Chinese Whispers:

I can now confirm that the route to Everest Base Camp most certainly is not all tarmac - it is however one of the greatest journeys I have ever made.

We leave Lhasa after a typical Chinese breakfast of spicy soup, dumplings and a crispy, greasy pancake. Even after 4 weeks, my stomach has not got used to this kind of assault first thing in the morning - but at least it keeps me full until the evening.

After a minor scrape with a local car on the outskirts of the city, we head off along the “Friendship Highway”. This is the name given to the section of Route 318 from Lhasa to Kathmandu. The first 70 km or so are good modern tarmac, but after passing the turn to Lhasa airport, the surface gradually deteriorates. Following the course of the Yarlung Tsangpo river, the valley steadily gets narrower until the road is carved into the side of a gorge. There are signs of frequent rock falls, and the road surface has suffered from this assault with many unsurfaced stretches.

At the far end of the gorge, we emerge into a wide flood plain surrounded by mountains. The surface alternates between gravel and bumpy tarmac. The views are stupendous. We occasionally discover traditional Tibetan villages and ferries across the wide river. Monasteries and fortresses - many of them ruined - overlook the road whilst the locals toil in the fields gathering the barley crop.

After a relatively short run of 270 km, we arrive at our overnight accommodation in Shigatse at around 3 o’clock. This gives us time to explore the town, and most dramatically the Tashilunpo Monastery. This is the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama, the second most important spiritual leader in Tibetan Buddhism behind the Dalai Lama. In better condition than many Monasteries, the high point is undoubtedly the Chapel of Jampa, housing as it does the world’s largest gilded statue. Standing at 26 metres high, the image of Jampa (the future Buddha) took four years to complete and uses a remarkable 300 kg of gold (worth over USD 3.5 million at today’s prices). Perhaps the most amazing thing though is that the statue is housed in a building that only allows you to stand a maximum of 3 metres away from the base, meaning a cricked neck is inevitable. The rest of the Monastery with narrow streets and numerous chapels is also worth exploring, although at about 3,850 m altitude must be investigated at a slow pace.

The next day we leave Shigatse to continue along the Friendship Highway. The road is now almost 100% gravel, and dust thrown up by other vehicles becomes a real problem. Travelling in a convoy is out of the question so our two vehicles travel a few km apart, keeping in touch using two-way radios.

Unlike the run across the Tibetan Plateau from Golmud to Lhasa, the scenery is constantly changing, with many traditional villages. After passing through the town of Lhaze, the road conditions deteriorate further still. The bumpy gravel track wends its way up a valley that reminded me of Glen Coe. A couple of times, the track crosses small tributary streams using muddy fords.

We arrive at Tingri which will be our base for the next two nights at around 4 o’clock. After exploring a few guest houses we plump for the Qomolangma Hotel. Strangely for a hotel in China, the brochure doesn’t claim a star rating, but seems clean enough with ensuite bathrooms and a bar. I go for a gentle stroll around the village whilst the FASC team struggled with requirements for permits, passes and tickets for tomorrow’s drive to Everest Base Camp - visiting the Qomolangma Nature Preserve Office on three separate occasions.

In the evening, one of the reasons for the hotel’s lack of stars became apparent. The lighting was generally poor and gradually got dimmer, and dimmer. It transpired that there is no mains electricity in the area so the hotel generates its own using solar panels. As the evening progresses, so the charge in the batteries reduces, and hence the lights get dimmer. Bad light stopped play in the international card game at about 8pm and we all retired to bed. Not such a bad idea as the following morning was an early one.

Pulling out of the hotel car park at 7am (before dawn), I notice that the outside temperature is just 2 degrees Celsius. Seven km down the road we arrive at the first border for the China/Nepal border. We wake up a border guard as we walk into the guardhouse with our small library of passports, permits, passes and tickets. He checks these whilst his sole colleague remains resolutely asleep buried under several thick coats in a corner of the room.

After a further 9 km we come to another checkpoint - this time at the entrance to the Qomolangma Nature Preserve. Instead of all six of us traipsing in, we just send our local guide who chats with a guard through a small broken window before returning and raising the barrier himself...

From the barrier we start to climb. An 800 metre vertical climb in 17 km takes us around countless hairpin bends (not strictly countless, but I got bored of counting at about 40). The daylight gradually improves to reveal a vast vista of Himalayan foothills stretching to the north, a few of the higher peaks are capped with snow, but predominantly the view is one of rocky ridges. As we are on a north facing slope we do not come into the sunlight until we turn the final hairpin and pass under the string of prayer flags that mark the 5,120 metre summit of Pang La.

And then we see it - the most stunning view of the Himalaya with Everest as its centre piece over 80 km away. With the low early morning sun casting its cool light and long shadows, the mountainous scenery is particularly awe-inspiring - the snow line looks painted, and the whispy traces of clouds serve as height markers for the mountains - four of them peak at over 8,000 metres.

