A summary of Day 5 of K2’s Everest Base Camp Trek from walker Natasha Wannenburg
We woke up and had a warm breakfast in preparation of your acclimatisation walk. Ready for the walk we headed up to the top of Namche Bazaar and went to the Everest Hotel (3880m above sea level) where we had the most amazing views!
Unfortunately there were some clouds so Everest was hiding away, but we are pretty sure we’ll see the mighty Everest tomorrow.
We stopped and had some warm tea whilst taking in the panoramic views, and then we headed back to Namche Bazaar. It was a very very steap climb up but going down went much faster, we just had to be very careful as it was a steap descend.
Once we arrived back at Namche, we freshened up and had our lunch, thereafter we had some free time to explore Namche and we headed out.
As we explored the beautiful Namche, some of us found a hair salon and did not think twice, as this might be the last time we get to wash our hair for a very long time. Others headed to the local Irish bar and enjoyed a few rounds of pool and a very daring drink!
We then gathered for lunch, and prepared for the next day ahead, as tomorrow we will be trekking to Deboche (3,800m above sea level).
A Summary of Day 5 of K2’s volunteering project in Nepal from worker Emma Kerslake
The volunteers woke up nice and early this morning to have a quick breakfast and check out of Hotel Middlepath. We then piled onto the microbus with our project bags stuffed in the back and set off for Deurali.
After a bumpy, mountainous 2 hour journey, we arrived at the school and climbed the stairs to be greeted by a sea of welcoming faces, holding flowers and garlands to be draped around our necks. We were each treated to traditional red tika pasted on our faces and led towards the children excitedly waiting by the ceremonial area.
We were given a cup of tea before the speeches commenced, with several staff and community leaders sharing their thanks in Nepalese (some of which were translated into English). Emma was asked to introduce the K2 volunteer team and presented the headmaster with the books and pencils Nick had so kindly gathered for the children. Local children performed traditional Nepalese dances during the ceremony and after, invited the volunteers up to join them in dance. Jewels also gave each child a sticker and we gave the dancers a tshirt and colouring pencils.
After a brief lunch, the hard work began, with volunteers putting on hard hats, high vis jackets, gloves, glasses and masks, and set about scraping and sanding the walls of two existing classrooms, removing floor coverings and prepping for tomorrow’s paint work.
As the sun began to set, the volunteers set down tools and headed to the ‘bucket shower’ for a quick wash and a trip to the squatty. A delicious home cooked meal was served for dinner, before the volunteers headed back to their tents for an early night ahead of tomorrow’s sunrise awakening.
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The charitable initiatives that the Foundation funds focus on helping the children within those communities, children whose futures are bleak or uncertain. Often, the support provided takes the form of education, as this gives children the chance to develop skillsets which can increase the number of opportunities available to them as they grow up.
