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artistic-writer · 5 years ago

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Sparking the Pavement :: CS Moto GP AU :: E :: Ch 3

Title: Sparking the Pavement by @artistic-writer Rating: E (eventually) Summary: Killian Jones has everything he has ever dreamed of. He likes fast bikes and even faster women, that is until almost losing his brother makes him rethink his life choices. And then a chance encounter with a blonde bombshell on the race track gives him the chance to change and find love, but as usual, team politics get in the way and for the first time in his life, Killian can’t just get what he wants. Moto GP racing AU. A/N: Ch 3! Many thanks to @hollyethecurious who agreed to beta this, and to @doodlelolly0910 who regularly listens to me ranting about wanting to write when my fingers don’t want to work. And @darkcolinodonorgasm who understands how relevant real-life race rules are haha and @effulgentcolors for writing The Wife which has not only inspired me to word again after getting a puppy, but has helped me decide on where this story is going. You’re all going to love it, but be super suspicious of me in the mean time :D

Taglist: @resident-of-storybrooke @hollyethecurious@kmomof4 @hookedonapirate @winterbaby89@courtorderedcake @initiala @cocohook38 @branlovesouat @teamhook @snidgetsafan @sherlockianwhovian @shireness-says @wingedlioness @lenfaz @therooksshiningknight @ilovemesomekillianjones @bmbbcs4evr @blowmiakisscolin@deathbycaptainswan @onceuponaprincessworld@chinawoodfan @seriouslyhooked @snowbellewells@wordsmith-storyweaver @jennjenn615 @delightfully-difficult-pirate @doodlelolly0910 @tiganasummertree @hookedmom@thejollyroger-writer @rachie1940 @unworried-corsair @cs-forlife @notoriouscs @killian-whump @darkcolinodonorgasm@mariakov81 @strangestarlighttree @effulgentcolors

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Three weeks. Liam had been dead for less than a month, and already the team was hiring a replacement. Logically, Killian knew they would have to eventually. There wasn’t a race team out there that could manage without a team of mechanics to fix what the riders broke race after race. Most riders were also mechanics, and it was a sensible field for retired riders who still needed to hear the squeal of tyres on the asphalt, but you couldn’t be a rider and a mechanic, Killian knew that. Logically.

Logic didn’t bring his brother back. Logic didn’t help him when his team needed a mid season photoshoot to happen before he returned back to full time racing. The time it took Killian to get kitted out in his leather suit was twice as long as it took for the photographer to get his shot. Killian Jones and Will Scarlet, sitting atop their bikes, both faking the smiles they knew the fans wanted to see took far less time than either of them anticipated and gave them the rest of the day morning to do whatever they liked.

Killian headed out to the team owned practice track to clear his head. It was quiet this time of day and not many people used it during race season anyway, so he had taken his bike out there to think whilst on his extended leave of compassion. He had needed time, more time than allowed, but the team understood and let him. Killian had immense balance, every rider did, and he would often do laps at what most people would consider a snail's pace just to hear the roar of his engine and his tyres on the tarmac. The bike would speak to him and he would answer, giving her exactly what she wanted and opening her up on the home straight.

Only, today was different. When Killian arrived at the track, someone else was already there, someone he hadn’t seen before, and they were thrashing the hell out of a motorbike with a matte black paint job and pristine brushed steel trimmings. Killian wandered over to the start line, the leather pants he was wearing squeaking with every step. His leather jacket was unzipped and his henley underneath had the top three buttons undone because of the almost stifling heat that beat down upon the track.

He waited, making sure that his bike was secured on its kickstand before the mystery rider came flying around the last bend at breakneck speed. They sat up, dropping a gear and ignoring the protest of the engine as the bike slowed down, nearing the worn, patchy paintwork of the start finish line. Killian bent down and placed his helmet on the ground next to his feet, promptly straightening back up, crossing one foot over the other and leaning on the seat of his bike.

Killian recognised the bike instantly. It was a Suzuki Hayabusa, one of the fastest road legal motorbikes in existence, but it had been heavily customised, most likely to reduce weight and increase speed. It purred, the highly advanced liquid cooled, four cylinder, 16 valve engine much more powerful than most cars. The Hayabusa had a top speed over over 390 km/h, and he had no doubt that it had been hitting those speeds, especially with such light cargo. Killian frowned as the bike approached, the rider almost shaken from the seat as they revved the engine once more.

Silence fell over the practice paddock as the mystery rider cut the engine and kicked out the bike stand. Killian watched, fascinated by the way the rider moved, dressed head to toe in black leathers that matched their bike. They were shorter than he was, thinner and more shapely and as they kicked their leg over the bike, slid to the floor, and pulled the crash helmet off their head, Killian realised why.

She was a woman. A beautiful one at that.

Her hair was silky golden, tumbling from where it had been stuffed into her helmet like it had just been combed smooth when she shook her head. It framed her face and pulled his gaze to her green eyes that glinted in the sunlight, even as she squinted. Killian felt his heart speed up at her presence, his skin prickling in his leathers at the sight of her in her race gear, every curve accented to his view. She took a large breath and smiled at him, a cock sure grin of pride and flirtatiousness that had him shifting his weight when his groin began to tingle.

Killian didn’t know who she was or where she had come from. The track was restricted for employees only, so she had to at least work for the team to be able to be here, and the thought of that made him mirror her grin. If she worked here, he would see her more often, but who was she? She moved in slow motion, sauntering over to him, the sounds of the world fading away from him as he narrowed his focus onto her and only her, a lump forming in his throat that he desperately tried to swallow.

He didn’t mean to, but a low hum of appreciation escaped Killian’s mouth before he could stop it as he dragged his gaze up from her feet to her face. He fixed his stare on her mouth, the gently plumpness of her lips and the slight dimple in her chin underneath that gave her a cuteness that Killian was sure would be his downfall. She held her helmet at her side, swinging the matte black gear in time with her walk until she was finally within earshot of him and her perfumed scent overpowered him, cutting through the darkness of his mourning like a break in the storm.

