So finally, the quest for the final frontier has begun. I had been waiting for this moment for a long time, and now it is here. I arrived from Delhi on an Indigo flight, ready to climb the mighty Everest. It was a two-hour flight, and after exchanging my money at the airport, I was whisked off to the Ramada Hotel, where we were briefed about our climb. I realized that I hadn’t taken any insurance, so I spent the next few hours struggling with my mobile to purchase an insurance policy online.

Everest

We were advised to take some rest as we would be starting our journey soon. Ramechhap was going to be a five-hour drive. The drive to Ramechhap was very taxing, as I was consumed by motion sickness throughout. The area is very hilly and the terrain equally tough, so I spent most of the time trying to grapple with my nausea. My advice: keep motion sickness and nausea-prevention tablets with you at all times.

We then proceeded to take a flight to Lukla, which would be the starting point of our trek. After decking myself out in my trekking gear, I was all set to march forward. We were given our briefing and soon began our trek towards Chuplung, eventually reaching Tok Tok, crossing the Dudh Koshi River, which would become our constant companion.

The Dudh Koshi River is located in eastern Nepal. It flows from a glacial lake at an altitude of 5,100 meters and eventually meets the Sapta Koshi. Dudh means milk and Koshi means river — when in full flow, it creates a milky foam on its surface.

I crossed a suspension bridge and narrowly avoided a direct collision with some mules coming from the other side.

Soon after, I walked beneath the Pasang Lhamu Sherpa Memorial Gate. She was the first Nepali woman to climb Mount Everest. She finally reached the summit on her fourth attempt and was recognized for her courage, perseverance, and refusal to give up. Born in 1961 into a lower-caste Nepali family, she had no formal education, but what she did have was courage. On 10th May 1993, 18 days after she had disappeared, her body was found on Chomolungma — she had perished during her descent.

I managed to take some breathtaking pictures and even patted a few yaks along the way. We trekked almost 18 km through treacherous terrain, navigating stones, rocks, and boulders. The entire trek for the day lasted over four hours before we finally reached Phakding, which was going to be our stop for the night. I grabbed some lunch — rice and dal — and even managed to sleep for a few hours. The water here is freezing, but I still managed to take a quick shower.

The most breathtaking view was from the window of my room as I stared into the horizon, enjoying the cold, freezing breeze. So enjoy the pictures for the day — what an adventure to begin with. I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.