We stop here for about a quarter of an hour - for the first ten minutes we are silent - in awe at the amazing view in front of us. The prayer flags and cairns around the summit give the experience a religious edge. We move slowly and quietly, as if in a church or temple, taking photographs and just staring at the glorious sight. At this height and hour, the air is cold - the vehicle’s outside thermometer displays -4. After ten minutes, we start to feel the chill so move around more quickly, taking the obligatory group photos by the plaque, before retreating to the warmth of the cars.

One of the drivers was suffering again from the altitude and hadn’t got out of his seat at Pang La. After descending a few km, he could no longer concentrate enough to drive safely so retired to the back seat for a few puffs from the oxygen pillow and a good sleep.

The descent of Pang La goes around more hairpin bends than the ascent, and is never particularly steep - except at roadworks. Here the workers shut off a section of road (normally just one or two corners) and the traffic makes its way directly down the hillside. This is quite alarming at first, but we soon get used to it, although meeting a truck on one of these sections is not an experience to be recommended.

After descending the pass, we make our way along the road to the Upper Dzaka valley. The remainder of the route to Base Camp follows this valley, alongside the Dza-chu river. The road surface remains resolutely gravel and gets quite rough in places making us slow to 10kph or less to protect the tyres and the suspension of the Pajeros. Everest itself remains hidden behind numerous ridges for the majority of the drive, with just the occasional glimpse of its snow-covered peak. The towns and villages are small but busy, most with their own small monastery or ruined fort.

The next good view of Everest arrives as we turn the corner to Rongphu Monastery. Although not particularly old (built in the early 20th Century), this Monastery (the highest in the world) has a particular place in history as it was visited by most of the early Everest expeditions that logged its development over the years. I notice that there is a new development across the valley from the monastery, that looks suspiciously like the shell of a hotel - although probably not large enough for our event, it is proof that tourism is heading this way fast.

Stopping at the monastery for a rest and photo call, different members of the group are feeling very different. Mr Li (the eldest of us) seems perfectly fit and explores the buildings of the monastery - at one stage he waves to the rest of the group from the roof. I feel in good condition, although climbing steps quickly has me panting for more oxygen. The others in the group seem less mobile and remain close to the vehicles. Only moving a short distance away to chat to locals and other visitors.

After about ten minutes we pile back into the Mitsubishis for the final 8 km drive through moraine to Base Camp itself. A motley selection of tents and some concrete “toilets” represent the permanent fixtures here. Outside the tents are signs advertising accommodation and basic food. As it is out of the climbing season, there are only one or two other residents at the camp.

The immediate goal when we have parked up is a small hillock topped with prayer flags that obviously gives the best view of the mountain. Although only 20m or so high, it is a serious physical exertion to gain this view point, but once there, it is worth the panting. The view of the north face of the highest mountain on earth is not only awesome but also incredibly aesthetically attractive. Everyone reaches for their cameras and takes all of the necessary pictures of people and groups standing in front of Everest, gradually imbibing the atmosphere of this unique place.

Descending the hillock we head for the inevitable stone plaque recording the location as Mt Qomolangma Base Camp, and repeat the rigmarole of photographing different groups for posterity’s sake. There is a natural synapse-linked reaction among the Chinese that whenever a camera is pointed at them, the raise their arms in triumph - for all of the group members this is the first and probably the only time they will get here.

Due to our early start, we have plenty of time before leaving, so decide to sample the advertised delights of one of the tents. This camp is the location of the highest post box in the world, and the enterprising tent owner has a supply of post cards, postage stamps, and a rubber date stamp showing Mt Qomolangma itself. As we sit around writing messages to friends and family, we are served with “sweet tea”. This Tibetan delicacy is made with plenty of creamy milk and sugar and is served from vast thermos flasks - just the thing to raise energy levels and any spirits that may be daring to flag.

By the time we finish our tea and are advised that actually we would be better off posting our cards in Tingri, a stiff breeze has come up and what had been a beautiful, warm, sunny day becomes a decidedly chilly, sunny day. This serves as a reminder that in this mountain environment we have been very lucky to get the experience that we have. One of the regular Landcruiser drivers tells us that he has brought groups to the camp ten times, and this is by far the best weather he has seen - frequently the mountain is covered in cloud and rain, snow and fog spoil any other views.

A few final photos are taken before we start retracing our steps away from Everest. About an hour away from the camp we stop at a guesthouse where our local guide’s mother is working. We decide to take a simple lunch sat in the courtyard in the sunshine and start to make friends with the local children. One of them has a school exercise book but it transpires that he doesn’t have a pen to record his answers. This is soon remedied by a search through my pencil case and to make a point he sits and completes an exercise which is checked by Mr Li. About 20 minutes later I saw him with the ballpoint in pieces, discovering how it worked - he must be destined to be an engineer.

In two day’s time it is the Mid-Autumn Festival. Traditionally families make a point of being together at this time and eat tasty moon cakes. Zhang Tao has had the presence of mind to purchase a box of these that we have been saving for the right time. We unanimously decide that we will celebrate the festival early with our guide’s family so crack open the box - much to everyone’s delight.

