Final medical check – and back to “normal” life…

As expected, the drive from Everest Base Camp in Tibet all the way to Kathmandu was an adventure it self. After an over 13 hours jeep ride in two different jeeps, on some challenging roads in the Tibetan High Plateau and on Nepal’s narrow roads, across some mountain passes of over 5,000m/16,500ft, I finally arrived late in the evening of May 15 in Kathmandu. I was tired but glad to be here and Kathmandu welcomed me with a Pre-Monsoon rain. Actually, this was fine for me since I have not seen any rain for over one month and the nice thing here was, the weather was so warm… Besides experiencing the bumpy roads, I had some very interesting discussions starting with Buddhism and the meaning of life in a place like Tibet and moving all the way to the basic discussions regarding the importance of excellent driving skills for a jeep driver on these demanding mountain roads in Nepal, situations we can rarely experience in our home countries. But what was interesting in both discussions, the underlying theme was respect: Respect of the other! Yes, there is so much to learn in almost any situation in this life!

The next day, on May 16, the first thing on my list was going to the hospital to check my overall condition and the doctor suggest to check my heart (just to make sure that the altitude did not have any negative effect on the overall function of the heart), the blood (for possible virus or bacteria) and the lungs (because of the bad cough I had for a while at the high altitude). This was just what my overall plan was as well and I really want it to make sure that everything is OK after such an effort at such high altitude. The good news is that the CIWEC Clinic in Kathmandu has a lot of experience regarding high mountain illnesses, so I really trust them for their expertise. After some checks and a few hours waiting, I got the good news: Everything seems to be OK at the low altitude I am at right now in Kathmandu. Just my bad cough is still there, but I am sure that it will go away soon in this warm weather.

Well, this was a good day for me and I could now start to do my packing and planning for my next challenge. I have some work assignments in Thailand and India (where it will be warm…) and I am planning to explore some less traveled roads in Myanmar before I move back to the Western world. This will also give me some time to reflect what will be next in terms of Qomolangma, and I am sure that one day she will provide me an answer…

At that point, I would like to thank all the people who supported and prayed for me while I was on the mountain: My family and friends, the Lama who gave us the blessings, and especially all the Tibetans and Sherpas who made this journey possible. Without them, no Everest expedition would be possible! A special thank goes to Charlie, the expedition leader, and one of the owners of Kobler & Partner, definitely the most experienced expedition company when it comes to the Everest North Side or any other challenging expedition in many remote corners of the world! (http://www.kobler-partner.ch/en-home.html). He supported and guided me with his expertise in this difficult time and made sure that my descent and the long trip back to Kathmandu was organized in a professional and fast manner.

Last but not least, I would like to thank the team which encouraged and helped me in many ways on the mountain, especially, when things got difficult. I am convinced that they will have an exciting climb ahead of them and I wish them from the bottom of my heart a successful summit attempt and, especially, a safe return home!!! Thank you for your support!!!

Also, at that point I would like to thank my sponsors Kairee Systems, Syserco, Coach Source and SKO for their support. Even when it has been a difficult situation for me at the mountain this year, I could always count on their support. And I am sure that there will be other opportunities…

Once again, this journey was for me a wonderful learning experience. I definitely learned one thing very clearly: Don’t underestimate a small cough at sea level, it can have tremendous consequences at 7,000m/23,100ft or higher!!! Also, the importance of a high Self-Awareness: there is no cheating possible up there… which is a good thing for the mountain and for us climbers… Once again, it was a difficult decision, but I do feel good about it and I will always use my credo, when it comes to such important choices:

Reaching the summit is optional – Getting down healthy is mandatory.

I am (almost) healthy again, and I am glad that I am where I am at that point in my life! Life is vibration, we just have to “tune into” the right frequency! I wish all of you a wonderful and peaceful journey towards happiness!!!!

“You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.”
Christopher Columbus
THANK YOU!!!


Tibetan Highlands – Always an impressive experience…


Still a long way to go – Where is the next town again???


Here it is – Just look for the children…


The last 5,000m/16,500ft pass to cross – It is a windy place and soon it will be much warmer.


Back in Nepal – Highly skilled driving skills are required here…


Yes, we are in Nepal…


Green and full of life again in the “Garden of Dreams” – What a nice feeling after such a long time in the high mountains!


There is always a light leading us towards the end of the journey – Even after setbacks…


May life always be good to you… THANK YOU for all your caring and support!!!!

Keep your head and your heart in the right direction and you’ll never have to worry about your feet.  Anonymous

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