are at Camp 3 gasping for air at 7500 meters. We all arrived safely, most of us climbed up and we are down today. We had a slight wind that made it comfortable climbing down. Our plan is to get up at around 11:00pm today, make water, and start out for the summit at around 1:00am. If everything goes well we plan on summiting at around 9-10 o'clock. We will report again from the summitt if our Sat phone is working. We are all doing well considering the altitude and will call again soon.

This is Chris, over and out.

September 29th

Hi everyone this is Chris calling in for the Cho Oyu dispatch. It is September 29th and we made it up to camp 2 today. It was cooler than the last time we came up because there was a slight wind. We are settling in at camp 2 and are having a dinner of burritos. Tommorow, if everything goes well, we plan on going to camp 3. So thats it and talk to everyone later.

Chris

September 28th

We all arrived at camp 1 today, it seems that more groups have decided to go up and summit the same day as us because the trail has been quite busy. We are having soup and snacks before dinner and hopefully everyone will sleep well. Our sherpas have gone up to camp two tonight so as to stash at camp 3 tomorrow. We will meet up with them again later tomorrow afternoon. We hope eeveryone is doing well. Over and out.

Chris

September 27th:

Today is our final rest day before heading up to the summit. Once again a beautiful day here at ABC. Clear skies and not a cloud in site. The snow is almost gone from around camp. It is hard to believe that two days ago we were up to our waist in snow! The winds are changing out of the west and bringing this drier weather. Our weather forecast calls for good weather through the 3rd of October with dimishing winds through the weekend. We hope snow conditions will be good above camp 2. We heard yesterday that camp 1 was in good shape and not too much snow.

We will report in on the mountain!

All the best,
Chris

September 26th:

Hello from sunny ABC!!

Well sunny skies greeted ABC today. It was the first clear day in 6 days. We have been receiving conflicting weather reports about today's weather, but Michael Fagin's report was right on the spot! The good weather lifted everyone's spirts here at ABC. Snowball wars were uncontrollable! We even played the game of getting the snowball into Wolf's tent, since he left the fly open. Fortunately for him we all missed! Our entire group also took advantage of the warm weather and took showers and washed clothes.

Undi and I met with other groups who still are attempting the summit. We worked out a plan for the next several days if weather and snow conditions high on the mountain look good. Our plan is to move up to camp 1 on Thursday the 28th, and if everything works out we would be summiting on the 1st of October.

Tonight our group watched the movie "Rudy". It was a great movie and very motivational.

Tomorrow is another rest day of cards, chess, movies and getting ready to move up!

All the best,
Chris

September 25th:

Snowy days on Cho Oyu! We woke to a winter wonderland this morning. In places around camp there is up to 2 to 3 feet of wind blown snow. We have heard various reports of clapsing tents around ABC and weather reports vary from clearing later today to clearing in three days. To get from one camp to another we have to wade through thigh deep snow. Rumors are that conditions higher on the mountain are worse than they are here. Mark is saddened by the prospect of loosing his knockoff Mountain Hardware Kathmandu YELLOW down pants which may be buried at camp 2. The rest of us are quite relieved!

Our plan is to wait and hope the weather clears soon. We are all still healthy and still pleasent to each other. The only exception is playing card, then there are no rules....It gets ugly and mean.

Cheers,
Chris

September 24:
It continues to snow here at Cho Oyu ABC, so we continue to wait. The weather forecast calls for clearing skies tomorrow. We hope the forecast is correct. Wolf has been busy shoveling around camp. Mark, Eric and I continue to battle each other with cards and chess. Same old', Same old'.

We are optimist about the weather for the days a head of us. We will keep everyone posted when we plan to attempt the summit.

Cheers,
Chris

September 23:

Another snowy windy day at ABC. Today is probably the worst day since our arrival here. Fortunately we have a nice heated mess tent to hang out in.

Last night we went out to dinner over at the German's. The leader of the German's expedition, Renier, was an exceptional host. The dinner, drinks and company was a blast!

Other expedition News: Wolf also took a shower yesterday, so it leaves only Mark as the one not to sit next to at dinner. Mark is still the Cho Oyu Chess Champion of 2006. Eric is trying to take over the title today, but it doesn't look too hopeful. Wolf is currently preparing for his summit attempt by snoozing in his tent today.

I met with a few of the other expeditions to figure out when other groups are planning their summit attempt. Our plan is to wait until weather get better and snow conditions above camp 2 improve.

Signing out!
Chris

September 22: Let it snow!

