Chapter 11 9. On the way to Mount Everest

Some people have said that on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, people feel small; standing at the foot of Mount Everest, this feeling is particularly strong.But I think that in the magnificent snow-covered plateau with numerous peaks, only those who survive the harsh natural environment are the greatest. When the sun rose from the east, our party drove away from Pulan.We stopped at the place where we could see the sacred mountain and holy lake at the end, and everyone stood silently, paying attention to the magical secret place that once made us dream of dreams and went through hardships to worship.Then, with the purified mind, we sailed to our other distant destination - the mountaineering base camp on the north slope of Mount Everest, to visit the highest peak in the world.

The White Pagoda beside the road in Pulan County We will return to Lazi County by the same route, and then turn to the China-Nepal Highway to reach the North Base Camp of Mount Everest via Tingri County.It is chilling to think of going the previous difficult "road".Like a yak, our "Land Cruiser" ran on the rugged and vast land of Ali without complaint.In the cold wind in the early morning, from time to time, a few prairie mice can be seen on the meadow probing their heads, staring at us uninvited guests from afar with surprised eyes.After several hours of driving in the wilderness, everyone fell into a tired doze.When passing a mountain stream, the driver Nima suddenly stopped the car.Just when everyone was at a loss, Nima had already jumped out of the car. After a while, he took two fish in his hand. It turned out that the car passed by the stream and crushed the fish in the water.At this time, another car behind us also caught up. When everyone saw the fish, they were so happy.It turned out that those of us who ate compressed biscuits for nearly five days were going crazy thinking about meat. There is such a good tooth offering here, how could we let it go.So everyone desperately jumped into the knee-deep water to catch fish; presumably these fish had never been disturbed before, and they didn't know how to avoid them, and they caught one at a time. In a short while, we had already harvested more than fifty fish; Happily hit the road with the spoils.Because, everyone was thinking about eating fish at night, and everyone didn't notice how difficult the road was afterwards.When it was dark, we arrived at the small town of Payang.I still live in the Tibetan family when I came here.Everyone worked together and made a big pot of braised fish.Perhaps because of eating compressed biscuits for many days, everyone ate very deliciously and were very full.Presumably these fish in no-man's land have undergone thousands of years of evolution, and their taste is indeed delicious, and the meat is particularly delicate.

When we left Payang Town early in the morning, the sky was already raining heavily.As soon as our car left Payang Town, it almost fell into the mud on the banks of the Payang River. Thanks to the "Land Cruiser" that fully demonstrated its four-wheel-drive heroic qualities, we were saved from the danger of car crashes and deaths.After that, the heavy rain kept falling and the road became more difficult. It was like driving in mud. Fortunately, we still arrived at Saga County on time at night.When we set off from Saga again, the rain still did not stop, and everyone had a vague premonition in their hearts.After getting stuck in the mud and being dragged out many times, it was finally blocked by a small river in Ang Ngan County.It turned out that the heavy rain for many days caused the water level of this nameless river to soar, rushing across the only small bridge on the river.When we arrived at the small bridge, there were no less than a hundred cars of all kinds, and there were anxious drivers and tourists everywhere.Looking at the Taotao river, everyone thought it was over.At this time, the guide Gesang came over and told everyone that we need to wait here overnight. If the rain stops overnight, the water will be less tomorrow and our jeep will be able to drive across the river bed.They had a rough night huddled together in a garage by the river.The next morning, I got up and saw that the river was really small. The Tibetan driver used his skilled technology to drive the jeep carrying us across the river bed like a submarine.At one point, the river overflowed the windshield of the car, but finally drove safely through the rapids.After a few more small car traps, we still arrived in Lazi County that night.After traveling in no-man's land for ten days, everyone suddenly felt that this place already has the atmosphere of a modern city, and they have eaten a really decent meal.

In order to get to Rongbuk Monastery at the foot of Mount Everest as early as possible that day, we set off from Lazi before dawn.The car climbed all the way, but fortunately, the road condition of the China-Nepal Highway was much stronger. After several hours of driving in the mountains, an open area appeared in front of us.The colorful wind-horse flags flutter in the wind, making people dizzy; countless snow-capped mountains in the distance are rolling and majestic.When I got out of the car to take pictures, I found that this is the Jiacuola Mountain Pass at the junction of Lazi County and Tingri County, with an altitude of 5,220 meters.There are so many wind-horse flags at the Jiacuola Mountain Pass, and the colors are particularly bright, it is the most spectacular I have seen in the whole Tibet region.Each flag is printed with mantras and patterns, which flutter in the wind.It is said that the wish of the Tibetan people is entrusted on it. Every time the prayer flag flutters, it means to recite the scriptures and send some wishes to the God who rules the world.

