May 26th:
This is likely my last day at EBC. I'm kinda sad about that. It's all coming to an end. I have rather liked filling my days with self-reflection, painting, beautiful views, reading, conversing over meals, movies, eating, hikes in the Himalayas... (I wanted to go back to Mt. Frosty and jump in the glacier lake.) I think I'm the only one, though, who isn't just itching to go home. I don't think I'll be able to do my alternate route either: tea houses and food unlikely to be open and no traffic on the high mountain passes to have cleared the route. There will also be a lot of people walking now from CTSS, which is less than ideal. That said, I might be able to separate myself a bit and go on a slightly different schedule. I slept pretty well. Snowed all night. I woke up a bit achy - probably because of the weather. No heater, Wi-Fi, or electricity all morning. Still snowing. My right elbow still hurts too. I must have really banged it. Also still having loose stools. I've resigned myself to just waiting for them to resolve on their own when they're ready. I did finally put boots on this morning just because it's so slippery on the snow and hidden ice outside. Gelbo didn't have egg whites for me this morning, but he did go get some for me. I wanted more, but I let it go. I've been helping him serve the last few days. Maybe that's helped. I take orders from people, tell Gelbo, serve the plates, and then repeat. I do miss my server days... Matinee choice: The Midnight Sky Good morning, midnight. Tennessee Whiskey, Chris Stapleton Lunch was OK. I think we're all over the food here. I really wanted to finish my watercolor beforeaving, but the weather just wasn't cooperating. Literally snowing all day. I asked if anyone had a photo from approximately the same vantage point I had started the painting, and sure enough, Damian had one. So I spent most of my afternoon continuing to experiment with watercolors. It isn't great, but at least the first draft is done. I tried organizing the logistics for tomorrow, because I'm the proactive one, I guess, but Mike wasn't around. So, I picked another movie to watch: Pieces of a Woman. And ate Albanese. Still waiting for my socks to dry. Finally took ibuprofen for my achy right knee/leg. I un-sold my HotTronics from Western Jessica. Now I just gotta return the ones that are arriving at my house tomorrow. At dinner, we were given a beer and cake! I think EBC is celebrating our departure! The veggie lasagna and spicy shrimp soup were yummy. I ate too much, per usual, but really too much this time - it hurts. I've got to stop eating like I'm climbing a mountain! With the beer, I had to let out my infamous burps. 😬 Everyone was impressed except British Jessica. Francesco's Sherpa pretended to be blown against the tent. Ha ha. I just do it unconsciously... We went around the tent each giving one word for the expedition as a whole, and then one word for the expedition as a personal experience. Here they are: GENERAL PERSONAL Disorganized Reflection Chaotic Mindfulness Poor leadership Introspection Extracting Re-evaluation Shit show Surrender Disappointing Enlightening Disappointing Difficult I'd like to add the word "reverberation." Finally found Mike to discuss the options/plan to walk out tomorrow. I'm looking forward to being on the move, with different people, scenery, food, etc. I just am hoping to get stuck in Lukla for a couple of nights. 😬🤞🏽 Plan is to leave around 10:00 and go to Pheriche. It will be Akash, Damian, and me. Maybe Malu. It'll be a great group! Then Namche, Lukla, and Kathmandu on the 30th or 31st. Remy and Asma have been MIA all day...Remy still has my gloves. My guess is they've been in search of other people to get them up the mountain. Where does broccoli go get a drink? At the salad bar
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May 25th:
I got to breakfast on time and had to wait about 15min for Gelbo. I brushed my teeth while I waited. He had my egg whites! Thank goodness. He was in a good mood today... About another 30min later, Wolf arrived, and yet another 30min later, British Jessica arrived. Damian didn't show until after breakfast because he'd eaten with the Western-guided team. I enjoyed my egg whites with Cholula and had leftover broccoli and cauliflower with cheese that I'd kept in my tent overnight from dinner. Then I called my parents. Another nice chat. Wolf took a shower and didn't use all the water, so I jumped on that opportunity and had a wonderful shower. I only really learned how to control the shower settings a couple of weeks ago after Francesco explained the function of the third dial: water pressure, which in turn affects temperature. And now I have a flawless shower every time. Brilliant. I had some water left, so I shaved my pits and legs. Always feels luxurious when I get to do that. (I probably do it more here than I do in "real life," but I'm not as careful, cuz no one is going to see/feel it.) I wanted to finish my watercolor, but it was snowing too hard, so I moved my laundry from yesterday inside and read my book until lunch. Lunch was lunch. The rest of the CTSS folks started to trickle in: