Memories of Thin Air and Strong Bonds

Mr.Bob Cox and his wife Glosia Closek from Bethesda, Maryland share story of their incredible expedition to Everest Base Camp.

When, where and How : We went to Nepal in mid-February for three weeks. Our main objective was to make it to Everest Base Camp. We tried to complete this hike on 2014, but I caught bronchitis.

Highlights and high Points : Everything about the Himalayas was splendid and thrilling. Few of the most noteworthy sights we experienced on our trip would be the majestic view of Mount Ama Dablam from its base camp, a yak-herder climbing up a 1000 foot hill just to have a 15 minute conversation with our guide and then climbing back down to his yaks, the blue-white ice caves in the Khumbu glacier and undoubtedly the breathtaking view from Kala Patthar.

Cultural Similarities, Connection or disconnection : We were accompanied by our guide Santa Bahadur Ghale all throughout our trek. Conversations with him gave us some understanding about Nepal, its culture and how the country has evolved.

Ecstatic Moment : At the end of our journey, we were stuck in Patan, a city close to Kathmandu Valley after our Turkish airlines jet skidded off the runway causing the airport to remain closed for the following 4 days. On the third day, we visited nearby temples in Patan, lighting candles to all the gods with a hope that the plane will be freed soon. To our surprise, we received news that the flight will resume from tomorrow on the same night.

Biggest Cry : 6 weeks after our return to the States, Nepal was hit by a major earthquake. Our guide’s grandmother and 9 year old niece lost their lives in the quake. Since then, we have been aiding him financially to help him rebuild his house which was partially collapsed due to the earthquake. We were always up to date by keeping in touch with him and others through emails and stuff. We heard that the trekking routes in the Everest Region are open once again. We will certainly come back and relive the moments we created there.

Astonishing Moment : We were very surprised to see the warm and kind nature of Nepalese people. We were overwhelmed by the hospitality. Of course, people in the tourist business want you to spend your money, but beyond that, they are generally genuinely nice. At one lodge, a worker helped us repair our equipment. Later the same worker worker came forward to carry my backpack as I was coping up with thigh-deep snow due to unseasonal snow storm. The best part was that he did it selflessly without even speaking a word, since he didn’t speak English.

Memorable Moment : The moment we made it to the top of Kala Patthar for sure. We were left spellbound. At such altitude (5644.5m), the oxygen is half of what it is at sea level. We took two long breaths on every step uphill. The weather was pretty clear and we were the only people there which was very rare because normally Kala Patthar is filled with crowds of trekkers clicking pictures of each other and Everest. It was literally a life time experience, something to look upon to with glee in years to come. It was beyond everything,a trip that stands out above the many other trips we have taken.

Source : Washingtonpost