The car set off again and began to drive all the way downhill, arriving at Xieger, the old town of Tingri County at noon.At the management office of Mount Everest Nature Reserve here, we each paid 65 yuan to enter the mountain, and then hurried on the road.Then it was a long and difficult drive on the steep winding mountain road. In the afternoon, we arrived at the Dazhagula Pass. It is said that four famous peaks can be seen here at the same time: Mount Everest, Cho Oyu, Lhotse and Ma. Best location on Karoo Peak.Although the weather was fine, we looked here for a long time, but vaguely felt that there were snow peaks behind the layers of clouds and mist. The guide Gesang told us that it is currently the rainy season in Tibet, and there are many clouds and fog, so it is difficult to see Mount Everest. Worrying.Driving all the way downhill, the car arrived at Tashi Quzong Township, which is the closest to Mount Everest, and hurriedly threw a pile of pencils and candies that had been prepared to the Tibetan children on the side of the road.In order to arrive at Rongbuk Monastery before dark, I dare not stay longer.The following road cannot be described in words how difficult it is. It is a feeling of being carried on a steep mountain road in a sedan chair for several hours.After many days of trekking, people have become desensitized to the dangerous situation.At this time, our Tibetan drivers are the masters of our lives and integrity. It is their years of driving experience on the vast land of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau that enable our jeep, which is like a small boat in the turbulent waves, to avoid countless times. Dangerous situation, and finally reached the other side of victory.

At around 5:00 p.m., we finally arrived at Rongbuk Monastery, the highest monastery in the world at an altitude of 5,300 meters.Regardless of the fatigue of the journey and the strong altitude sickness, we first visited Rongbuk Monastery.The Rongbuk Monastery we see in front of us is actually very small, with only one main hall, and the statue of Master Padmasambhava is enshrined in the hall.According to the guide Gesang, in the eighth century A.D., the famous Buddhist master Padmasambhava crossed the Himalayas from India and entered Tibet from the site of Rongbuk Monastery.This temple was also created to commemorate Master Lianhuasheng's first entry into the Tibetan scriptures, and it belongs to the Nyingma Temple.Rongbuk Monastery once had a very glorious period, but was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution, and is now much smaller.However, in such a harsh natural environment, there are still dozens of families of Nyingma believers living here and engaging in religious activities.It is worth mentioning that there is a tall white pagoda in front of Rongbuk Monastery, and there is a huge prayer wheel at the bottom of the tower. It is said that this prayer wheel is turned by believers 24 hours a day, and it has never stopped for hundreds of years. Pass.We stayed in the guest room in Rongbuk Monastery that night. It was said to be a guest room, but it was actually just a wooden box with a full bed and no bedding. The stars in the sky could be seen through the cracks in the ceiling.It is impossible to describe how I spent that night. I spent the night at such a high altitude. The cold, chest tightness, shortness of breath, abdominal pain, vomiting and other altitude sickness all swarmed me, tormenting me terribly.A few times when I was dreaming and waking up, I even saw the hideous face of death.

Rongbuk Monastery at the foot of Mount Everest In the early morning, looking towards the direction of Mount Everest, what I saw was denser clouds and mist, perhaps it was destined not to be able to see the "third goddess".Everyone became very calm at this time, after traveling in Tibet.We all know that with the insignificance of human beings, how can we fight against the vastness of nature? !Our group continued to go deep into Mount Everest, and arrived at the North Base Camp of Mount Everest in a short while. The first feeling I felt here was that I was on the moon.The sky is gray, so are the earth and the mountains. The mountains are stacked with barriers, and there are thousands of ravines. It is impossible to detect a trace of life.Only a row of cement brick houses and a monument indicate that this is the highest starting point for human beings to understand nature. On May 25, 1960, the Chinese mountaineering team set off from here to achieve the first ascent of Mount Everest in human history, the highest peak in the world at an altitude of 8,848 meters.Although you can't see Mount Everest, there is an invisible force so close to it that you can really feel the extraordinary and majestic solemnity of Mount Everest.In front of an open space at the starting point of the mountaineering, we silently paid tribute to the more than 100 mountaineering warriors buried here who died before they set out, and then embarked on the return journey.

Some people have said that on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, people feel small; standing at the foot of Mount Everest, this feeling is particularly strong.But I think that in the magnificent snow-covered plateau with numerous peaks, only those who survive tenaciously without fear of hardships and harsh natural environments are the greatest.