“You know, I can get you a picture if you’d like?”

“I’m sorry?” Killian blinked, clearing his thoughts with a shake of his head.

“Of me,” she said with a slight chuckle. “So you don’t have to keep staring.” She arched her brow at him, a sideways smile telling him he had been caught.

Killian blushed, the heat creeping into his cheeks before he had time to look away. He sighed a nervous laugh, his hand reaching up to paw at the patch of skin behind his ear, a trepidatious habit that made him wish he had put on his helmet already.

“My apologies, lass,” Killian finally said, dropping his gaze to his feet. He pushed himself off of his bike, the kickstand groaning with the release of weight, and extended his hand to her. “Killian Jones,” he said smoothly, his lips ticking up at the corners when she took his hand.

“I know who you are,” she said firmly, gripping his hand. The warmth of his skin was electrifying and sent a shiver down her spine. He didn’t pull his hand from hers, and neither did she, his long, slender fingers gripping her almost to her wrist.

“Is that right?” Killian gave her a raised brow, intrigued by her boldness. She nodded but gave no words, simply biting her bottom lip and pulling her hand from his. Killian missed the contact immediately, the shine of light she was offering him taken away, the blemish of losing his brother quickly seeping back into his being.

“I’m sorry,” she offered gently, as if reading his mind. “Liam Jones was one of my inspirations as a kid.”

“Aye, mine too,” Killian uttered softly.

“He’s the reason I got into racing,” she told him honestly. “I wanted to be as good as him. Going fast wasn’t enough, you know?”

Killian nodded in agreement, a smile forming across his face at the memory of his brother. “It warms my heart to know he inspired someone other than myself.” She smiled at him, that warming presence Killian was already addicted to flooding back into him. “So,” he began, nudging his head towards her bike behind her. “You race?”

“I did,” the woman smiled back at him. “Moto 2.”

“Moto 2,” Killian repeated impressed. “Big bikes, big names. Maybe I know yours,” he prompted boyishly. He scratched behind his ear for the second time, a salacious smirk playing on his lips.

“Maybe you do,” she shrugged, her eyes flitting to his lips.

She moved, the sway in her hips deliberate as she walked past him to his bike. Killian followed her movement, turning on the spot and letting his gaze fall to the stretch of leather over her behind. Normally leather would be unflattering, but somehow she pulled it off, her fitted gear holding his attention for far longer than it should have. Killian inhaled, his hands balling into fists at his sides, his fingers itching to touch the siren in front of him. He waited, enthralled as she wet her lips and whistled at the sight of his bike.

“Yamaha YZF R1. This is nice,” she almost sang, extending the words as she ran her fingers along the curve of the fuel tank. “I like the blue.” She looked up at that moment, a flash of emerald making Killian’s heart almost stop. “It matches your eyes,” she rasped, locking eyes with his.

Killian swallowed hard, suddenly much hotter in his leathers than he should be. The way she was caressing his bike was too much, her fingers smoothing over the high gloss paintwork as gently as the breeze. Killian’s heart hadn’t beat this fast since he won his first race and he hadn’t realised how much he missed it until now.

“What’s your name, love?” Killian asked again, his voice low and slightly hoarse from the dryness that had taken root in his throat.

The woman smiled and unzipped her black leather jacket, flicking her hair over her shoulder and leaning over the seat of his bike. Her elbows pushing into the soft leather and it was Killian’s undoing. He couldn’t help but stare, her breasts nestled comfortably in the confines of her low cut red top creating a delicious cleavage for his view. She was doing it on purpose, he was certain, and it was only when she spoke again that he was able to drag his eyes back to hers.

“Tell you what,” she began, a playful smirk on her face. “I’ll race you for it.”

“For your name?” Killian frowned, quirking his eyebrow at her.

“Why not?” she shrugged with a grin. “One lap. If you cross the finish line first, I’ll tell you what it is.”

Beguiled, Killian let a soft laugh escape his mouth. He bent down to retrieve his helmet, testing the weight of it in his hand before looking back up to her. “And if you win?”

She sighed. “I haven’t decided yet.” Her smile reappeared, lighting up her face in the infectious way Killian noticed it always did, making him mirror it immediately.

Killian licked his lips, his smile fading as he tilted his head to one side. “Are there any rules, love?” he asked her, his tone more business and serious.

She hummed in thought, looking around the deserted track paddock. It was just them and their bikes, hers far faster than his as a stock machine, but the modifications they both had done to their bikes put them on the same level. Or so she hoped.

“No rules,” she grinned, righting herself back into an upright position. Before Killian had time to object to his loss of view, and with a gentle squeak of leather, she lifted her leg and straddled his bike. Her delicate hands gripped his handlebars and she gave them a squeeze with a sigh, knowing he was watching her every move. “But I think I want to ride your bike,” she said softly, accenting the last words as a euphemism.

Killian’s lips ticked into a playful smirk. “You won’t win on my bike,” he told her through the smile he was unable to shift. He emphasised his point by motioning to his bike with his helmet.

“Won’t I?” She narrowed her eyes, lifting her helmet to rest on the fuel tank. She shook her hair back again, tilting her head so that she could slide on her helmet and buckled the under chin strap. “You know what?” She muttered, her cheeks squished into the helmet. “I’ve decided. If I win, I keep your bike. That sound like enough of a challenge for you?”

With a last smirk she pushed her visor down into place, the shadowy black plastic blocking Killian’s view of her gorgeous green eyes and snapping him back to reality. The roar of his engine followed as she turned the key and it sparked to life, the deep throaty rumble of his shorter racing exhaust pipe filling the paddock. She zipped up her jacket and leaned forward, twisting the throttle so the engine revved in the familiar growl Killian could swear turned into a purr under her attention.

