Everest Base Camp – Getting Closer to the Top of the World

Everest Base Camp 20 Yuan/bed in a Tibetan camp (actually can be bargained to 5 yuan, but foolishly I didnt)

Have heard about Everest? I have heard many stories about getting there. Very expensive, and as foreigner you have to apply for special permit. I did, 150 yuan, just a few minutes in Shigatse.

But the high price of the transport going there did really scary me. Most people charter land cruisers from Lhasa (more than 1000 yuan/person). Let me list you what you have to pay if you go by a Land cruiser:
– entry ticket 25 yuan/1 day trip, 65 yuan for 2-10 day trip
– entry ticket for the vehicle 405 yuan
– eco bus from Pasong to Rongphu monastery 80 yuan round trip. but if you return on the next day you still have to pay another 80 yuan
– horse chart from Rongphu to base camp 60 yuan/2 person. if you are alone you still have to pay 60 yuan. and if you return the next day, the same story, you have to pay another 60 yuan.

So, I decided to go to Old Tingri instead, as I am not so keen of seeing mountains. But when I tried to get a lift, I talked with the a local about going to EBC by motocycle, and after long bargain, it becomes 250 yuan for a round trip from Shegar to the top. 250 yuan ONLY, and he promised me i dont need to pay for the eco bus and horse chart. (It was illegal).

There are 3 checkpoints to go to the top, plus a checkpoint of Chinese military. The first checkpoint is Chay village, they check ticket and passport (plus permit). But when I went there, my ticket was written “Chinese nationality” (I was not asked my nationality), so they even didnt check my passport (and my permit was kinda a waste of money). The second checkpoint is Pasong, where all tourists should get off and take an eco bus (a rip off, as they allow trucks and motocycle to pass thru). The trick is the driver let me wear a jacket of “Everest protection team” so I look like a environment worker, and we passed the checkpoint easily (and I saved 160 yuan for this). The third checkpoint is Rongphu monastery, where they dont allow any vehicles to take passengers. The trick is the driver let me get off the moto, walk thru the checkpoint, and then take the moto again till the base camp (saved 120 yuan for this).

And yes, I arrived at the legs of Everest, the highest mountain of the world. But the mountain was covered by clouds, I didnt see anything

Today I stay in a Tibetan camp, eating with the Tibetan family. They wont let your cup dry of tea, and during the dinner, the men eat on the table while the women should eat somewhere else.

And my Tibetan driver, Donchuck, a guy of 38 years old, with very limited Chinese proficiency, always call me (24 yrs old) “shushu” which means “uncle”. Apparently Tibetans like to call Chinese men as “shushu” and Chinese women as “ayi” (auntie) no matter of their ages. Very odd.