Malu, Jessica, Akash, Francesco, HP... The whole mountain (of CTSS) had been recalled due to COVID, but there was zero system in place for them to get tested when they got back, which I found utterly irresponsible, disrespectful, and I'd better stop or I'm going to get too angry. By late afternoon Vanessa and Mario made it back, and by evening, Asma, Remy, and Clayton made it back. It was decided that the Everest 2021 climbing season for CTSS is over. There will be no more summit attempts. From what we have been told, with so few Sherpa due to the spread of COVID, there just isn't the support and/or infrastructure to support any more climbers this year. (I think some of us would question whether that support and/or infrastructure were adequate at any point this season.) This is devastating - and all sorts of emotions - for Damian and the Western-guided team, who never even got a shot at the summit. The Western-guided team has been here the longest, has done everything right, and by waiting for the best and longest weather window - the 29th-1st - they got screwed by COVID. The afternoon was spent trying to police the COVID situation, catching up with returned climbers, reading, finishing my Whistle Pig Estate Oak 15yr, and passing flatus. It's been snowing lightly almost all day, and I've still been wearing the flip flops Roger bought me after Denali - my glacier flops. I think I'm just temporarily adverse to close-toed shoes. My toes also don't get as cold as they did higher on the mountain, and I know I can warm them up again. Update on peeps:
To answer the question we all keep asking each other: I think what I'm craving the most is a salad with blue cheese crumbles. Maybe fresh salmon on top. And a glass of good wine. According to Michael, I'm the "one bad ass chick" in the "Band of Brothers," referring to our summit day group. I can deal with that. And as British Jessica pointed out, I'm the only woman from CTSS to summit this year. What a crazy season. Movie selection for the evening: Hillbilly Elegy Ryanisms (from my Mom and Dad): What do you call a bee that is unsure? A may-bee What would a pirate pay for an ear of corn? A Buccaneer (A buck an ear) May 24th:
I probably slept. When your heart is on its own schedule and your brain jumps on board, it can really get in the way...🙄 I had hoped to watercolor this morning, but it was just a gray swamp out - my laundry was quite a bit more wet than it was last night. Bummer. Though I guess it would have made the watercolor quite easy! 😜 Gelbo is done with me. I think all of EBC is just done with all of us. It's time to go. The camp is crumbling in every sense of the word. This morning was another egg white incident, but this one was worse than the last: Gelbo didn't bring me my daily egg whites for breakfast, which I have been having every day for almost 40 days. (I sound so entitled just saying that, don't I? 😬) Instead, he just served me the normal eggs as though there was nothing unusual about it. When I asked him about egg whites, he said something about "no sunny" and walked out - so I know he heard me. I waited 45 min and then finally went to the kitchen. He was outside doing dishes. I let him know I was still waiting for egg whites, and he told me to talk to the kitchen, maybe 10ft away. I asked them. They told me to, "Talk to Gelbo." So I walked the 10ft back to Gelbo, only to have him tell me again to ask the kitchen. I pointed out that I had just asked the kitchen and they told me to ask him. He wouldn't budge. So, I went back to the kitchen, which again, was within earshot of my conversation with Gelbo, to ask about the egg whites they'd been making me daily for ~40 days. They told me again to ask Gelbo. When I did, he essentially ignored me. At this point, I asked a couple of other people who were just standing around the kitchen/dishes area. One of them, Ron, who serves the Western-guided team, first clarified with me that I hadn’t gotten my breakfast yet - it was 9AM and breakfast is normally at 8AM. I said no, I hadn't had breakfast yet. He commented on how late it was, and I said I know, I'm hungry! He then asked Gelbo if he hadn't brought breakfast, and Gelbo said that yes he had brought breakfast of eggs and toast. Ron looked at me accusingly. I explained again that yes, he'd brought breakfast for the others, but not the egg whites he'd brought me every other day for 40 days. Then Ron said that the kitchen was closed now, because it was so late. I just said that I still hadn’t had my breakfast and I would really like some egg whites because I was hungry. Ron said that it was really late and that I should have told them an hour ago. He said I need to arrive on time to breakfast and that next time they need warning to make my egg whites. I pointed out that I have been having the same thing every day for 40 days, and that I had, actually, gotten to the dining tent before Gelbo this morning. I also said that I'd asked for the eggs almost an hour ago. Finally, Ron, irritatedly, told me to go wait in the dining tent. So, back I went to wait more. Within a reasonable amount of time, one of the cooks came and brought me a rather