The strike in Kathmandu did not last as long as it was planned and we received green light to move up to the base camp as planned on April 9. However, before we left, Lhakpa and I went see a lama that morning to receive the blessing for our journey. This is an important Sherpa custom and there will be at least one other ceremony once we are at the mountain. Around 9:30am, Lhakpa and I finally left Kathmandu in a bus full of expedition gear. We arrived in Kodhari about four hours later and crossed the border by foot across the Friendship Bridge. We spent the night in Zhangmu, the border town on the Tibetan side. The next morning we drove to Nyalam and spent two nights there, for acclimatization reasons. We also did a short hike and had a great view of some Tibetan peaks, including Shishapangma. On April 12 we drove to Tingri, the last stop before base camp.