It's been snowing and windy since we got down from camp 2 yesterday. The weather hasn't made showers too inviting. Eric and I were the brave ones, and we took showers for our dinner engagement with the Germans tonight. The heated mess tent made it very pleasent to hang out to play cards or chess during the day while it's nasty "outside." We are all glad to be here at ABC!

Last night Mark, Eric and I played card to the wee hours of the night. Well 9:30 p.m. is considered late for us, since we just got down from camp 2.

We send our best to our family and friends!

Chris

September 21st: We just returned safely from our last acclimatization climb. We timed it perfectly, since it's just starting snowing very hard today. We heard bad weather will persists for another 3 days.

We climbed up to camp 1 on September 19th. September 20th we climbed to camp 2 and probably considered one of the hardest days on the mountain. Both Wolf and Mark said this was the hardest day of their life. We arrived at camp 2 around 3:30 p.m. It took us 7 hours. Everyone did well considering it being our first night at 7100 meters. This was Wolf, Eric and Mark's personal high altitude record!! Wolf had a little vomiting spell due to the high altitude, but felt better afterwards. We all slept on and off through out the night.

After hot drinks and a small breakfast we departed camp 2 at 9:15 a.m. We were all a bit fatigue except for Eric of course. He enjoyed rapelling over the ice cliff as part of the decent. Myla met us about 45 minutes from ABC with hot and cold drinks. At this point the snow was coming down steady. We arrived back at ABC by 2 p.m. Babaroom welcomed us back home with a delicious lunch.

Now we are ready for our summit attempt. We plan to rest for the next 3 days and watch the weather for a good window.

Cheers,
Chris

September 20th:

Hi everyone

We are currently at camp 2. We left this morning at 8:30 and arrived around 12:30. At times it was very hot climbing up to camp 2. We are planning on spending the night. We have a good dinner planned and tommorrow morning somtime, once the sun hits the tent, we plan to go back down to ABC for showers, rest, and relaxation. This is Chris signing off!

Chris

September 19th:

Hello from camp one again!

After an early breakfast this morning we climbed to camp 1. We had beautiful weather for this 5 hour climb. It was a strenuous day for everyone and the snow made it especially difficuly, later that afternoon we even had a siesta. Tomorrow we plan to climb to camp two before descending back down to basecamp. That’s it for now!

Chris

September 17th and 18th:

Restful days on Cho Oyu:

Today is our last day of rest before heading up the mountain again. It's been slightly snowing and cloudy the yesterday and today. We spent the last two days playing cards and chess, resting, reading and eating. Wolf and Mark have been playing some competitive games of chess. Currently Mark resides as the Cho Oyu MM champion of 2006, but things can change.

This morning we reviewed the use of oxygen for summit day. We checked out our mask and regulators to make sure they will work correctly and ensured everyone had the right size mask to fit their face.

Our Sherpas, Undi and Myla, left today for camp 1. They will stock our camp 2. Tomorrow we will head up the mountain for two nights, a night at camp 1 and 2. We will be back at ABC on the 21st. Although the technical change on Cho Oyu is moderate, it does present a great physical challenge. Already we heard of other teams having members give up. It's really important for our team to remain healthy and motivated!

That's it for now!

Chris

September 16th

Hello from ABC!

We had a successful acclimatization climb. After spending one night at ½ camp, two nights at camp 1(6400 meters, 20,900 feet) and climbing to 6800 meters above the ice cliff, we are now back at ABC. Wolf was quoted as saying the climb over the ice cliff was the hardest thing he ever did in his life! The ice cliff did present a bit of airy traversing with a strenuous 70 degree section at 22,000 feet. The oxygen rich air feels like we are at sea level compared to where we were for the last few days. This morning we left camp 1 after breakfast. It took us about 1 & ½ hours to get down. Undi met us 20 minutes from base camp with juice and coca cola.

After a delicious lunch of fries and hamburgers, everyone took showers and washed clothes. Mark and I played a lengthy game of chess. Let's just say the person who won his name starts with a "M". Wolf and Eric are now involve with another intense game. Tonight it's pizza, chips and wine for dinner before the feature movie "Austin Powers - The Spy Who Shagged Me".

We plan to have two more rest days before heading up the mountain. Our plan is have one more acclimatization outing by sleeping at camp 2 (7100 meters) and returning again.

Everyone did very well up on the mountain. We are managing to stay healthy and having a great time.

All the best,
Chris

September 15th

Hello from Camp I again. Today we woke at 7:00 a.m. and started melting snow for drinks and breakfast. We left Camp I at 8:30 a.m. and climbed to above the serac, or 22,000 feet. We had a long break on top before descending back to Camp I. We arrived around 1:30 p.m. and took a nap before dinner. Tomorrow we plan to head down to ABC for showers and relaxation.