delicious onion and garlic egg white omelette. He, also, told me that I needed to put in my order at least an hour in advance. I told him that I have been having this every day for 40 days and could tell him right now that this was what I wanted tomorrow morning. He then said that it was important for me to get to the dining tent on time. At this point, I was just flabbergasted. I had done everything right and wasn't the one who deviated from a 40-day routine, but everyone was acting like I'd just asked for a dophin's head on a gold platter with gluten-free sparkles on a unicorn and blue-lace tablecloth with a side of spring water directly from the source in Fiji... Finally, Damian spoke up and said that I had gotten there, to the dining tent, on time this morning. Silence. Maybe acceptance? We'll see what tomorrow brings. I had a great chat with my parents this morning. A little shout-out to them for a pre-trip run or two to the store for "personal items" to ward off the yetis. Finished my laundry. At first, I felt a bit awkward going over to the kitchen tent considering the breakfast fiasco, but I didn't really have a choice. It was a tad infuriating, but all of the parties that were rude to me this morning acted like nothing had happened. And Ron was extra helpful in getting me water. Grrr. Mario's back! He got a helicopter from Camp 2 because his legs hurt. He had, afterall, a 24-hour summit day, going all the way from the summit to Camp 2, arriving at night. (Shit, my legs would have hurt too!) It was good to see him, and just the slow trickle of people coming back today (#3) - all success stories. He came to my tent when he got back, and then Damian came by: a little Team 1 reunion. (Miss you Ryan and David!) Lunch was great. Casey and Western-Jessica made pita bread and hummus, so I ate that with fresh carrots and cucumber slices. And Mario bought me a beer. (I was the only one who could partake with him because everyone else is hoping to head out in the morning.) Mario, as expected, wanted to leave today for KTM. He offered me a free chopper ride, and maybe free accommodations, but I'm just not in a rush. (He may as well be the king of Croatia at this point.) My flight on the 3rd still isn't canceled, and honestly, I really do, genuinely, want to walk out. Also, I'd rather spend a week here and walking down than a week in a hotel in KTM, free of charge or not. I definitely felt weird turning it down, but I also gotta stick to what's right for me. (I'm not gunna lie, though, I wonder how much of my rationalization is actually avoidance of painful processes at home...) Then Wolf got back!!!!!! He made it to the top of Lhotse!!!! So proud of him! And so good to see him too. Other than Francisco, whom I don't really know, no one else came down today. Francesco summitted Lhotse this morning. Yay!!!! Akash will probably come down tomorrow, and I've heard he wants to walk out too. Everyone else that is still on the mountain didn't summit, and I'm not sure who is going to try to give it another go next week vs. come down. We'll see. Just being up at that altitude for so long wears on the body and spirit. I have always envied women with a long, thick, braid of hair. I think it is just so beautiful and effortlessly elegant. Sigh. #NotInTheCardsForMe #ButICanHaveAnAfro I sat outside in the cold and light snow, in my flip flops, and tried my hand at watercoloring, finally. It was fun, but I have no idea what I'm doing. I'll keep at it tomorrow. Mario (and Francisco) couldn't get out tonight via heli due to the weather. Pobrecito. He tried to take over my tent, but I'm standing my ground there too. I am quite attached to my occasionally-functional heater, I'm not gunna lie: I'm spoiled in middle class now. 😬 Dinner was a wonderful reunion, and Gelbo gave me extra cheese. (That's the way to my heart.) Wolf, Mario, and I had another beer. 🍻 We heard more about Mario's Everest summit and Francisco and Wolf's Lhotse summit. It was nice to hear that the experiences Ryan, David, and I had helped them in some way. The hard snow started to fall - almost sounded like hail against the tent. It was quite the party/crowd compared to what we'd become accustomed to. We chatted about British Jessica's situation. Damian was a bit apprehensive at the end of the table, his big day still on the horizon. (I'm sure talk of frozen eyeballs and dead bodies didn't help.) Soon enough, it was time to say goodbye to Damian, lots of hugs and a couple of tears. I know that he will get to the top of that mountain. Then. The kick in the gut. Back came Damian. He no longer is going tomorrow. No one is. In fact, EVERYONE is coming down. COVID infiltrated Camp 2, so it is being shut down. Damian and the Western-guided team still have a shot, but it is even slimmer now. They will have to wait at least another day or two and will not have a manned Camp 2. AND, there are threats of the ice doctors not maintaining the already-so-dangerous Khumbu Ice Fall beyond the 30th or so, which would be before the team is back from summit. There also aren't enough willing and healthy Sherpa available, so CTSS is scrambling. What a cluster. That