With a kick of her slighting heeled matte black boots, the stand peg sprang back into position against the side of the engine, and she was off, throttle fully open and the bike rising up onto it’s back wheel like a well trained stallion. She held the wheelie for a long while, finally dropping the bike back onto two wheels and returning to the start finish line with a few final revs of the engine.

Killian was in love, he was pretty sure. It was hardly possibly to describe the feelings he was experiencing as anything else. She mesmerized him, called to him through the sound of the engine and even though he didn’t even know her name, he felt like he had known her forever. She knew bikes and it was clear by the way she handled his that she could tame even the mightiest of beasts. She revved his bike’s engine again, one foot barely on the tarmac by her toes, body hugging the fuel tank as she focused on the road ahead of her.

Killian finally willed his feet to move, heading for her bike, the engine so shiny he wasn’t sure it had even been ridden in yet. A quick inspection of the tyres told him it had been, no presence of bobbling to suggest they were new. Maybe she just liked a meticulous bike? The rest of it was pristine, the dull black paint normally prone to blemishes and smudges absolutely clear of both.

With a careful lift of his leg, Killian mounted the Hayabusa, kicking the stand back into its resting position and righting the bike. Another rev of his bike told him she was growing impatient, and he would be lying if he said he wasn’t keen to know her name, so with a turn of the key he started her engine and the second roar of a bike reverberated around the paddock.

Her bike felt foreign between his legs, but welcomed, the vibrations from the engine causing the muscles in his legs to shake violently in the way he loved. He pulled his helmet down over his head, adjusting the fit so he could see and then walked the bike to the barely visible start line. Beside him she twisted her wrist down again and the engine of his bike screamed out its annoyance at being stationary for so long. Killian slapped his visor down, his world turning a grey through the polarized perspex, and echoed her revs with a twist of his own wrist.

The mystery woman looked to him at the same time as he looked to her, holding up three fingers and then pointing to the road head. Killian nodded, her signal clear; on the third rev they would go. One lap, less that two minutes.

She revved the bike once, the engine squealing before the sound disappeared into nowhere, the bike between her legs calming. She did it again, and Killian did too, the back wheel of the bike he was riding squirreling a little, a fresh smear of rubber from the tyre appearing on the tarmac. The anticipation between them was almost palpable, both of them lowering their bodies to the fuel tank, getting as close to it as possible for aerodynamics and increased speed. And then a third rev echoed out across the track and the squeal of tyres was all that could be heard as they both took off for the first corner.

The Hayabusa had more torque, tearing off the start line with a ground shaking rumble. Killian tucked in his knees and elbows, the wind rushing over his shape like he wasn’t even there. The Yamaha wasn’t far behind, the woman’s lighter weight nothing for the huge capacity engine, and Killian cast a quick glance to under his armpit to judge the distance between them. She was good, using the inner racing line to cut up the inside of him, whizzing past him as he sat up to assist his braking towards the first corner.

She had no fear, barely leaving herself enough time to brake efficiently as they approached the bend, her tiny frame leaning into it despite her lack of knee protection. Her knee was millimetres from the ground, the bike travelling at around 128 km/h, but she had no reservations about accelerating out of the bend and leaving him behind. Killian was barely out of the corner himself when he saw she was swinging over to the other side, knee down around the next bend, the familiar sound of a gear change echoing through his ears.

Killian focused on the back of his bike, the unknown woman riding it handling it like she hadn’t ever ridden anything else. The bike bowed to her every command, even when she pushed it to its limits down the straights. It was here Killian could catch up, the power he wielded in the Hayabusa far greater than the Yamaha, and he slipped up the inside of her and overtook her with ease. But his bike was heavy, and it took a longer time to accelerate out of corners, so it wasn’t long before the blonde beauty was leaving him in her dust once more.

The track had an ‘s’ bend about a third of the way around, something that ever rider had to slow down to almost a stop for. It was tight, and there was a straight approaching it, so Killian used the opportunity to zoom past her in the hopes he could dominate the narrow section. He was wrong. She was a speed demon, or just full out crazy, but she managed to slip the 379 lb machine right past him, their thighs brushing when they were upright in the middle part of the meanouvre. She even had time to look over to him, and even though Killian couldn’t see her face through her visor, he was sure she was smiling.

Neither were in their racing wear, and that would slow them both down, so the rest of the race would be down to their ability as racers. Who was the most brave? This track had a few notorious sections, Killian knew that better than anyone and had recently learned the hard way that no one was immune to failure, regardless of ability. Liam was a far better rider than he could ever hope to be and he had been snatched from humanity in the blink of an eye. Maybe that was why, even with the faster bike, Killian took his time, being more than cautious around the twists and turns that made up the track, losing time in hesitation as the mystery woman sailed to a victory.

There was less than a wheel length in it as they crossed the finish line, both throttles fully open, engines screaming to deafening volumes. They both sat back up on the cool down lap, allowing the bikes to roll around the track and their racing hearts to return to normal. With the engines idling on the start finish line, they both pulled off their helmets at the same time. Again her hair tumbled effortlessly over her shoulders whilst Killian’s looked like he had been pulled through a hedge, adorably sticking out in all directions.

“Woo!” He yelled over the sound of their engines, a boyish grin on his face, cheeks pinked from adrenaline. “What a rush!”

“Yeah!” She screeched, slapping the fuel tank on Killian’s bike like she was praising a horse.

“You,” he pointed at her, losing his words. “I-.”

“Did you enjoy losing?” She panted, her own adrenaline speeding up her heart.

“To you? Absolutely! You’re a bloody brilliant rider, love,” Killian offered, catching his breath.

“And how did your bike look like from behind?” She quipped with a wink. “Bet it never looked so good, right?”