Until then,

Chris

*******

September 13th and 14th

Hello from camp one!

Yesterday morning we climbed to intermediate camp and spent the night there. It was a nice camp since it was remote and we did not have to sleep in snow. Eric and I played cards until late in the evening, 8:30pm! Today we climbed to camp one. While Wolf decided to take a siesta, Mark, Eric and I decided to play cards again> I am not going to say who won, but it starts with a C! Tonight we will have dinner before sunset. Everyone is healthy and doing well, cheers!

Chris

*******

September 12th:

Hello from ABC once again!

Last night we had a friend from Denmark over for dinner, since the rest of his team was up on the mountain. It was a fairly early night for us.

Today was our last rest day before heading back up the mountain. We spent most of the day reading, sleeping, eating, playing cards, and socializing with the other expeditions. We are still getting light snow showers through out the day. Tonight we plan to watch the movie, "The Outlaw Josey Wales" after dinner.

Tomorrow we leave for Intermediate camp to sleep one night before heading up to camp 1. We plan to spend 3 nights on the mountain.

Cheers,
Chris

*******

September 11th:

Hello from ABC,

Last night we watched the movie, "Forest Gump" before retiring for the evening. It snowed lightly most of the night.

We had some sunshine this morning as we prepared for our Puja. A Lhama performed the ceremony. We brougt our ice axes and crampons to be blessed. After an half an hour of chanting Bhuddist prayers and throwing rice, we broke into the Coca Cola, PBR and snacks. We raised the prayer flags over base camp. The blue, red, green, white and yellow colors of player flags represent sky, fire, earth, water, and sun respectively, the elements of life. The wind blows the Bhuddist scripts that are written on the flags into the sky. We had many other expeditions celebrate our Puja with us.

After a late lunch, Wolf went on his gossip walk and Mark listened to the BBC, so dinner tonight we received the current gossip and international news, respectively. It was a leisurely day with sun breaks through out the day.

We'll have another rest day before moving up the mountain.

Chris

*******

September 10th:

We had a big day today. After breakfast we left for camp 1 at 8:15 a.m. In the morning the weather was nice with partly cloudy skies. We hiked on the moraine until the base of the mountain or approximately 18,800 feet. We climbed up to intermediate (Lake) camp at 19,300 feet and arrived around 10:45 a.m. After a short break we took on the big hill before camp 1. There has been more snow this year, so the snow line starts just below camp 1. We hiked to just below camp 1 approximately 20,200 feet to avoid the deep snow, since we were in our approach shoes. This was around 11:30 a.m. We hung out until noon before heading back to ABC. About 45 minutes before reaching ABC, it started snowing. Undi greeted us just before ABC with hot drinks. We were glad to be back at camp, since the weather got nasty. Everyone did well today. We nicknamed Eric "the rabbit" for his everlasting engergy. After a late lunch we crawled into our sleeping bags to relax before dinner tonight.

Tonight we plan on watching a movie if we are not too tired. It's been a great day!

Tomorrow morning is our Punja, a Bhuddist cermony asking the Gods for good luck and health on our climb of Cho Oyu.

Cheers,
Chris

*******

September 9th:

Happy days!

Another rest day here at Advanced Base Camp. ABC is feeling more like home for our next 3 weeks. Everything is organized for our climb ahead of us. We had misty and cloudy weather this morning. It looked bleak for showers at first, but after lunch the sun came out and the rest of us managed to take showers...good for our German guests who joined us for dinner tonight! Our cook, Babobrum made a special pizza and apple pie for our dinner guest tonight!

Tomorrow is a casual hike towards camp 1. We plan to go light and slow. We will leave right after breakfast and be back sometime late afternoon.

Until tomorrow!

Chris

September 8th:

*******

Rest & Relaxation at Advanced Base Camp!

Today was a rest day here at ABC. This morning we set up our communications/recharging station, organized our high altitude food and equipment and tidied up ABC. Wolf and Mark went for a socializing walk and met up with our German friends. After lunch Wolf and Mark washed clothes. Eric was the only one to take a shower...let's hope the rest of us do the same tomorrow!

There is still a lot to do here at ABC to get it more like home. Our local staff are moving rocks around to get the kitchen in good shape....That's a good thing!

This afternoon I went to a meeting to discuss how the fixed line will be installed in the next several weeks. The Sherpas put together a plan of support needed and fixed line required. After dinner tonight we watched a movie, "Farenheight 9/11". It was a late night for us....later than most nights.

