Mt. Everest aka Qomolangma

I leave the hotel before sunrise to ensure I cross the police checkpoint in complete darkness. After an hour's walking, I still haven't reached it and I'm nervous as the sun is coming up, this is the last checkpoint I plan on facing and would really hate getting caught now.

I see a convoy of trucks driving and I eagerly follow their movements, if they stop, that's the location of the checkpoint (on the odd chance that it's already in operation).

Trucks stopped at checkpoint.

I quickly run off the road and crouch as I make my way around the checkpoint. One kilometre from what I thought was the checkpoint, I come across the real checkpoint, which is not yet in operation, so I simply walk through it. On the way back I find that the checkpoint I'd walked around was a truck weigh station.

Those of you without permits in Tibet who are going to see Mt. Everest from Larze, the checkpoint is between markers 5067 and 5068 on highway 318. To find it, follow the road out of Larze until it rejoins with the 318 highway, follow it through the truck weigh station, when you see several buildings together, you've found the checkpoint. To walk around it during the day, when you reach the truck weigh station, there'll be some Tibetan houses on the right, walk around the back of them and step over the barbed wire fences, keep walking so you arrive behind the buildings nearest the road, one of these is the police station with the checkpoint.

After walking through the checkpoint, I followed the road to Tingri and Nepal, the other highway leads to Ali, Mt Kailash and Kashgar. After a breakfast of dried noodles I pickup up a truck to take me to the top of the mountain (Gyallso La).

At the top of the mountain a sign indicating you've reached Tingri County and the Qomolangma National Park, from where this photo was taken.

Several kilometres from the peak, we descend past a sign indicating Everest Base Camp, in actuality a good spot to see Mt. Everest. I take a photo from here and continue to Lower Tingri as the directions I have mistakenly indicate another spot from which you can take a good photo (without having to leave Old Tingri and go through the military checkpoint).

I have lunch in the town and approach some Tibetans asking about Ngadum village, the place I was told had a great view of Qomolangma. One Tibetan tells me he knows of the place and that he can take me there. I ask him for directions and tell him I'll walk. He says that it's many hours walking through the mountains to get there but he can go quickly by motorbike. He offers to take me for 100 Yuan. Thinking I can get to a great spot in a village in the mountains, I agree on 50 Yuan for the trip.

I hop on the back of the bike, only to be taken back to the place where I'd just taken the photo. I tell him this isn't what we'd agreed on, show him the photo I'd taken earlier and ask him to take me up the mountain that he'd talked about. Turns out, this is it.

This guy took me five km and wanted 50 Yuan for it. I tell him to that I've already been here and that I'm not paying him for taking me back here. He's irate and starts talking in a mix of Tibetan and English. Having spent three months in Asia, the thought of raising my voice doesn't occur to me and I calmly speak with him in very basic English "You say many hour walking in mountain. Where is mountain? This is road, I take bus here 5 Yuan, I ride in jeep (point to passing jeep), no money. You lie to me. I not pay for this." Somewhere during that conversation I adopt a mix of a South African and Jamaican accent unintentionally and almost burst out laughing. The man is pissed off, and we go back and forth for half an hour.

During this ordeal, several jeeps of Chinese tourists pull up and take photos.

I take this opportunity to ask one of them to take a photo of me with Everest in the background.

One of the jeeps that pulls up is a tour guide with several rich tourists. One of the tourists uses the Tibetan's motorcycle as a tripod for taking photos, walks back to the jeep and pulls out an envelope. The man returns and hands every Tibetan standing around a crisp 1 Yuan note, including the guy who's arguing with me, at this point I burst out laughing and try to snap a photo of him with the 1 Yuan note but I miss the moment.

At this point, I've had enough of the situation and start walking away only to have him block the path and demand 50 Yuan. I ignore him and stay at that spot trying to flag down a lift. The first jeep that stops has Tibetans in it. The man I'm arguing with says something to them and they tell me a ridiculous price for a lift to the checkpoint. Getting away from the Tibetan will be more difficult than I thought.

The next vehicle to stop is a van. The Tibetan passenger inside asks me, in perfect English, if I have a permit. Can you guess what his job is? I tell him know and he says they'll take me to the checkpoint for 20 Yuan, cheap enough to get rid of the angry Tibetan. I'm sitting with my bag in the van while the Tibetan is swearing at me and grabs at my bag, saying no money no go. I have two options here, the first is to kick his ass (the one I'd prefer), pay him some money to piss off (the one I choose). I give him 10 Yuan to go away, which he graciously accepts, only to spit on me as I'm closing the door. I'm halfway out of my seat and out the door before a wave of calm comes over me and I decide to take this one on the chin and leave.

On the way down the mountain, one of the brakes on the van overheat and we wait an hour while the driver replaces the worn pad. I get out outside the checkpoint and walk around it as described earlier.

For those interested in going from Larze to Everest Base Camp without a permit, there are five checkpoints. The first one is just out of Larze. The second is a military checkpoint just out of Old Tingri and they're supposedly incredibly thorough about checking passports, permits and the originals at the TTB. There are three additional PSB checkpoints along the road from Tingri to Everest Base Camp. If you do make it, do let me know and send photos if you have any.