“I wouldn’t know, love,” Killian grinned, revisiting the now imprinted image of her perfectly shaped rear as she sat astride his bike. “I wasn’t looking at the bike.”

Killian couldn’t tell at first if the rosy tint to her cheeks was from her blush or her tight fitting helmet, but when she averted her eyes shyly, he knew it was the former. It made him smile, cheeky and juvenile, just like the way she had somehow made him feel when the last three weeks had been nothing but empty.

“Might I add that the front is just as beautiful.” When she looked back at him, Killian raised an eyebrow, tracing the ridges of his teeth with the tip of his tongue.

“You’re not so bad yourself,” she muttered through her smile, nodding reassuringly.

It was Killian’s turn to blush, thankfully mostly hidden behind his already reddened cheeks, only the tips of his slightly pointed elven ears giving away his true feelings. He averted his eyes, focusing on the ignition key in front of him, his vision shaking with the motion of the bike. “Can I ask you something?” He said suddenly, turning the engine off and looking back over to her.

“As long as it’s not my name,” she smirked. “Loser,” she teased.

“Quite,” Killian laughed. “Do you miss it?” He added, pointing to the bike between his legs. “This thing has more power than any other road legal bike, nearly twice the top speed of that thing,” he pointed to the R1 she was sitting on and she looked down at it. “And yet you beat me,-”

“You let me win,” she cut him off.

“I assure you, love, I did not,” Killian laughed with a defiant shake of his head. “You’re a fantastic rider who clearly misses racing. What happened?”

Her smile faded instantly and she swallowed hard. Killian could see he had tugged at a nerve, possibly one that had been cut and continued to fray over many years, and he immediately regretted his words. Her silence was deafening and when she lowered her head and took a long, steadying breath, Killian felt like the worst person in the world.

“You know what?” He said quickly, slapping his helmet with both hands to gain her attention. She looked over to him and he smiled a weak, apologetic smile. “How about dinner?”

“It’s a bit early for dinner,” she chuckled.

“Tonight,” Killian insisted. “I don’t need to know your name to take you out, do I?” He poked out his bottom lip and pretended to be upset by the prospect of her declining, lifting a cocky eyebrow at her before his lips turned up with a smirk. “And you can still keep the bike,” he added, hand over his heart.

“Really?” She didn’t believe him, even if she had won it fairly.

“Aye, love, I’m a man of my word.”

He gave her a smile, one she was sure had won over the hearts of every one of his fans, and one she felt powerless to resist. She studied him for a moment, smitten with his charm and handsome features, something she said she wouldn’t fall for again, but was failing miserably to ignore. She knew him. She had seen the headlines. Killian Jones, World Champion, playboy. She regarded him with a narrowed gaze, unsure if she was just another Killian Jones conquest or if he was genuine. Had the media got him wrong? Was he a man of his word?

“Okay,” she said finally, a coy smile spreading across her face. “Tonight. Do you know how to plan a date?”

“Oh, this is a date now?” He teased with a wry grin.

She rolled her eyes playfully. “Who knows? Maybe if you play your cards right, we might follow up dinner with a little dessert.”

Killian ran his tongue over his teeth, eyes flicking over her leather clad body still nestled atop the bike he had just lost like she belonged there. What he wouldn’t give to see her in that exact position sans leathers, the sounds she would make with the rumbling engine pressed against her most intimate region something he was having a hard time not imagining. He looked up to her, eyes darkened by his lustful thoughts that made her breath catch in her throat. “I assure you, love, there will be nothing little about dessert.”

#stop #ch3 #ch 3 #cs fic #cs au #moto gp au #killian jones #emma swan #sparking the pavement #cs fanfic

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kimlecourtcycling · 6 years ago

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All African Continental Championships experience

Hi all.

It’s been a long while…

I will be talking about my experience at the All African Continental Championships which occurred just over 3 weeks now, and a little bit about what I was up to prior to this event. As most of you know my biggest goal of all time is to be qualified for the Olympic Games which is happening next year 2020 in Tokyo.

As I am part of a small country, I do not get the chance to qualify this easily. They are no races with UCI points in South Africa for the Women Elite. And we do not get enough “money” to be able to travel to the European UCI races. The only way to Qualify for the Olympic Games would be to get enough UCI points, or my only other option was to win the All African Continental Champs. That win could assure my qualification.

So here it goes, I started preparing a while back I would even say probably over 1 year ago. As the preparation is not only physical but also mental. A lot goes into organizing your life, plans, races, training, rest times, holiday times, camps etc. I have had the most amazing racing year personally last year 2018, winning the Cape Town Cycle Tour and 4 other races following up directly from there, and multiple podiums. As from there, I was mentally ready and prepared for 2019 aimed at the finalization of qualifying for the Olympics. Super positive about it all, and super excited.

The 2018 year ended on the last race end of November which was 94.7. From there 2 days later I flew back home to Mauritius to spend some quality time with the family, get some proper rest, and start my base and prep for 2019. Spent quite a few hours on the Mountain Bike and did quite a bit of miles. Came back home end of December, and it was time to take the skinny wheels out for a training camp with Absolute Motion crew before the first race of the 2019 season - Fast One Classic.

First few races went well for me, we unfortunately did not manage to get 1st place on all of them like last year, but for myself personally I was proud of stepping on the podium at every single race I did until now. Placing 2nd at Fast One, Ride 4 Sight and Cape Town Cycle Tour, 3rd at Berg en Dale my mental was so ready for the All African Continental Championships. I was so exited and so content about my form.

