by Phill Michael
The Indefatigable Mr. Tashi sporting his new
Oakley Fives
Mr Tashi's Magic Castle?! What the
heck is that?! Read on...
'Good morning...Sir?!', came the
voice. I looked out at the wide open window door of my tent...Pumo
Ri (7165m), Lingtren (6749m) and Khumbutse (6665m) winked back at me. There
were very few clouds, but the sky was grayish. The ambient light was so
brilliant that had had to reach for my Monster Dogs. 'Oakley has been
good to us', I quietly thought as the rose coloured world came
sharply into view. The head attached to the voice popped into the scene.
It was Bhawan...with the blessed 'bed tea'. Darn it. I should have taken
a video or image of his kindness. I savored the tea and realized that my
headache was gone. Despite the wafer thin camp mattress I was slumbering
upon, I also realized that I had just enjoyed one of the best sleeps of
the trek. Must be something in the air...heh?!
I popped out of my tent...lay my Zulu
9 sleeping bag over a boulder to air out...and smiled at the scene
before me. Alex was obviously up for his Zulu 9 bag was draped over his
tent...and the rest of the crew...including the Dzo were all moving
about at a very relaxed pace.
The
Morning of June 17th at Everest Base Camp
(Click here to see the video
"In the Shadow of the Khumbu")
I walked over to Alex and we didn't
say anything to each other. Our massive smiles said it all.
'I guess we better shoot some footage
while this awesome weather is happening', Alex wisely stated.
I concurred....and we swung into
action.
Dawa asked if he could put up the
sponsorship banners. No sooner had I nodded my head and stuff was
happening quickly. The amazing Sherpa never cease to impress me.
(Click here to see the video
"The Setting of the Up")
We hauled out the Sony Mini DV
camera...set up the tripod and started shooting some footage for Episode
1 of the podcast for
www.secretspot.tv . The clouds parted, the Dzo scratched away at the
moraine, the Goraks (Ravens) chuckled...and blue sky reigned.
Shooting Footage for Episode 1
(Click here to see the video
"17500ft")
The spectacular, clear skies
continued for the duration of our shooting and we all marveled at our
good fortune. Dawa said that good things happen for good people...and I
agreed.
It seemed that the next thing on the
agenda was a little bit of ice climbing. I've done a wee bit of
that...so I was psyched to strap on the crampons. Alex was ambivalent.
He'd been introduced to ice climbing by Dawa the day before...and
Kalapatar (a place to get a good view of the area) was calling.
Minutes later, Alex was getting his
gear together and was off on a mission. I'm glad he did, as he got some
great images. Here's one of them...
Lho La, Everst and Nuptse
Dawa, our new Dzo master, Chandra and
myself rounded up some ice climbing gear and headed to the ice
spires at the bottom of the Khumbu icefall. It was great to get back on the
some ice. I watched Dawa climb around too. He looked totally comfortable,
despite his antiquated ice gear...and I realized that he was a very
talented ice technician. I looked at my own, more modern gear and
imagined that he would be even more comfortable with my stuff. Food for
thought.
I was breathing heavily, but decided
that ropes weren't necessary for these little icebergs...and Dawa agreed.
We clambered around on the slushy ice...climbing up to the top of a 50
foot mound...while Nuptse and Loh La nodded approvingly.
(Click here to see the video
"Ang Dawa Sherpa")
Ang
Dawa Sherpa at the foot of the Khumbu Icefall
I shot a bit of footage with my Sony
M1...then Dawa came down and took some footage. It was the first time he
had used my M1...with very decent results. He going to be a good videographer...with
a unique perspective. A Sherpa perspective.
(Click here to see the video
"Dawa's Pan of the Scene")
By the end of it all...I was totally
out of breath.
(Click here to see the video
"Out of Breath")
It was time to head back to
camp and break camp. So soon...but we'd be back next year. I'm sure it
will look different- as the glacier is constantly moving and shifting.
I took a few more pictures...one with
my Frick (favorite) hat...as I
was thinking about how good it would be to have a little bit of that
rare elixir while living at Everest Base Camp. Bill (Frick) might not be
that interested in making his way to Everest Base Camp...but a bottle or
two of the unique wine that he masterfully crafts should see this place.
That's for next year. %^P
Hmmm...would Syrah be good with Yak
meat?! Maybe Merlot?! Decisions...decisions.
Frick at Everest Base Camp
As we loaded up the Dzo (one of the
them with a 'Dzo-cam'), some other trekkers stopped by. Maria and Monia...from
Toronto! Tea was poured, tsampa was consumed...and my fellow Canadians
innocently suggested I stop by one of the tea houses in Gorak Shep
for a drink or two. Sounds good.
We broke camp in short order while
Alex radioed us that he was 'coming down from the mountain'. Gorak Shep
looked close, but it took me a while to get there. The rest of the crew
was racing for Lobuche...including Alex.
Dawa and I decided to make a brief
stop to visit with Maria and Monia, which was good...as I was fatigued.
Little did we know that we were about to enter Mr Tashi's Magic Castle.
Dawa was worried about our gear and
crew in Lobuche, but a few words from Mr Tashi...and an inaugural bottle
of Khukuri rum
(local spirits)...caused Dawa to 'chill out' and relax.
He radioed down to Loboche, where the rest of our team was, and told
them we would see them tomorrow morning.
Dawa
and Bottle # ? of Khukuri Rum
Mr.
Tashi Assures us that ALL is Well
I could write a volume about the
impromptu fun we had there, but I'll be succinct. The night
involved:
-being entertained by the
indefatigable Mr. Tashi
-a dozen bottles bottles of Khukuri
Rum
-plate after plate...after plate...of
spicy yak meat
-mountains of Momos (dumplings)
-more laughter than any group of
people should enjoy in a lifetime
Once again...so rarely had so
few...had so much...for so little. Joy.
Maria and Alexi
Monia
Let's just say that I am very much
looking forward to the next time I see Mr. Tashi...and enjoy his
outrageous hospitality. The next visit should be on our way down from
the summit of Everest next year. Perfecto.
In the wee hours of June 18th, Mr
Tashi furnished me with a room with an exceptional view and a good
night's sleep.
The whole experience is proof that
sometimes the unexpected events can bring about very favorable and
memorable situations.
Furthermore, if one stops to smell the
roses...rather than rushing by them...the luscious fragrance might stay
with us...forever.
Salud! =^)