The journey away from Everest is predictably less exciting than the way there, the sun is higher in the sky and the views less impressive. We stop off again at the summit of Pang La for a last glance at the highest peak in the world before zigzagging our way down the scree slope to the Friendship Highway.

The border post is busier in this direction and we push our way to the front of the short queue of trucks and despatch the drivers to wait in the guardhouse. It seems that in this direction the border guards are less interested in permits and passes, just glancing at my passport, but checking inside the vehicles to make sure we weren’t hiding anything or anyone beneath the jackets piled on the back seat - they hadn’t checked for that at 7 o’clock this morning!

From Tingri, we retrace our steps along the Friendship Highway to Lhasa. Travelling down “Glen Coe” we come across a pair of adventurers from Beijing in a broken down Jeep Cherokee. We stop to offer assistance but realise from a harsh hissing sound that a tyre on one of our Pajeros is slowly deflating. We change onto one of the four spares that we are carrying, then set about helping the Jeep. The problem appeared to be electrical, but with no obvious cause. After a bit of jury rigging, the engine started and we headed on our way.

From talking to the Jeep drivers, it transpired that we were about to run into a massive problem with our proposed route. We had already heard reports that the Tibet-Yunnan road was in bad condition from the seasons heavy rains, but the Jeepers told horror stories of washed out roads, rock falls, lorries falling off the edge, and waits of four or five days for temporary repairs to be affected. They themselves had been stuck in a quagmire for two days before they secured the assistance of two tractors to extricate them - one pulling and one pushing.

Now more concerned about our onward progress we continue towards Shigatse. During an off road diversion to avoid roadworks we hit a rock a bit hard, and about 500 metres later hear a nasty rumble from outside. Urbahl (the driver) thought there was something wrong with the transfer box, but the uneven level of the vehicle suggested a simpler explanation, and sure enough we discovered our second puncture of the day.

Back in Shigatse, Mr Li and I started scratching our heads to come up with alternatives to the washed out road into Yunnan Province whilst the others went in search of a tyre repair shop.

The following day we go straight to Lhasa as we now have lots of decisions to make before Mr Li flys back to Beijing in two days time. Immediately we arrive, a party is despatched to speak with lorry and bus drivers who have just made the journey from Yunnan to substantiate the reports we had heard. They tell similar horror stories to the Jeepers and it is obvious that there’s little point in exploring the route. Even if we can force our way through, it is entirely possible that similar conditions will exist next year which would cause serious problems for the running of the event.

The fall back option is the road from Naqu leading into Sichuan province. We can find nobody who has travelled this road recently so it may be in a similar (or worse!) condition than the Yunnan highway, but the only way to found out for sure is to drive it.

There is however one more obstacle to overcome. The Sichuan highway passes through large areas that are normally closed to foreigners. If I am to travel this road I’ll need a special permit. As a contingency plan, we had initiated the process of applying for this permit during our previous trip to Lhasa but had heard no news. Of course, as it is now Saturday, we will get no answer from the PSB (who issue the permits) until Monday at the earliest, and to compound it all, my permit to stay in Lhasa expires on Monday.

A frustrating Sunday is spent working through different options, and a number of organisational details. Mr Li has numerous meetings with local officials to try to speed up the permit process, but cannot get an early answer. So first thing on Monday Mr He is at the PSB office pushing for news. He gets the news, but its not what we want to hear. They will not issue the permit at the Lhasa office, so it will have to be processed in Beijing - likely time scale? - about 3 to 4 weeks!

With both our original plan and our fall back option now impossible we are left with two final options - either retrace our steps to Xi’ning or Lanzhou and build a new route south into the Sichuan and Yunnan mountains, or to curtail the trip awaiting further news about the road from Tibet into Sichuan. We plump for the first option and immediately set off to recross the Tibetan Plateau, back to Golmud...

By the time we get back to Golmud, we have had a few days to assess the new route possibilities and how we should go about researching them. Yet again we start to get into difficulty with the necessary permits and the FASC predict trouble if we travel too far from the main roads, especially in Sichuan Province. In addition, we make an estimate of the time that this new route will take us to survey. There is no way that we will get all the way around the route before the vehicles and FASC personnel are required at their round of the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship. For these reasons we regretfully decided that in fact the best course of action was to postpone the rest of the survey until we could be sure of being permitted to travel where we wanted, and of having a sufficient time window to complete the work. With the winter fast approaching, this will now happen in the spring of 2003 when more “Chinese Whispers” will come your way.

Although disappointed that we may no longer be able to cross the Tibetan Plateau into Lhasa, the first indications are that a route through the western mountains of Sichuan and Yunnan will be even more exciting. These areas are remote and untouched, with a strong influence of Tibetan Buddhism and a rural way of life that hasn’t changed for centuries. The mountains are nearly as high those surrounding the Plateau, and the historical sites more plentiful and more exclusive.

And perhaps we can airlift everyone to Lhasa for a trip to Everest in local jeeps…