The AACC (All African Continental Champs) was meant to be held end of February sometime. Some issues apparently occurred back there in Ethiopia. Not so sure what the issues were, but this caused the AACC to be pushed till the end of March 2019. It was my very first time in Ethiopia. My first impressions I would say very poor country, very friendly and surprisingly clean. I obviously race for Mauritius when it comes to International and Continental races. We were only 2 riders representing Mauritius this year, myself and Aurelie Halbwachs. This was my 4th participation at the AACC. This event was the one I was prepared for and ready to achieve what I have always dreamed of – obtaining the Gold Medal for Mauritius.

The profile of the race was PAN FLAT, kind of a (L) out and back circuit. Super easy no corners, no downhills and no dangerous parts or tricky parts. Basically, a perfect race for a sprinter. And the surface was super clean and smooth. Distance of the race was 105 kms.

We had a “team meeting” obviously as we always do the night before the race to discuss tactics and what we individually expect or want from the race. We agreed that to qualify we would either need to win the race OR come second behind South Africa as they already qualified for the Olympics. So, obtaining a second place behind South Africa would have guaranteed our qualification. So that would mean, if a break gets formed with the 3 biggest countries in that break which would be South Africa, Ethiopia and Eritrea we could not let it go and we had to go with or close it down with no questions asked and no guessing. UNFORTUNATELY, we did NOT have a set leader, don’t ask me why… because I don’t even know why. In my opinion it would have been smarter to do so. Anyways, so that was it, to me it felt like I had no team there racing with me. I am used to having a team to support each other whatever the consequences are, whatever the race tactics are and whoever is the team leader on the day. It felt like we were (my teammate and I) racing for different countries. Personally, I was quite sad to be honest.

Race day came along, I was super excited but also obviously a little nervous. The race started at 08:00 am, the weather was nice, not too cold not too warm. Ate breakfast in my room as when I got downstairs in the early morning hours nothing was out yet and nothing ready. Clothes on and we rode to the start with our bikes, which was about 3 kms so not that bad. On top of it we rode on the route of the race to the start. Race started and the pace was EXTREMELY slow, probably riding at 15km/h maybe even less! It was quite funny to be honest; everyone was just waiting for the first move to be made. Once the first move went the race had started and they were quite a bit of attacks from all over. All countries testing each other out, from this point I just had to stay safe towards the front and follow the moves. As we are only two women elite representing Mauritius, it would have been great if BOTH of us would have done same amount of work in terms of contributing to close gaps, go into breaks and pace in the front of the bunch. But I guess, this would be dreaming a bit hey. As per usual, I was the one doing most of the work between the two of us, I don’t usually get frustrated as I get used to it by this point going to these events with her. But as I wanted this as bad as she wanted it, it really made me boil.

Anyways the race was just full of attacks from all over, and around the 30 kms into the race, so quite early in, I feel my back wheel bouncing a little. That is when I started stressing a bit, I knew I had a puncture. I never ever get punctures not even in training rides! And it had to be my luck to get a puncture on the most important race of the year for me. Put my hand up and stopped on the side of the road as fast as I could, tried to take my own back wheel off to make the change faster. Once I had the new wheel on, it was a 7kms chase back to the bunch riding at 48 km/h by myself. At first, I did not think I would have made it back, when I did, I was very thankful. From there they were good news and very bad news.

The good news was that I made it back safely. The bad news was that a break got formed when I punctured and crazy enough they had already 2mins gap from the bunch! I could not believe my luck at this point. I could not believe that as I punctured the girls attacked, obviously this was the only way for them to get rid of a sprinter on a flat route. I was extremely devastated. I then thought my team mate would be in the break as we had only 1 plan which was - not let the 3 biggest countries go ahead. I look around and there she was with us in the bunch! I do not understand. I will not understand, and I don’t think I ever will understand.

From there it was a chasing mission for me and Vera Adrian (Namibian rider). We agreed it would be our only chance to get a medal. So, we paced for about 70 kms. We asked the other riders from the countries that were not represented in the break to help us chase the front break back. Some of them would not even acknowledge us and some would but did only 50% of the pacing maybe even less. I even had to wave multiple times to my own team mate to come the front to help me out. It was honestly just a huge mess! Some people really cannot and don’t know how to race as a TEAM. Felt like Vera and Myself were teammates even though we were not. It was quite ridiculous.

We ended up never closing the gap to the break away. They obviously ended up winning with Eritrea 1st, Ethiopia 2nd and South Africa 3rd. All our hopes for Olympics games were gone. We then came along as a little bunch sprint. Before heading into the sprint Carla Oberholzer came alongside me and asked if I would like her to help to get 4th place. Carla is my teammate in the DEMACON Ladies Team back in South Africa. On the day she was racing for south Africa which obviously she was my competitor. Just shows what being a true “Teammate“ is all about.

1Km to go i see carla was trying to close the gap down so i followed her and stayed in her wheel, 600 meters to go Aurelie makes a very surprising attack which I was not very much aware off. Instead of working together to perhaps get 4th – 5th she decided to obviously do her own thing, which ended working well for herself and obtained 4th place. I wish I could also have faked it till you make it in races. Unfortunately, I go out there to race my bike. Give it all and win or give it all and come last. Anyways this is racing.

And in racing, not everyone can race their bikes the way it should be raced.

I am proud of the way I raced on the day, I gave it all and I left it all out there. It was all OR nothing. Very unfortunate day for myself, super disappointed obviously as I prepared for this a long time ago. I would like to thank every single person out there that supported me throughout this process.

My journey does not stop here, many many years to go.

Until next time peeps.

#cycling #womencycling

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evodex · 7 years ago

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14 days of Everest Base Camp: Pages From My Travel Journal I

Everest Base Camp Trek

There is a real world and a mountain world and I have existed in both. In the mountain world, we play different roles and it tests us in our weakest moments and bares our souls even to strangers. We feel a strange connection with people we may never meet again in life but while we exist there, we are bonded. We were a team of eleven strangers, some known to each other, some not but while in the mountains we became the EBC family.

