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For some, traveling is akin to meditating, but for others it is a way of life. The Karnataka dwelling, Manjunath Ravindran Mahajan, is one such man. His simple philosophy in life sums up his inherent need for traveling. He believes, you should “earn to travel, travel to learn, learn to teach, teach to love, love to earn, and then repeat”. And the stories that you accumulate while doing so are enriched with experiences of a lifetime. Here is one such travel story that would be a memorable one not only for him but for us readers too who can walk in his shoes while reading it. He feels, “the more you explore the world, the more you explore yourself”. As they say, if you want to discover who you are as a person, you travel solo.
Manjunath’s solo travels took him to the Everest Base Camp in the Khumbu region of Nepal, where his entire journey was spent in the lap of lush green and snow-capped mountains, making his realistic trip almost “fairy-talish”. With his dire need to visit the Everest, he chanced upon this tour which he felt was well organised with a detailed itinerary which gave him a glimpse on how to make his dream come to fruition. The detailed itinerary of the tour and more information on the geography and history of the trek is available here.
And Then the Sojourn Began–
The thought of accomplishing what many only dream of in this lifetime is what prompted him on this journey. Manjunath cited these few reasons that prompted him for this epic trip-
- “Everest!! The mere mention of the name makes your heart go pumping and you feel the adrenaline coursing through your veins, multiplying your excitements to no bound”.
- “To see the world from the peak and gain perspective on how beautiful the wide array of nature can be, is a beautiful thing. This once in a lifetime experience kept calling me”.
- “I wanted to test my own core strengths both physically and mentally. I had heard that this adventure can take a toll and I wanted to test my preparedness. It also allowed me to push my limits and gain a lifetime of strength”.
- “It is always great to meet new people who teach you many things in life besides becoming lifelong friends for having endured a similar challenging experience on your travels. That is one thing that binds us for life. These fabulous people worked as a team caring for one another, having fun together and generally focused on accomplishing this herculean task together”.
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The Many Facets to Our Beautiful Trek at the Base Camp-
“What started as a hiccup on the 13th of March, with us being stranded for two days at the Tribhuvan Domestic Airport-Kathmandu due to bad weather conditions, soon turned to an amazing start the moment we took off from the Airport to Lukla. The flight ensured gorgeous views of the grand Himalayan Mountains with luminous snow peaks instilling in me an excitement I had never felt before. The landing on the 527m airstrip between the mountains in Lukla is something to remember by for a long time. The breath-taking view is still imprinted on my mind.” This is where all the trekkers meet for briefings from the guides about the safety measures and the do’s and the don’ts of the journey.
According to Manjunath and as per his own experience, he describes what he thinks should be on everyone’s to do list, before heading for the base camp trek:
- Mental & Physical preparedness.
- All the required gears, and don’t hesitate to purchase the required things needed for the trek.
- Drink lots of water.
- Have food sumptuously to re-energize yourself.
- Carry eatables from home as much as possible.
- Instead of worrying about the whole trek in its entirety, just concentrate on your next feet forward.
- Be patient, and give way to porters and mules.
- Carry flags if you want to, but make sure you get it back rather than throwing it on the way.
And the best one yet was his advice to “get your own experience rather than reliving someone else’s”.
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And the Journey Begins Garnering a Lifetime of Memories
The real trek started from the streets of Lukla, going through the rich, green expanse of the mountains and the villages, and walking for a few hours until reaching Phakding, where the group halted for the night. Being the first day, the trek was slow to help acclimatize the travellers for the long haul. The crystal clear and the cool tinkling sounds of the Doodh Kosi River immediately had a mesmerizing and calm effect taking all the stresses away.
After taking permit the next day, the group started the trek towards Namche Bazaar through the Sagarmatha National Park, which was a sight to behold in itself. The green sanctuary with the backdrop of the Himalayan flora and fauna was a compelling view. The flowing pristine river below on the climb up was beautiful and refreshing, keeping the collective energies of the group on a high. The legendary Hillary Bridge was exciting to cross at that height and after hours of arduous walking, the beautiful high altitude city of Namche Bazaar came to sight.
