Kathmandu

Hey Guys,

So the trip to Delhi obviously just flew by. Was able to spend the night with Nirmala in her beautiful home and have some Swedish cheese and food which felt like a delight after all the momos and Indian food. When I arrived in the afternoon I fist had to run and my camera fixed that broke and then I meet with a photographer who has been in Tibet many times. He told me about all the do's and don't while I am there and was very explicit about the danger in being a tourist there. I was told over and over again that I will be followed for sure by the Chinese CIA and that I need to watching everything I say so it is evident that I have to remain neutral and so on....XXXX.... Also my tour guide here in Kathmandu just spent about 2-3 hours telling me the same about that basically 1/3 of my cost is to pay for the "CIA" guy to follow me around. That is just so XXXX well but that is the only way I can get in to Tibet so I have to take it :-).

Tomorrow I leave for Lukla and my hike starts immediately. I have first 2 weeks of trekking before Tibet. I am still at the tour guides office and he was very thorough with his brief. It is just me and my guide who are going and there is NO oxygen tanks with us. They told me not to freak out but some Malaysian guy died last week with the same guide that I am going with so they insisted on that I understood I have to take it easy and let them know if my hear is hurting. He was an older person and I think maybe not in such a good health so I am not too worried. I will of course take their advice and not be super woman or crazy about my health. Just please all of you guys just send me love and energy that I will be safe and that the weather will permit me to have clear days so I can see base camp and make it all the way. A lot of this trip depends on weather conditions so pray to the weather gods for me. :-) I am VERY excited that I have this trip of solitude with just myself and the guide so it is exactly what I was hoping for. I will have no porters either so I think tonight I will make my bag even lighter it is right now 12-15kgs but my guide just told me that his bag is only 8kgs and he is experienced he has been doing this for 5 years so I better make it that light as well if not lighter.

I will be safe and write when I come back...Need to go as they are closing the office and my flight is 5am.

Love all of you have a MERRY CHRISTMAS... I will be at Base Camp on Christmas day and Eve thinking of you guys having Turkey or Ham or what ever you eat around the world.