We plan to rest one more day at base camp before moving up hill. It's good to acclimatize well before climbing higher. We are happy that there are no headaches or coughs here at camp. I hope it stays that way!

Good night from ABC!
Chris

*******

September 7th:

Hi from Advanced Base Camp!

We made it to ABC today! It's great to be here. We left our intermediate camp at 8:15 a.m. this morning. The trek to ABC was amazing. There were beautiful views of the surrounding snow peaks. We had a great view of Cho Oyu and we could see the upper part of the route clearly. We arrived at ABC 18,300 feet around 11:30 a.m. Our yaks with our gear arrived about 15 minutes later. We put up tents, and made it our home for the next 3 weeks.

Since this is our first time sleeping so high, we took it easy for the rest of the day. There are alot of expeditions from around the world here. Since Lhasa, we have been meeting groups from Germany, Poland and Britain. We have been making many friends.

Tomorrow will be a rest day, so we are looking forward to organizing our camp and resting. Eric, Wolf, Mark and I say hi to our friends and family!

Cheers,
Chris

*******

September 6th:

We are at Intermediate Camp tonight. It's a clear night, a full moon and Cho Oyu is towering above us. We have had great weather so far.

We had another nice day. We woke early, so we could dismantle camp. Our gear was weighed to make loads for the Yaks to carry. We left Chinese Base Camp around 11 a.m. It was a nice hike. Since the last time I've been here much has changed. There is no longer a river crossing, but two new bridges have been built. The trail has also been widened to accomodate vehicles to get into Intermediate camp.

We now have a sunglass saga going on here at camp. Wolf made the mistake of give a couple yak herders Smith sunglasses and now all the Tibetans want some. They have been stopping by our dining tent pointing to their eyes asking for glasses. Unfortunately Wolf has given out all of his extra pair of glasses.

Tonight we celebrated my 39th birthday a day early. I was completely surprised by the cake that Myla and Baboorun made. Mark emailed our office to find out the corrrect date. It was really nice of everyone to have remembered.

Tomorrow it's Advanced Base Camp. We are all looking forward to getting there, so we can settle in for a while.

Everyone is feeling good and staying healthy. We send our best to everyone!

All the best,
Chris

*******

September 5th:

Another fun day here at Chinese Base Camp. Once again our ritual wake-up: hot washing water and fresh coffee greeted us this morning at 7:30 a.m. There was a bunch of activity around camp, since some groups are moving up valley this morning. There were a lot of yaks around base camp to carry loads to the intermediate camp, half way point from CBC to Advanced Base Camp. Yaks can carry up to 50 Kg loads and are very hardy animals.

After breakfast, which consisted of omelettes, toast, and cereal, we got our gear together for our skill review training this morning. We reviewed ascending and descending fixed lines, so we are all clear on how our climbing systems will work on the mountain. Everyone did well, so with the extra time we reviewed crevasse and rope rescue skills as well. It was a productive morning!

After a nice lunch, we rested up for our move to intermediate camp tomorrow. Everyone is feeling good and our hopes are that we can stay healthly for the entire trip.

Until tomorrow - Chris

*******

September 4th:

We had a nice day here at Chinese Base Camp. We started the day with French press Starbucks coffee before breakfast. After breakfast we went for an acclimatization hike above base camp. It was a beautiful morning with magnificent views of the surrounding snowy Himalayan peaks. We summited our goal of Mt. Baldy, 18,200 feet at 11:15 a.m. We named the peak after Wolf's training peak where he lives in Ketchum.

We hung out on top for some time, enjoying where we were until the rain clouds from up valley began moving in. We were down in an hour and in time for lunch. In the afternoon we relaxed before dinner. Rest and hydration is a big part of the acclimatization process.

We will be here for another day before moving up valley. That's it for now!

All the best,

Chris

*******

Sept. 2

Hello from Chinese Base Camp!

On September 2nd we drove to our last town, Shegar or also known as New Tingri. It was also our last stop for a hot shower. We drove over two passes with the last one being over 5200 meters. Shegar is a small town with not much to see but a few shops that sell a few supplies. Several local young kids were selling fossils that they found from the surrounding countryside. Our group bought several. We figured we would support the young entrepreneurs. Today we drove from Shegar to Chinese Base Camp. We got our first view of Cho Oyu from the town, "Old Tingri" and it got us excited for the climb ahead of us. We arrived at base camp (approximately 16,000 feet) around 9 a.m. Nepal time. Our Sherpas, Undi and Myla, had already established camp. We all agreed that's it's good to be here. We plan to be here at Chinese Base Camp for 3 nights until we move up to Advanced Base Camp. Everyone is feeling good and staying healthy.

