TIBET – MT. EVEREST
Nearly 400 km (~250 mi) paved roads from Lhasa
100 km (~62 mi) winding dirt mountain roads
We finally made it to the top.
Mount Qomolangma (Everest) Base Camp
Altitude: 5,200 meters (17,060 ft)
Locally known as Mount Qomolangma (pronounced “Cho-mo-lahng-ma”), or “Holy Mother,” the mountain is considered to be the highest point on the planet…from sea level. Technically, since the Earth is not perfectly round and bulges at the equator, Ecuador’s Mount Chimborazo sits approximately 2.4 km (1.5 mi) higher than Everest. Nevertheless, Mount Everest prevails as the “rooftop of the world.” Permits are required by the Chinese government to visit Mount Everest Base Camp, on top of the the permit to gain entry into Tibet…plus the Chinese visa to enter the country.
We arrived at tent village the evening before, where we stayed a very comfortably overnight at “Peace Hotel.” The village consists of several establishments which are housed in tents made of yak-fur, equipped with furnaces fuelled by dried animal droppings. The weather was originally overcast, leaving Everest to be shrouded behind the clouds. Tsewang (our guide) informed us that the locals believe you are only given the opportunity to witness the “Holy Mother” if your Karma is good.