Mount Everest

Mount Everest is in a part of the world that is rare to see, it is on the rooftop of the world - the highest point on the earth - mount everest. The trip to the base camp of Mount Everest is wilder and woolier than you could ever imagine. The mystique of mighty mount everest has captured the imagination of people from all over the world. If you approach mount everest from the nepal side it is an eight day trek. But if you go to Tibet there is a road that goes direct to the base camp of Mount Everest. To get to the everest base camp you drive from Lhasa. The first stop is a magical lake and the drive can get a little bit hairy but the holy lake makes the rough journey all worth while. Overall the road is easy going and you do not think you are in such a remote location. Do not expect too much juicy scenery at first but the views are dramatic as you go along.

A six hundred year old stupa is the welcome to a town along the way on the highway. The small farming communities step back in time. Even the yak dung is put to use - it is dried and then used to burn for their fires to cook by. The women do all the work and have a lesser time span. You can get yak cheese to take on your journey which can be quite chunky and hard. Tibets second largest town is a favourite stop for pilgrims because of the monastery. It is getting to be a typical chinese town as well. The Friendship highway is a two lane highway most of the way. At most places you will see many prayer flags. When you get to the Everest Park you drive on a little bit before you get a glimpse of Mount Everest.

To drive all the way to the Everest base camp you take a trip along the Friendship Highway. Your first glimpse of MOunt Everest will blow you away - it really is quite magnificent. The only way to describe this scenery is dramatic and desolate. It is hard to imagine how anyone can survive in the area. The last stretch of the road is bumpy but there are road workers already repairing the last stretch of the Friendship High-way from Lhasa to the base camp of Mount Everest. At first light you can get to the bottom of the mountain and take a horse ride which takes an hour to get to the base camp.

To make it just to the base camp of MOunt Everest is an arduous adventure just in itself. To climb up to Everest is a special goal for the hardy. Climbers stay there for two months to get acclimatised. It is a very harsh environment and it is not a very glamorous or romantic. It is a holy mountain that is in the heart of the Tibetan people. MOunt Everest can be sinister and seductive all at the same time. You can get a package tour to the base camp of Mount Everest for around thirteen thousand dollars.

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