While you are looking and probably reading the blog to know more about the trek, I can’t do justice to the same without sharing my experience and the background story. So when I decided earlier this year that I wanted to do the EBC trek, my only experience was a low altitude 5-day hike that I had done in Iceland last year and more grueling 100 kms trail walk under 48 hours. While the former was easy to medium level the latter was a test of grit. I was reaching a milestone in my life and I knew I had to do this to make this special but I needed one more such crazy person and I have to admit that I asked a lot of people around me. Meera, my trail walker teammate agreed to it. She was a little unsure but I hung on to the idea and made sure she doesn’t back out. It was only later that I figured out many occasions that she was made of sterner stuff and I was glad for it.

EBC(Everest Base Camp) at 5564 meters is the holy grail for all mountaineers, for the ones who claim to be and the ones who actually summit, all have to touch forehead here. The trek has been marked as medium to difficult and trust me whether it is the lack of oxygen, hours of climbing, the substandard tea houses, gross common toilets or commonly occurring landslides on the way, they all test your grit, passion, and ambition. Which is why I strongly believe that no person who decides to go on this trek is ordinary but whether it’s a mom who does it for her child or a mom who does it leaving her kids behind for three weeks, or a seventy-year-old or a first-time trekker they are all driven by their own reasons.

Kathmandu, Nepal

We arrived in Kathmandu on the 27th of October and were accommodated in the Thamel resort. Meera and I chose to arrive a day early and catch up on some sightseeing. Both of us are moms to two kids and it took us months of planning, begging parents to babysit and overcoming all the motherly instincts when we realised that we will be away from our kids for a really long time. I have been away for a week at times but 19 days was too much. We kept two extra days to sightsee. Some of the touristy things to do in Kathmandu are Pashupatinath, Durbar square, Bodhinath, Patan etc.

Your guide will give you an orientation a day before you leave and that’s the day you will end up meeting your group as well. Let me introduce them to you to them. You already have a background of Meera and me. The next was a group of five; an American named Justin( 36 years old), Sunil Nehru(71 years), and Ashok Mahadevan(69 years), Anita Singh(43 years) who was doing it again to mark her son Angad’s thirteenth birthday. Arun, an avid trekker(43 years), who has already done some 8-9 treks in the Himalayas. Then there were three brothers from Karnal, Rahul(40 years), Raghav(25 years), and Madhur(23 years), two of them were first-time trekkers and one had trekked in various national parks in the US but nothing as demanding as this one. The reason I have mentioned everyone’s age is to give you an idea of how varied the group was.

pic credit- Meera Prashant (Do not miss spotting Kunthal in the blue shirt who has climbed Everest and is celebrity status for all aspiring climbers.)

The next day Meera and I decided to cover up some sightseeing and headed to Bodhinath Stupa and then to the Sherpa shop, which was highly recommended by Meera’s friend for authentic trekking products. Kathmandu is the best place to buy trekking gear from brands like Northface, Icebreaker etc but you have to be careful about authenticity and make sure you buy Northface and not Northfake :).

P.S. We booked our trek with White Magic Adventures and while some people might like to trek on their own and it’s very possible, I would not suggest the same unless you are a hardcore trekker. Managing bookings at various tea houses, arranging for porters and taking care of the whole background work becomes too much. Plus if you fall ill your guide is your best shot to recognise the signs and fly you back to safety. We saw many helicopters evacuating people on a daily basis.

For the ones who are reading for some inspiration in between our story you will know what the trek looks like;

pic credit

The minor difference being that we skipped Pheriche during our trek.

Day 1 — Lukla(2850)/Begin Trek/Phakding (4-6 hours)

While booking your trek if you have done your research, unlike me, you would know that Lukla airport @2850 mtrs is listed in the top 10 dangerous airports in the world. We prayed hard to survive this as it would be a complete shame if our expedition would end before it even started. Luckily we had a smooth landing. Next, we headed to Yak Donald’s resort and met our porters there. The highlight was meeting two women porters Anjali and Dilmaya who would be lifting around 30 kgs each and pacing with the male porters. They were indeed superwomen in their own right, a fine example of women liberation and empowerment. I was so proud of them.

We started our trek at around 8.30 and we trekked from Lukla to Fakding. Most of the trek is downhill, you descend down along the river Dudh Kosi(which means milk river) and this day was easy. We stopped at around 11.30 for lunch. Lunch was a standard for all Nepali veg thali set and then ginger honey tea which was really nice. Little did I know that slowly I will get bored of my wits eating these. On the way, you will pass many beautifully embossed stones known as the ‘Mane Pathar’. They have some mantra written on them, most probably it says “OM Mane Padmai Hum’, a very well known Buddhist mantra. You cannot miss them.

The people in Nepal are very friendly and the Nepali kids are used to strangers. They love posing for pictures and I got a few lovely shots with them.

Loved how he was playing with his cycle.

Once we reached Fakding, Meera and I decided to voice record our day on our phones so that we can pen it down when we reach home. It was a brilliant idea, because, I am really reliving every day listening to them.

P.S. My right knee was already hurting as we had climbed down many stairs today, so I decided to tape it as I knew next day was going to be a lot more stairs and walking. This is a special roll tape which my physiotherapist had recommended I carry. I checked Youtube videos on how to apply the tape.

Day 2 — Phakding to Namche Bazaar(3440 mtrs) – (6-8 hours)

Every night before we retired to bed our guide Sanjeev, would give us a briefing on the day ahead. What we needed to wear, what to carry and what to expect on our trek. He told us that Phakding to Namche would be fewer steps but my phone stepper showed around 116 floors climbed at the end of the day. I think he purposely hid this bit from us to keep us away from the pressure. Now, this where I felt good about not doing research because had I read about this stretch earlier I would have been weighed down by what lay ahead. Sometimes having no expectations is great. Of course, we also had people like my dear mountain sister, Anita, who even after having done the trek in 2015 didn’t remember any parts of it and to counter her was Meera who knew the names of the Peak and all that was to know of the trail and someone who had watched the EBC youtube videos many times over . On day 4, we entered the Sagarmatha National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, at Monjo.

