Preplanning, Thoughts on our Journey to Tibet and Nepal

Our Journey to Tibet and Nepal - April/May  2016:

We had originally planned this trip for September of 2015, however due to the earthquake in Nepal we opted to reschedule this trip for the Spring of 2016. 

Many aspects of preparation were necessary for this adventure.  We will be traveling with National Geographic and have very much enjoyed their offerings in travel. They offer a depth and commitment to the guest experience and  a respect for environmental and cultural  awareness. 

A medical release is required for this itinerary as we will be traveling to high altitudes in remote areas. Most of this journey will be at 12,000 feet or more in elevation, and living here at 6,000 feet will help. We actually had our medical forms done and ready for the September dates , but needed to redo them for this April departure. Our local Doc signed us off and we are good to go. We have made sure our travel first-aid kit is up to date and added a few additional items. 

In January we packaged up our passports and sent them off to obtain Visas for China and Nepal. Required applications and photos attached and then one must wait for their return. I always get a tad anxious sending the passports off. One good thing is there has been a change in the China Visa. Now it is good for 10 years, where as before it was only good for one year.  So our visas are in order and we are ready in this respect. Our passports were returned with the proper Visas attached. 

We will arrive in Beijing 2.5 days before we join the group and travel to Western China,thus we need to plan a bit of time in Beijing. We have our metro cards from pervious visits and will use them to make our way around Beijing.  As of this writing we will probably visit the following locations: The Forbidden City, Beihai Park, Jingshang Park, Temple of Heaven, A hutong or two and The Drum and Bell Towers. One thing I enjoy is going to Tiananmen Square at sunrise for the flag raising. 

Our basic itinerary will take us from Beijing to Lhasa, where we will start acclimatizing to the altitude.  We will spend a few days in Lhasa visiting Temples and Monasteries with some hikes. 

We leave Lhasa and make our way towards Everest or Chomolungma, where we will get to Everest Base Camp. In my youth I did a good bit of mountaineering, from Alaska to the volcanos of Mexico, including peaks in the Pacific Northwest, Colorado, and Wyoming. I have always felt at home on the mountains and have a great respect for them. Back in my climbing days I never thought of climbing Everest or even making a trek to Base Camp. I feel this will be a very special journey for me.   We then return to Lhasa via a remote, less traveled route. From Lhasa we fly to Katmandu. In Katmandu we make day trips to various temples and other significant sights. We depart Katmandu and fly to Delhi and then on to to Newark and then Denver. That will be a mighty long airplane ride.  

 We have been told some of the accommodations may be less than 5 star, and this is perfect for me. It was suggested a light sleeping bag might be a nice item to have, we will be packing a fleece blanket. 

We will strive to pack as light as we can, clothing that can be laundered in our room and dry quickly, fleece and down garments, headlamps, first aid kit, boots, long underwear base layers, hats and gloves. Research indicates we could experience a great spectrum of weather and we are planning accordingly. I hope to have our bags at about 35-40 pounds, we shall see. 

Photo gear will be going for sure. and will try to keep somewhat at a minimum. Two DSLR bodies with one lens each. The lenses I have chosen are a 70-200mm and a 24-105mm and a 2x converter. I will also pack an all weather “aim and create” (point and shoot) pocket camera.  Also tagging along will be cleaning gear, rain sleeves, extra batteries, battery chargers, plenty of media cards, two portable hard drives and a laptop.  All photo gear will be carryon and as of yet , I am trying to decide what bag to take as a carryon. It will be a backpack style camera bag as this will be good for the hiking we will be doing.  We will also take a monopod as it can also be used as a trekking pole. 

Our pre-trip research has been done from many resources. The internet can be rather useful for reading reviews of accommodations to points of interest.  We have obtained maps from several sources. Several travel guides have been consulted. One thing we like to do is read National Geographic articles, and various books. The books have included Sir Edmond Hillary’s  account of the first ascent, A Yak for Christmas by Louise Hillary,  and Touching My Fathers Soul by Jamling Tenzing Norgay ( this read gave great insight into the Sherpa people).   I also read the “Buddhism for Dummies” for additional understanding of this way of life. 

All of the research fills my mind with anticipation of what we will encounter and experience. Many of my thoughts will be clarified and solidified as great memories. 

While we are about three weeks away from this journey of adventure,  we continue to read and learn and plan and pack.  We hope you enjoy reading and following along as we make this journey.