Not one of 70 million: Mount Everest Base Camp

Now for the highlight of the trip - Mount Everest Base camp!

All smiles! We arrived after a slow short ride (we were at 5,300m after all - gotta take it easy). The weather's glorious and we have clear sight of Everest's peak! Apparently travelers have come and gone without seeing the peak. So we were very happy that we saw it most of the time we were there.

Our friendly driver and guide.

So this was where we stayed for the night. Each big tent (lined up on the left) is a "hotel", with its own "restaurant" (i.e. each caters to its guests).

The weather changes quickly. So sometimes, the peak's shrouded in clouds.

The sky was so blue. During my whole time in Tibet, I felt like I was so close to the sky.

Everest in the background...looks like it's smokin', which is how it often appears.

This was what our immediate surroundings looked like. Dry and rocky.

There was a little monastery there. Prayer flags against the blue sky.

We took a long hike after lunch. It was an unforgettable hike - the extraordinary surroundings, the peace, the quiet, the warm sun... pure bliss. At that altitude, my heart was beating faster than usual (which is normal), so we moved at a moderate pace. Along the way, we saw these tiny little white flowers on the ground...so sweet and pretty in the rocky landscape. Amazing.

We hiked towards the real base camp (the restricted area where climbers camp out).

Scenery along the way. The smokin' mountain again....

This is the Chinese side of Mt Everest. I was told that the Nepal side is the"easier" climb. I could stare at this all day....so picturesque and tranquil, yet an unforgiving test of the human condition.

This was as far as I could zoom. Closeup of a glacier.

Base camp. The climbing window had just closed so there were only 2 tents left. We couldn't enter the area without a permit. In fact, there was a checkpoint just before the entrance to the base camp.