Camping

Now that we are leaving Tibet there will be no more camping which is a shame.  We have done a lot of camping since leaving Istanbul so I thought I’d post a blog about camping across Asia.

When I booked on this journey I thought it would be a real challenge for 22 people to be efficient & actually enjoy camping.  I have camped before with smaller groups of about 10 & really enjoyed it, but still felt it would be a real effort to camp with 22 for so long in bush camps - not even campsites.

It was a major factor I considered when booking with Odyssey Overland as I noticed two other companies did a similar route, but took about 40 people.  I felt that would be far too many people.  There would be too much faffing.

I can honestly say Odyssey Overland have camping for 22 people well planned.  Odyssey has compiled essential jobs which each of us have been designated to do.  Our whole overland journey has been broken down into 6 geographical sectors.  We change jobs each sector so the same people are not doing the same job for 6 months.  These are the jobs:  1 bag locker  2 tents, roof rack & wood box  3 kitchen set up  4 chairs, general camp layup & truck wallahs  5 Bar 6 security & waste 7 truck clean  8 fire & water.  1st sector my job was kitchen set up with Fiona & Becks.  2^nd sector I was bag locker with Mahala & Fiona.  China sector I was fire & water with Hayden.

Instructions stapled to various walls inside the truck

 

 

 

The kitchen is set up

Bags are unloaded for yet another time!

Fire just starting

 

Camp is set up, well the chairs are out

Teresa giving evening news

 

We are also split into 5 cook groups consisting of 4 people.  It is the job of the cook group to cook breakfast, lunch & dinner for all 22 people on their designated day.  Also, wash up the pots & pans.  The cook groups also change each sector.  1st sector I was cook group 5 along with Anna, Kelly & Warren.  2nd sector I was cook group 1 with Spike, Pernille & Hayden.  For China I was cook group 3 with Mahala, Fiona & Julie. Out of 22 people some can cook really well.  I’d name Mary, Kelly & Julie as expert at the top end of the scale.  At the other end of the scale are those like me.  My meals at home usually consist of diced meat & sauce out a packet/jar.  I’ve never cooked a roast dinner in my life.

 

Odyssey has well-oiled procedures & methods which make this over landing expedition run as well as possible.  When preparing food each meal time there is a hand wash bowl which everyone must use.  There is a production line for washing up which consists of a rinse bowl, then a bowl containing washing up liquid, then another rinse bowl containing bleach, then a drying rack & finally if items are still wet we stand around flapping them in the wind.  Unfortunately, the bowls usually have cold water as it’s a real effort to boil enough water on the camp fire.

 

Kept at the truck door is a squirty bottle containing water & bleach.  Everyone uses this after loo stops to help prevent germs spreading.

 

 

Odyssey have tried & tested equipment.  Along with the truck & cooking items are the canvas dome tents.  All are the same, easy to erect & very sturdy.  So much so that some of us are considering buying our own to camp with in the future.  Each tent has been named by Odyssey.  I’ve slept in Sandy Lane & The Priory.

 

 

Teresa & Simon, our Odyssey crew are fantastic in leading all 22 of us to make sure jobs are done, camp is set up, getting help from us when they grocery shop, telling us how, when & what to chop/stir/boil, find out what activities are available & of course get us to destinations by driving, maintaining & digging out the truck.  Without Simon & Teresa we would starve, be skint, lost & not be the expert campers that we are becoming.

Simon & Teresa still smiling even when soaked by the rain

Warren has been on numerous overland expeditions in a truck.  From his experience, he has stated as a group of 22 people we get on well.  Along with Simon & Teresa being good at their roles I can actually say I am enjoying camping.  In fact when the weather’s warm & dry I’d say it’s better than staying in hotels/hostels/homestays.  (But I do miss a hot shower).

Some of the scenery has been fantastic.  We have been in real remote/off the normal tourist trail.

Most of the camp food has been very good.  There are a few ingredients we use most of the time to make various concoctions: porridge, eggs, white bread, salami, cheese, tomatoes, cucumber, carrots, cabbage, onions, garlic, peppers, aubergine, courgette, potatoes, rice & pasta to name a few.

At the moment I’m too busy admiring the scenery, drinking beer & writing this blog!  But, by the end of this journey I intend to learn a lot of things from this expedition.  Among them know how much food is required for 22 people from a market, learn how to cook some wholesome dishes, chop wood, be confident at starting a fire in all weather conditions, understand how to work out exchange rates so I’m not ripped off by a bloke with a wad of cash on the black market & make sure I can treat water with chlorine to drink.

If you are considering this Odyssey Overland journey I would recommend you waterproof your pillow, roll mat & sleeping bag each with a dry bag.  Have rain covers for your rucksacks & mark your name clearly on everything.