Meera and Me

The entire Sagarmatha park is a wifi enabled zone and honestly, I was a little disappointed as I was looking forward to social media detox for the next few days. I had finished my work before flying to Nepal and left my team with instructions on how to handle it while I was away. This meant I would still be tempted to check my device.

The Dudh Kosi river in the background

We walked through villages along the Dudh Kosi river(Dudh-Milk, Kosi-River) and crossed multiple suspensions bridges. The most noteworthy was a double suspension bridge that we had to climb.

Double Suspension Bridge

The trek went on for four hours to reach Monjo and another four hours to reach Namche. The second half from Monjo to Namche was more of an uphill climb and was killing. I stopped on a few occasions to stretch but did not stop for too long as the body tends to start cooling down and then you start shivering.

Taking a halt just before we reach Namche Bazaar

At 4.30 pm we saw the first steps to the market town of Namche Bazaar filled with Tea houses and restaurants and even spotted the Irish pub, which we marked for our return celebration. Today we celebrated with Pakodas, chai, and Mars roll( Mars chocolate dipped in flour batter and deep fried), very unique to this trail and would recommend it as a must try. Angad, the thirteen-year-old with us was the last one to reach but I was so impressed with this kid. No complaints, just very focussed. Ashok, on the other hand, walked with both his hands folded on the back, like a walk in the park. Both Ashok and Sunil(69 and 71 years to their credit), didn’t ever take breaks and managed to stay ahead of the pack.

pic credit: Justin Brown

We changed into fresh clothing as we were sweating and wore an extra layer as it tends to get colder here. Here we met Shanon and Rebecca, two nurses from Las Vegas. What I learned from them was that they are going all the way to EBC and doing Kala Pathar but taking a helicopter back. They paid 2700 dollars for the entire trip which is way steeper than what I paid, but as they explained time is a valuable commodity for them and they couldn’t have taken more time off. Honestly, I was tempted but I knew I would feel unaccomplished if I didn’t walk the entire route back as well (an option that will keep clouding my mind many times on the way back).

P.S. You burn about 4000 calories per day, so stock up on those carbs people.

Day 3 — Acclimatisation Day At Namche

On the trail to EBC, the guiding companies plan a few acclimatisation/rest days for you to avoid medical issues and acclimatise better. These rest days don’t mean that you will laze around in the tea houses but they take you on short treks around the area. We had our first rest day at Namche and we hiked 250 meters up to see the Tenzing Norgay Museum. I was experiencing a little shortness of breath and then I saw these two women racing uphill. They were runners from Malaysia participating in the Everest Ultra Marathon which starts from EBC and goes all the way to Dingboche. The museum has a lot of information regarding Sagarmatha Park, the animals, flowers, people and about the various expeditions that were carried here. Would definitely recommend a visit here to the museum and also you get lovely views of the Everest from here if you are lucky to get clear weather unlike us. I picked up some medicines, an Icebreaker Merino wool base layer(you don’t get this brand in India and it’s expensive but worth it), a few t-shirts for my kids etc. This is also the destination where my guide adviced me to start Diamox which helps in combating altitude sickness. I napped for a few hours and woke up feeling terrible. All kind of thoughts were clouding me. It was just the start of the trek. If I was going to feel sick then how will I manage the rest of the days? I couldn’t even eat my food. Sanjeev, my guide was amazing. He told me to just remove every negative thought from my mind and relax. While I couldn’t it felt good to see someone tell you that. Luckily I had carried theplas(Gujrati bread) and ‘achar'(pickle) from home and polished away a few. The salt levels in my body improved and soon I was chasing a huge insect from our room, instead of lying down and pitying myself. My apologies for ever doubting the reasons for any Gujarati family to carry this stuff on their holidays. They were a boon that night.

p.s. Some side effects of Diamox are that you pee a lot and might have blurry vision.

p.s. Namche Bazaar is the last place where you can shop for anything you need for your trek and the last place you will find ATMs.

Intrigued to know more about the Everest Base Camp? Keep reading, I promise to be back with more stories. This post is getting too lengthy, so I am going to divide it into a few more posts as I am aware that reading so much can get boring. Until next post, Ciao and happy dreams of the mountain world.

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thiseulife · 7 years ago

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My big trip of 2017 was an adventure group trip in Andorra. It was incredible!

The above are just a select few of the amazing photos I have from the trip. In the top 3 you'll see photos from day 1, we hiked 14 km and about 700 m - starting at 1700 m and making it to 2400 m at our highest point.

The yellow bushes with mountain background is from our drive to white water rafting in Sort Spain. The mountain lake was from our second day hiking another 14 km and 500 m. And the chair is from our last day biking and adventuring as a group. There is a land Andorra land art exhibition going art and the chair is a part of that.

BUT - I am getting ahead of myself! Let me start from the beginning...

My trip started on Friday after work when I peacefully out on a flight to Toulouse, I wasn't quite ready to depart from my tasks so I spent the trip writing integrated test scrips, but after that luckily I was able to put down my computer and turn off my email for the full week. I landed late in Toulouse and went straight to sleep in my adorable Airbnb after getting the keys and a quick overview from the girl who rented the place out. I woke up on Saturday bright eyed and eager for adventure, of course my first objective was food! I made it to a grocery store and grabbed sun screen (I was quite determined not to come home to Finland with a terrible burn) and I located a market and picked up a wide variety of truly succulent (I honestly cannot think of any more accurate word for this sweet juicy amazing fruit I was eating) fruit and a baguette. Including potentially the best nectarines in the world. I took this picnic with me on my city explorations. I of course enjoyed some lovely meandering around the city... finding cute shops, a few pieces of art, but really mostly the sun shining on me and basking in the grass of the Japanese garden and a small park by the bridge near my apartment. I read, I relaxed, I soaked it all in. It was good to have a day of rest before the go-go-go of adventure starting on Sunday.

