prayer flags over Tengboche

I fell in love with Nepal after doing a charity trek there in 2001 and in 2004 my pal Moira and I organised a trek to Everest Base Camp, just the two of us, with our guide (and now friend) Nima, assistant Dorji and one porter. we timed the trip to coincide with the Mani Rimdu festival, which is held every year at Tengboche Monastery, on a big plateau about half way to Everest. The festival lasted 3 days and as well as being an amazing spectacle to see, gave us valuable acclimatisation time.

wouldn't it be wonderful to go back in time and re-take all the photos! I did all my amazing adventures with a 2mp point and press fuji finepix, which did take some good shots - this is one that I like very much - but I often wish I had had a better camera in those days.

A week or so after this I reached Everest base camp - I had it all to myself as it wasn't the climbing season - just Dorji and I. I rooted around and picked up an old rusty tent peg, and on the basis that I was helping to do a bit of clearing up I brought it home as a souvenir.