Everest

We arrived mid-afternoon at base camp. The road was terrible and it took us hours to plow through the dusty, bumpy roads. We read the day earlier that it was going to be raining at Everest so when we arrived to a cloudy sky. we weren't surprised.

We still managed to hike up towards the mountain and watch the sunset. Just at that time the clouds cleared a little and a massive mountain came into view. We giddily grabbed the camera and started shooting what we thought to be the mountain. Still, we wanted more, so the next day, we woke up at 5:30 to get a better look.

5:30 AM

The stars seemed brighter than ever. At 5000 meters it felt like we could touch to black sky. We headed towards the mountain in the dark. There was an eerie feeling in the silent valley. As the sun slowly crept up the horizon we realised that the mountain we were staring at the day before was a dwarf. The real Everest towered above it.

It was beautiful. A crystal clear sky with Everest standing boldly in it. We ignored the sleeping guards and continued way past the 'tourist stop here line'. The closer we got the more intimidating the mountain became. Besides the rock statues there was no sign of humans. The clouds started to fall on us from the sky, adding more to the suspense of the craggy valley.
After walking for hours we realised that if we didn't find food soon we would soon begin to complain of being hungry. We had no clue how far we had gone or how much further we would have to go. The mountain grew taller and broader with every step we took. Hunger and cold soon took over. We turned back.

As soon as we got onto the plain we knew we were in trouble. A very angry Tibetan waved us down as soon as we got in the vicinity.

"Ohhhh, you made a mistake!" Said the angry Tibetan.

"What, what did we do?" Said Kyle and Ryan as innocently as possible.

"Ohhh, you know what you did, big mistake, come with me!"

So we were lead to the army camp. Fearing the worst Ryan and I prepared to use our kungfu skills to ditch the situation if it got serious. In the end they were spared. The Army guards where 20 year-olds from a province which I have been to many times. After sharing some of the facts I knew of the place, sharing a joke, and giving out some cigarettes, we were free to go. The Tibetan was still angry. I still don't know why.