We send our best to family and friends!

Chris

*******

September 1st:

Hello from Shigatse!! We made it to Shigatse!! With the new improvements to the highway we made it in 4 hours from Lhasa. It was a beautiful ride with high barren mountains that towered above us, and a raging river beneath us. We even got a glimpse of a few snowy peaks.

After lunch we went to the Tashilhunpo Monastery. We saw many of the chapels and stupas. After the tour we got away from the rest of the tourists and went up to a chapel where the monks were having a special ceremony. Plenty of chanting, horns blowing, drums beating and bells ringing. It was one of the most impressive ceremonies I have witnessed in a long time.

Tomorrow we hit the road again. We will drive over two 5000 meter passes. If it's not cloudy, we will have a chance to see Shishapangma, the 14th highest peak in the world.

Cheers, Chris

*******

August 31st:

We had another fun day here in Lhasa! This morning Mark and Eric went shopping around Lhasa while Wolf and I sent emails. After lunch we toured the Potala Palace that was built in the 7th century. Tickets were difficult to get due to the increase in tourists as a result of the new train system running into Tibet.

Afterwards, we had the chance to shop more. We got bombarded by persistent merchants selling a variety of necklaces and bracelets. Mark bargained 3 bracelets for 20 yuan with one pesky vendor. However she continued to chase us, so we would buy more. Eventually we had to out-run her for us to get away.

Tomorrow we will depart to Shigatse. It will take us three days by road to reach Chinese base camp. We are all feeling good and excited to be moving on.

That's it for now!

Chris

*******

August 30th:

We had a great day here in Lhasa today. After breakfast we explored the Drepung Monastery located just outside of town. There used to be 10,000 monks living here before the Chinese invasion, but now only 600 to 700 monks reside here. The monastery was home to the Dali Lhamas up to the 5th. The great "5th Dali Lhama" expanded the Potala place in the 17th century which was the residence of each succeeding Dali Lhama until 1959.

After lunch our group went for a nice hike just outside of town with outstanding views of Lhasa and the Potala Palace. We reached an altitude of approximately 13,500 feet. We hung out on top while Wolf enlightened us with the latest Hollywood gossip.

Tonight we plan to go somewhere else for dinner than the night before. Tomorrow it's more sightseeing in Lhasa!

Christine

*******

August 29th:

Hello everyone!

We had a busy two days. Yesterday was filled with a lot of activity. Mark, Eric and Wolf took a very informative tour of Kathmandu. The Hindu section made the most impact due to their customary burning of their dead by the river. Afterwards we made sure everyone had the appropriate equipment and made last minute errands. We ate dinner at the famous Rum Doodle restaurant where the names of all the Everest summiters are listed on the walls. The place has a lot of history!

This morning we left for the airport to catch our China Airlines flight to Tibet. We heard the flight was full and many groups couldn't fly today and had to wait for the next flight in two days. The flight took about 1 hour. We caught just a short view of the Himalayas since the monsoon clouds covered the mighty peaks below us. Everyone agreed that it felt good to be in the arid cool climate of Tibet rather than Kathmandu. This evening we ate a restaurant that tried to cater to tourists with the a sign advertising "Good Western Food". Let's just say that tomorrow night we will insist on traditional Chinese food. It seems that this is what the Chinese do best.

We are looking forward to touring Lhasa tomorrow. Our first stop will be Drepung Monastery.

Good night from Lhasa!

Christine

*******

August 28th:

Hello from Kathmandu!

Our team has arrived in Kathmandu yesterday as well as all the baggage...a unbelievable feat to say the least! Cloudy skies from the monsoon greeted our arrival. We checked in at the Radisson Hotel located just a 5 minute walk from the tourist Thamel area of Nepal. Kathmandu is business as normal with colorful and lively activity around us! Small shops selling souvenirs align the streets. The shop entrances are decorated with a variety of items for sale from Tankas, a Tibetan Buddhist painting, colorful puppets of various Buddhist Gods or the reggae-style clothing apparel. It's great to be back in Kathmandu again!

Last night we ate at the best pizza parlor in Nepal, "Fire and Ice". We got to know everyone on our team better and we talked about the upcoming expedition.

Today Wolf, Eric and Mark will tour the amazing and mystical city of Kathmandu. Afterwards we will go over our climbing equipment and make sure we are packed for our departure to Tibet. Tomorrow morning we will fly to Lhasa! We are all very excited to be here and look forward to the adventure in front of us.

Cheers,
Christine