Did I mention that stealing all the puja food gave me diarrhoea.
Summit bid.
This must be the first time I ate so much medications on a summit bid. I had tonsilitis 1 day b4 we were due to leave for the summit bid. So i was groaning in my tent the entire day. feverish coughing and dripping with mucus. IIt was HORRIBLE. Mok wacked me with antibiotics, I was drinking the dhhasedyl by the bottle together with danzen, the useless anti – inflamatory. then when I din get better, Mok actually contemplated an injection of antibiotics. I refused. So I increased my intake of antibiotics. IIt was horrible!!! On the way to camp one, I thought I would like die when the flu virus attacks my heart (you know how the GPs alwayys tell you that when you have flu and you exercise, the virus can attack your heart valve and you can actaully die…) yeah so I was convinced I was going to get thhat.
When i reachhed Camp 1 I just hid in my tent boiling water and sleeping till the next morning. Since I felt a little better, I continued up to Camp 2. On thhe way there, I suddenly felt faint after clearing the steep slope on the way to the fiirst fixed rope. It felt exactly as that time in BT when I was climbing the dreadful stairs in dairy farm loop. And I was like shit, should I continue??? So anyway I rested and continued and then somehow persisted on too Camp 2. camp 2 to camp 3 was just a huge slope and I just took my time there.
Camp 3, no turning back, we reachhed there at about 4-5pm, cooked till about 7pm and slept till 11pm when we woke up for our summit bid. I crammed my pockets full of the big sweets (I call them da4 li4 tang2), put on my oxygen mask and started out on the climb. my nose was stuck and I was just trying not to cough the entire journey. Not a pleasant experience. Cos whhen I cough, I have no air and I would gasp. So anyway thankfully the weather was really good that night. Summit bid turned out much better than I envisioned.
Conversations with my Sherpa
me: You’re so skinny
Mama Rita: You’re fat. I like.
Asshole.
we’re the same weight by the way. But only coos he’s skinny and not that I’m fat. hahahaha
Self denial. It’s a great tool to get by with life.
Prior to joining the Women’s Everest Team, she has numerous trekking experiences in Malaysia, Tasmania, Australia, Nepal, Taiwan and has led an expedition to Thailand. An independent traveler, Li Hui has backpacked across Canada, Vietnam and Australia and spent a season skiing in Vancouver.