First step: getting to Dhap.

 

Nobody likes a 3.10 a.m. wake up call, but the sound of the thumping nightclub next door gave us no reason to stay in bed either. Our jeep arrived at 4.10 a.m., only 20 minutes late, and we jumped in the back row with our knees crammed against the seat in front of us.

 

I can't say it was the most fun nine hours of our lives. At first everyone had their window open, despite it being only 15°C outside. Danny and I shivered away in the back, wishing for the sun to rise. Then at 5.30 a.m. the music started, blaring at us louder than the nightclub we had suffered through earlier. Conversation was not possible from this point. We had hoped that when it became light we could admire Nepal's countryside, but the stickers covering the top of the windows prevented us from seeing anything except for the road and the wide river we were following.

 

About five hours in we stopped to pick up some people from the side of the road. Our back row suddenly went from having two to six people. Now movement was not possible. The man beside me feel asleep on my shoulder. His daughter, sitting on his lap, vomited on and off for the rest of the trip. The only positive was that we weren't thrown around while careening around the tight corners up and down the mountains.

 

For the final hour we were upgraded to the front seat, although it was still a tight squeeze. Humongous mountains surrounded us, the endless peaks disappearing into the distance. Our driver flew around the switchbacks so rapidly I was sure we would end up over the edge at some stage. Five minutes from our destination, we turned a corner to come face to face with a long, snow-capped mountain range that left us awestruck. I immediately forgot all about the torturous journey here and became excited for what was in store.

 

Dhap, a tiny village with only a handful of buildings, seemingly had only one open guesthouse. I guess not enough people come through here to support the several others that were lined up along the road. We dumped our bags and dashed to the other side of town, gazing at the breathtaking scenery. Later we were informed which of the peaks was Everest, but I couldn’t remember which one it was next time I looked up at the mountains. It was views like this that I had come to see, and I couldn't believe I was seeing it on day one.

 

We had arrived at 1 p.m., which was early enough that we could have hiked to the next destination (we saw a few doing this over the afternoon). However, with Danny's poor experience at altitude, we decided the extra acclimatisation day was the smarter option. By mid afternoon, clouds obstructed any further views of the mountains or the valley in the opposite direction. As there was absolutely nothing to do in Dhap, we spent the rest of the day holed up in our rudimentary room, planning the next few days and attempting to stay warm.