means, going into the final week the mountain is even open (= permits valid), only ten of us have summitted Everest. I got so lucky. And I am so grateful that I made sure I was strong enough to do the push that I had to do - skipping Camp 1 and knowing we'd face weather - to even attempt it when I did. (A lot of CTSS didn't take that window because they didn't want to skip a Camp.) Things on the mountain are never under our control (Thanks for the reminder of that wisdom, Jake), and even considering everything that went wrong for me on summit day, the stars aligned and allowed me to stand on top of the world. I am honored. (Joe, I think about the message you relayed to the mountain for me two years ago when you were here at EBC, and I can't help but wonder if she heard you. Thank you for doing that: it was a lovely gesture.) I think I will sleep well tonight with the wind shuffling the tent walls and the snow pummeling them from all directions. It sounds like a winter storm outside, but I'm still walking around in my flip flops and I have three hot water bottles for under the covers. #Luxury And with my mat off the ground, and Moonshine and Pinto, I honestly wouldn't be happier in a five-star mountain resort. P.S.: The Albanese are back to full flavor. No movie selection tonight. Life had enough drama. Catch you all tomorrow. May 23rd:
Sleep was "eh." It was a cold night, I'm bad at re-dressing in the middle of the night, and my stomach was gurgly. I always try to poop before bed but haven't been successful, and I think that throws my nights off. My fingers are also a bloody spiky mess, so when I bang them unintentionally, I wake up. My skin isn't made for dry weather. I've gotten in the habit of washing my pee bottle daily because I use it for brushing my teeth at night. And every morning, when I'm trying to use the bathroom, I have to wipe standing up because I get an unwanted cold water tent shower sitting on the pot. Sigh. #WhatKindOfProblemIsThat? #FancyCampProblem Breakfast was breakfast. Laundry came next. It was a perfect day for laundry: sunny. I got a lot done - just need to wash the clothes I wore today, and I'll be done. It is kinda fun sitting there with the kitchen staff and Sherpa doing laundry or dishes together. Granted, it destroyed my fingers even more, but at least it's clean blood and skin spikes. 😬 My cough is better, but I'm still quite boogary Today was a Sara Bareilles day. I listened to her on repeat for about eight hours. Ha. Stephanie, thank you. She was my survival today. Tears are healthy. Strange how and when things weasel their way through... Mario, Akash, Francesco, and Big Tendi summitted Mt. Everest today!!!!!!!!! I knew Mario would...no way he was leaving that mountain without having stood on top of it. For better or for worse. I'm so proud of them!!!!! And Wolf and Francisco summitted Lhotse!!!!! ❤️ Yay!!!!!!! CONGRATS!!!!!!!!! We had a bottle of wine in our dining tent from when my group summitted that Wolfe told me to open when they were safely to Camp 2, but someone stole it and drank it. Wtf. That and my Wi-Fi! EBC is falling apart: literally and figuratively. I'll have a sip of Tobermory scotch instead... I'm really enjoying my time at EBC. I'm not ready to leave. I packed this morning/afternoon. Sorted through my rocks. I'm pretty much ready to go. Feels good to be organized. My sanity is back. Did you hear? I summitted Mt. Everest 11 days ago... Holy shit. So cool. Still hard to believe. Vacation really starts tomorrow. Watercolors! But everyone gets back, so it might be a bit hectic. Tomorrow I'll look for fellow walking-outers and go from there with my exit plan. I was chatting with Casey about a longer/alternate trek out (with baby yaks😍) that might be cooler... Lunch was lunch. Broke into my salmon jerky, and it was a big hit both for Damian and British Jessica. Thanks Cody! The Jessica on the Western-guided team bought my HotTronics from me. I still want them, so I just ordered myself another pair: but now she has them for her summit. This got us chatting about summit day. I hadn't really heard much about the two clients who died on my summit day, but when I told them where to expect the dead body, we started talking about whether the new bodies would still be there. Apparently one of them died in their tent after falling asleep post-summit. Gives me the chills to think I may not have woken up... Dinner was dinner. The three of us, after dinner, sat around with our heads covered in towels and hovered over bowls of hot water and Sancho. What a hacking trio we are. There will always be more sunsets... Thanks Katy. (And I can't wait to meet your "squish!") Tonight's movie choice: Yes Day! May 22nd:
