New Tingri
New Tingri is less a town than a one street Tibetan shopping mall. All the doors covered with heavy curtains and the windows dark and forbidding. There is also a forlorn garage, dust and and the odd bit of debris blowing across in the daily winds. The local farming appears to be sheep and goats. There are fine rounded training hills on both sides, and in true Tibet style the valley bottom is a wide flat plain, with occasional watercourses.
Although this is clearly a very dry country, there must be some torrential downpours, because the local hills are cut through with ravines. These were the first obstacle of the day. We set off with head torches to reach the top of a nearby hill.
We were still digesting our early breakfast, 6am Beijing time, which would equate to 4am if they were allowed a local time. Breakfast had brought its own amusement as Neil ordered more toast by holding his hands apart in a frozen vertical clap. 'Ah', said Claudio, 'the international sign for toast!' as extra butter arrived on the table. We really have to learn a few words of Tibetan one day.
As we pondered the best way to cross the first of the ravines, a stray mut which seems to have adopted us, ran ahead to show us a faint track. The dog stayed with us for the rest of the hike, five hours of leading us up and over the 5,000m hill. It was a clear day, and soon we were cresting the broad ridge into the warm morning sunshine, while Dale complained that about his sun glasses..'my fogging glasses are slowing me up..' a turn of phrase which produced the entirely (by now) predicable reaction; 'you mean the fogging mountain is too..' and more in the same vein.
As we climbed up the steepening slopes, sheep hoof prints pressed into dry earth and aromatic herbs under foot, the southern horizon, the range of grey brown hills as seen from the valley, became more interesting. White giants over-topped the local hills, Makalu, Everest, Shishapengma, and of course, our target for the expedition, Cho Oyu.
It does look large and big and high, from any angle. From our summit of the day, we followed our doggy guide down rock strewn slopes, crossing the dry mud canyons by secret paths known only to the sheep and our friendly dog. It has been another enjoyable hike and another step in our program of acclimatisation.
Tomorrow we set off for CBC, and that will be the end of the road trip.