This city at a height of 3000m above sea level, is bustling with energy and has every requirement of fun, entertainment, trek gears, relaxation etc. Here the group is made to spend an entire day at leisure discovering it and getting acclimatized for the big climb in the days ahead.
After spending two nights at Namche Bazaar, the group headed towards Tengboche, which is located at an altitude of 3860m and is covered over a trek of 5 hours approximately. This small town boasts of a history with a beautiful 400 years old monastery, worth visiting.
After an overnight stay at Namche Bazaar, the journey goes onward and on an incline towards another beautiful place called Dingboche. The bird’s eye view from this place is to die for, metaphorically speaking. At a height of almost 4000m, the group was lucky to encounter their first snow-fall. With the oxygen levels low, it is recommended to keep oneself hydrated and another day’s stop at this place is made for further acclimatization. You can see the three highest mountain peaks at a short hike from this place which is a lovely photo-op.
After yet another nights’ rest, the next day the group hiked forward to a cooler region, Lobuche, which was almost -35 to -40 degrees temperature. This is a more sombre journey since enroute you will find many memorials of mountaineers who have lost their lives to this herculean trek. The glaciers along the way bathe the whole mountain ranges in white and you feel the chill in the air as the oxygen levels go lower making the trek a little more challenging than usual.
From Lobuche, the group made their way to the final leg of the destination- Everest Base Camp via Gorakshep. You get a second wind of energy during this trek as your end destination nears with each step. So, although tiring and exhausting, you know your end destination will make all the hard work worthwhile and exhilarating. The trek via stones, sloppy mountains, snow laden rocky path is filled with the mesmerizing views along the way, making all of it worth it.
The Base Camp at the spectacular height of 5364m at the foothills of the Himalayas is a sight to behold. You catch your breath and stare at the wonder that Earth is. The grandeur of the mountains not only humbles you but teaches you character too.
After accomplishing the unimaginable and making their mark at the spot, the group then made their way back to the beginning of the journey from Gorakshep via Periche, a beautiful little town, then Namche Bazaar and finally to Lukla. After just a few days of trekking and hiking through hard terrains and unimaginable paths, you carry back lifetime of memories and lessons taught by the Great Himalayas. For Manjunath, every step of every place crossed has a view which is indefinable and has truly been a dream come true. And he rightfully tells his readers- “So what are you waiting for? Go book your journey and inspire others by telling them how dreams come to reality”.
Some Highlights from the Trip
Scaling to the Everest Base Camp at the height of 5364m was the biggest highpoint of Manjunath’s life. He says “As we are becoming more attached to the material world, we are losing our touch with Mother Nature. But when you take on a journey like this you feel reconnected to nature and that makes it all worthwhile”.
A Few of his Takeaways from this Trip
With every journey, we bring back a little of that trip. This is what Manjunath brought back from his recent trip to the Base Camp-
- I fell in love with the Nepalese kids. I think they are the cutest and I remember them fondly.
- Funniest thing I heard on this trip was that Yaks encounter altitude sickness if they come down from a certain altitude.
- A good trip is its own reward and this was most certainly a fruitful one.
- Made long lasting memories and hopefully long lasting friends.
- Will always remember and miss my teammates, the local kids, the sky-kissed mountains, rivers and the calm serenity of it all. Away from the maddening noise and the hustle-bustle of the city, this felt like home.
The Other Amazing Destinations that his Travels took Him to
- I have been going to Vaishno Devi for the last three years in Jammu and Kashmir, which is a feat for anyone.
- I have been to Ladakh on my Bullet bike from Delhi covering around 3800 kms distance in about 18 days.
- My another memorable trip was to Amsterdam, the sincity of Europe. Can’t share much from that trip!!
Manjunath’s Bucket List
Our man says that “before my leg starts to shrivel, I want to travel the world, experience and learn a lot of things.” After Everest Base Camp, Manjunath wants to –
- Trek to Siachen
- Spend 6 months in a village in Japan
- Go Bungee jumping in New Zealand
- Go on many road rallies in his favorite Maruti Gypsy.
He wants to live by his favorite quote-
“The few days we live, make every moment count, and travel to get lost”. And we think he is inching his way closer to that goal every single day.