I. Slept. So. Well. It. Was. Amazing. No drugs, at all. No coughing, at all. Breathed through both nostrils. So cool. Peed a lot, but that's OK. Was cold, and woke up in the middle of the night for a jacket. But overall, it was brilliant. Breakfast was hard-boiled eggs and pancakes. I requested a third hard-boiled egg and was denied. My Wi-Fi codes were stolen, so I have no Wi-Fi. I spent part of the morning and afternoon trying to explain that my data was clearly drained by someone else, but nothing was done. So, for now, I'm on radio silence. Frustrating and expensive. And I sliced open the back of my hand with the plastic wrapping from the toilet paper. Really?! 🙄 I found a scale across the ravine and went to weigh myself. I still weigh about 120lb, so I've essentially maintained - at least since Pheriche. I may have gained 1-2lbs from home. I can handle that. Chris. I'm pooping normally again. You're welcome for the update. 😜 Great hike! Just Damian and me - no chaperone. I found a yak skull. He found a grave. Saw some pretty birds. Lots of coughing. He did a bit of running. I collected more rocks and a yak horn. I was expecting just a stroll, of sorts, so I only brought one pole, no water, no pack, didn't apply sunscreen, and no P-style. He forgot to inform the kitchen we'd be late. But, in true form, our destination peak kept shifting upwards. We found a great place, though! I don't think it has an official name, but the Western-guided team calls it Mt. Frosty, Himalayan Snow CockLakes. Considered a quick dunk. Maybe I'll go back. Followed his lead down til I finally was too hungry to keep going in the wrong direction. Ha. Passed a cool wind meter thing. Did some off-trail rock-slide navigating. I like getting off the trail more and more in my old age. I really enjoyed the new route and the exploring. "And the time came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." Anaïs Nin I spent the other part of the morning and afternoon starting to pack my duffels. I need to sort through my rock collection and make sure they are all "musts." My shoulders are so tight. I need a massage. Maybe tomorrow I'll watercolor... British Jessica is eating with Damian and me. I am in the company of such amazing people. I love it. Nema Tenji made me the best hot chocolate today. My knee/right leg is pretty achy. Ibuprofen. Dinner was actually really yummy tonight: curried broccoli and cauliflower, fresh fried flatbread, green beans with garlic, fresh veggie salad, and soup. Night's (short) movie choice: A Love Song for Latasha Sometimes the world can be such a disappointing place. How much has actually changed? Today was the first day I felt like I was ready to let Everest go. Let me explain. As I've said, people have kept sort-of-jokingly suggesting I go again with them. Despite, and, more likely, because of, my challenging experience, I was actually kind of interested in going again. If it was a two for one kind of deal, I would have seriously considered it. I felt prepared. Knowing what to expect, what to do the same and what to do differently...is empowering. I wanted to improve the experience, not struggle so much, and I know what I could do to make that happen. Anyway, it was sort of like wanting to retake a test I barely passed just to know I could do it better. BUT, I've since come to my senses: why the heck would I go through that again?! Ha. The perfectionist inside gets to me sometimes. Honestly, I'm proud I survived my shit-show of a summit day. And, I wouldn't change anything about that experience. Just the next one. 😬😜
Got some GPS points today and labeled them on the map...UPDATED journal entries through the 19th. Seriously, get a drink and settle in. Reading the summit entries literally had my ass clenched ...
​Can we all try to convince April to write a book?! May 21st:
I had a terrible coughing fit last night. I'm sure I woke the whole of EBC. The NyQuil did nothing. I think it actually hasn't been doing anything. No more of that. I took some cough syrup that helped, but coughs just suck and they linger... Sticking with the water and vitamins for now. I say all of this because once I took the cough syrup, I slept so comfortably, it felt amazing. The Wi-Fi didn't really work yesterday, so I got all the photos and blog entries sent this morning. Made me late for breakfast. Damian decided to climb to Pumori High Camp today, and I decided to join him. Solom Jiangbo was our guide. It felt so good to move. My muscles have missed the action. My breathing was good, other than the coughing. We made good time: neither of us wore a watch, but definitely under two hours up and under an hour down. Overall, I still got it! When we got back, we had lunch, I took a shower, did a little bit of laundry - just the buff and underwear basics, and then I ate lots of gummy bears. 😬 I did also read. British Jessica is back temporarily. While I was with her at the HRA, I decided to turn my tent heater on to start warming the space. When I got back, my tent was full of smoke because the heater was melting itself!!! I wanted to do more sancho tonight, but we ran out. :( I finally pooped, but no, Chris, they still aren't normal. Damian is my new famous friend. Check out "Deep Roots" on Spotify or the podcasts app on the iPhone. Quote by J.R.R. Tolkien: “All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost." Watched My Octopus Teacher. Not at all what I thought it was. Fascinating. Sipped my summit San Miguel while I did. That was just ok. Night, y'all! April's still at base camp - fighting a cold but getting better every day! Because that's what badasses do.