Any trainers/walking boots you bring need to be Gore-Tex as this will keep your feet dry & will dry out quickly when they get wet in dewy wet grass.

Layer your clothes.  Have fleece thermal trousers or jogging bottoms you can put your everyday trousers over & then a pair of good waterproof (which are also windproof) trousers on top as the outer layer for camps when it’s really cold.  With your top half I recommend for cold camps a thin fleece, then a down body warmer or thin down type coat, also a windproof fleece & finally a waterproof shell.

Happy camping.

With friends/locals

 

Ta-shi de-lek from Tibet

Sunday 7^th July was our 2^nd long drive day over the Tibetan Plateau.  The highest part of road was at 5231m.  This was in the snow line.

Just after this pass, we crossed into the province of Tibet.

Our 1st Tibetan town called Nagqu that we passed through with it's typical well surfaced high street

Yak dung fuel next to typical rural Tibetan houses

 

On Monday 8^th July we arrived in the city of Lhasa.  Stayed at a hotel called Yak Hotel.  I popped around to a local restaurant named in the Lonely Planet Guide.  Yak stew & Lhasa Beer “Beer from the roof of the world”.

 

Tuesday 9^th we all went on a guided tour around Jokhang Temple.  The street surrounding the Temple is called Barkhor.  There are prayer wheels & incense burners among the shops as this is a Buddhist pilgrim circuit (a Kora).  The pilgrims walk the street (circuit) clockwise.  There was a real atmosphere in this city as the buildings appeared very old, incense, smoke & Tibetan people in their specific dress.

 

 

In the evening I walked around the Potala Palace pilgrim circuit & took a tuk-tuk back to the hotel = scary & dangerous!

Outside the Potala Palace which is on the Chinese 50 Yuan note

 

 

Did a bit of wandering around the Old Town streets & bought Lychees, loose tea, a rice sack to waterproof my rucksack, cheap Teva sandals, fake Mountain Hard Wear gloves (there are loads of fake/knock-off outdoor branded clothes here) & a red Tibet t-shirt – take a closer look at the photos.

Thursday 11^th we all went for a tour of the Potala Palace.  This was the winter home & political building of the Dali Lama.  There were thousands of steps.  We were only allowed 1 hour inside.  Strict Chinese regulations as always!  There were many monks inside.  It was fantastic, but not allowed to take inside photos.  Saw tombs of previous Dali Lama’s & the current Dali’s learning room along with his bedroom.  But, he was not home of course & has not been since 1959!

 

Next town was called Shigatse.  To get here we had to drive along The Friendship Highway.  Fantastic views.  Although China, I think Tibet is more closely linked with its Himalaya neighbours.  There are fab curries in the restaurant.  Here I had a lovely mutton curry.

 

 

On Sat 13^th we headed further along The Friendship Highway into Everest National Park.  The entrance to the park was defined at the highest part of the Friendship Highway at 5248m (5265m on James watch).  This was the highest part of our 6 month expedition & the highest I have ever been on land.  Most of us felt out of breath & we were peeing every 40minutes.  This had been the case since leaving Golmud on Sat 6^th July.

 

 

Like all our travels in China & Tibet there were police checks every step of the way.  We were not allowed anywhere without a guide.  Sophie managed to get us camping permits & we camped just off the Friendship Highway on the only road heading towards the North Face of Everest.  My tent was at 4455m.

Sunday 14^th July was a magical day.  I was up at 4.15am in the dark & packing up my tent.  Chinese tinned porridge for breakfast.  We drove 8hours along a mountain pass road to the North Face of Everest.  At 7am we were about 70km away & at 5000m when we got our first glimpse of Everest as the sun was rising.  As we drove closer over the Himalayas we were really lucky because the sun was out & the sky clear.  Fantastic.  We arrived at the Chinese tourist tent village.  Some of us challenged the altitude & hiked for about 1hour 30mins to the Chinese Base Camp.  It was a night to remember sleeping in a tent at the foot of Everest.  I got up for the loo about 1am & could see the Everest Peak under the stars.  Still, quiet = magical.

Everest is the big one on the far left

The north west face & peak of Mount Everest

Everest is called Qomolangma by the locals

Inside the tourist tent

 

Back on the Friendship Highway towards the Nepal border.  This was 3 days of driving, 2 bush camps & 1 hotel stay in the town of Zhangmu.  In these 3 days we went from 5000m to about 1300m.  All along the Friendship Highway.  The scenery was amazing & changed dramatically as we entered a valley into the border town of Zhangmu.

Hair pin bends & waterfalls galore compared with rocky baron mountains & plateau earlier in the day

Thursday 18th July saying goodbye to Sophie our China guide with our permit card.  Poo - an appropriate reminder of China!

Crossing The Friendship Bridge from China into Nepal