Check out the PICS section for epic summit photos. Journal updates to follow ... May 20th:
I'm back to sharing a dining tent with Damian, but we've moved to B. (Talk about big news, eh?) However, there are no Cheeze-Its in Dining Tent B, so I'm safe for now. As I should have predicted, I slept like utter shit. NyQuil did zip-zero-zilch for the 15:00 espresso I had. Not my smartest moment. I clearly still can't do caffeine. I CAUGHT UP WITH MY SUMMIT-BID BLOG!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so happy that I wrote it because I don't ever want to forget that day. And I'm so appreciative to all of you for keeping me motivated to finish it. It's epic, but it was an epic few days. I hope you find the time to live through it with me. To learn from it with me... AND, now I can actually relax in EBC, maybe go for a hike tomorrow, watch a movie, read a book...do laundry. 😜 Before I know it, I'll have a way out of here, and I want to enjoy every minute of the time I have left. Thank you for listening/reading and supporting me through this incredible journey! (Don't worry, I'll still send daily updates until I actually am home free.) I'm still sick, but it's controllable. Sticking with the water, vöost, and nuun. Skipping the Sudafed. Maybe one more night on the NyQuil. Sandwiched the day with "sancho," which is a mostly mint and eucalyptus facial vapor bath. Damian and I both did it. We got a big metal basin from Gelbo, filled it with hot water, and then added drops of the nepalese herbal mixture. It's some potent stuff! Sure clears the sinuses, sometimes burning the eyes or throat, or causing a cough attack. But they say it's good for us...
I’ve been trying to keep up with the current group of climbers on the mountain, and I'm enjoying getting to know the Western-guided climbers who are holding out for the last, but best, weather window next week. I was talking with Damian about scotch, and I nerded about a bit. He said something like I have a lot of different particular interests, and I responded with yes, "I am a little weirdo." He said, maybe to society, but it's a good way to be. #TheNicestThing Anyone ready to go somewhere this fall?! I need a travel buddy! I've got the bug back! Climbing in Fontainebleau near Paris? Finally got to share some whiskey with Taylor and his crew tonight after dinner. They finished the Laphroig, Oban, and Balvenie, so we had the Johnnie Walker Black he had flown in from Kathmandu. Very generous of him. Apple crisp, whiskey, cribbage, and 80's music. Not too shabby. Goodnight! May 19th:
Cheeze-Its for breakfast have become a thing. Well, the last few mornings, anyway. If I see them, I eat them. (Damn you, Ryan. I write that lovingly, of course.) "Mountains aren't just funny. They are hill-areas." Thanks Katy!!!! I worked up an appetite just walking to and from the Wi-Fi tent like four times today. (I don't even have the energy to count the number of trips, but four sounds like how I feel, so...I'm going with it. I'm sick, remember?) There is also never anyone actually at the Wi-Fi tent, so I really mean going in search of Lakpah and/or Pasang. I now know what Lakpah looks like, but I still don't know who Pasang is... Sigh. I did manage to buy Wi-Fi - so ridiculously expensive, not to mention unreliable - only to find out later that I could have just had my old card extended for free. (I didn't run out of data, just the month expired.) Grrrrr!!!! One more empty-handed search for Pasang, and I gave up. BUT, the coffee barista, Nema, and the Western-guided team helped me out. Phew. Tried an espresso mixed with a hot chocolate from the big dome tent today. Asked for it before lunch and got it around 14 or 15:00. Eh. Screw the diet. Vacation starts tomorrow instead. I hope. The blog won't write itself... Sick, but getting steadily better. Sticking with my vitamins and water. And Sudafed and NyQuil. Poops... Man I hope these aren't my new normal! I can almost taste the Albanese!!!!!😍 Thanks Erica and Bubba! Great chats with Damian. He met his partner on Tinder and has the adventurer spirit. Some super impressive upcoming excursions. I love talking with fellow travelers. There's so much to see and do in this world. |