On Sunday I made my way back to the airport to catch the group transport to Andorra. For those of you who don't know Andorra... a quick overview: 70,000 residents, 35,000 citizens. You can drive across the whole country in about 2 hours. The official language is Catalan but most people speak Catalan and French and/or Spanish and English. There are some well known ski resorts in the mountain village of Soldeu. It's officially represented in international relationships by both French and Spanish leaders. It's considered a tax haven so customs won't check your passport but you're in trouble if you try to bring more than a few packs of cigarettes, bottles of alcohol, or a trailer full of bikes (why this tour leader no long takes people biking in Spain) across.

ANYWAY. I met the 12 others in our group at the airport and we loaded us and our bags in the group vans to drive the 2 hours from Toulouse to Soldeu where our base hotel was (The Roc St Michael). Once we arrived Nick the manager divided us into our rooms and introduced us to his wife and our guide for the week, Nuria. I'll tell you something, that woman is amazing. She runs races in the mountains! She ran every morning before going walking or biking or rafter with the group! And she helps run the hotel and has 2 daughters. We unloaded into our rooms and regrouped in the hotel bar to get acquainted, enjoy the sun, and wait for dinner prepared by Nick. Our group consisted of a couple and a single guy from Australia, a few single guys and a girl from London, a couple from Scotland, and grandmother and her grandson from Canada, a guy from Germany, a guy from the US. and me. Exhausted from all the travel and driving, everyone went to bed early.

Day 1- as I mentioned above, day 1 was a hike in the mountains surrounding the valley. About 6 hours hiking followed by reading drinks and dinner at the hotel. Also got to know the group a bit more, everyone was so interesting! The grandmother, Leis, is originally Dutch but living in Montreal for a long time. She is a therapist who travels at least 2-3 months of the year, interested in tribal groups and photographs and writes articles for a travel blog. Candice is a production manager for some U.K. Shows and networks including the U.K. Version of pimp my ride, kinda not really but that's the closest. They re-do cars. The couple from Australia was there on extended vacation in conjunction with an education week the woman, Claire, was attending for her side gig and a speed skate referee! For real! These people were fun and cool and I was really happy to be traveling with them for a bit! This evening we also got to enjoy a great thunderstorm. We arrived back just before the heavy rain hit so it was quite relaxing to build a fire in. The bar, read my book, and sip some wine!

Day 2- we switched to the bikes for day two, giving out feet a rest if not our thighs. It wasn't too rough a day to be honest, mostly down hill biking on the switchback mountain roads. We took a small break between route to do a high ropes course as well. That was probably the most disappointing part of the trip (it was advertised as a zip line so I was picturing big exhilarating drop and it wasn't QUITE that). The biking was beautiful and we did get to do a more mountain bike off road track at the end if we wanted to. I certainly did! Again, after the day of adventuring we. Enjoyed a relaxing evening at the bar and then having dinner together back at the hotel.

Day 3- We all piled into a big bus early on Wednesday morning. It was about a 3 hour drive to get to Sort where the rafting company was. Going down in elevation from Andorra we got to enjoy the incredibly warm weather as we stopped for short breaks and to enjoy the views. When we arrived I Sort the packed us into wet suits and then rafts and threw us in the river. I, not knowing what I was getting into, volunteered for a front seat in the raft. It was not more scary... it was more wet. Well, not a problem because It was thrilling to take the waves straight to the face and gripping the foot strap for dear life and going up and down in the rapids! It was a grand time in the water and having splash contests with the other boat, and watching the guide try to shove Candice into the water which totally didn't work after Steve came to help and threw the guide in the water instead! At one point we did hit a rock and Reid and Andreas fell out and we had a deal pulling them back in, I was laughing so hard that I was no help at all. Once down the river we got to enjoy the pool and yard of the rafting company to bask and relax and have a drink and eat our sandwiches. All too soon though we had to get back into the bus and head home for another tasty dinner prepared at the hotel.

Day 4- back to hiking for day 4. The difficulty level of this hike was similar to that of the first hike in general. But when we got up to the top we reached a plateau where we could eat lunch and where, if we wanted we could continue to the ridge line. The path we took was fresh from winter snow and we were the first of the season to walk on it. Truly magical and the view from the top was beyond belief. We had two lakes on that path and we saw the standing man rock formation as well. This evening was the free day for dinner, they wouldn’t be serving at the hotel, so I joined the group going into town to a pizza place.I was able to get one without cheese so it wasn’t so bad. Everyone else went ice-karting but I was feeling like a nice rest and some quiet reading so I went back on the bus ahead of everyone else and had a quiet evening in my room.

Day 5- it was finally (sadly) Friday and our last day of biking and of group activities. We went in to the North valley of Andorra and did some more down hill biking including some of the Tour de France path. At various points we had the opportunity to take off road paths and I did so whenever possible. The best one was along the river in the valley and it was ___ insert non overused descriptor synonym for incredible. magical. unreal. amazing. Here is my very poetic description of this ride:

The entrance to the path is steep, all brain power focused on fingers gripping breaks and looking just to the left or right of rocks and bumps lest they throw me off.

Then the path evens out, the way smooths, and with this it is possible to look up and around. The river is gushing to the left, melt water hurtling without inhibition faster than I could ever think to go. The path is new for the season, still carpeted in grass with trees towering in both sides.

I’m in an emerald corridor and the dandelions, though named as weeds, are like my yellow brick road. I follow them along, down, up, through, and out into a field. In front of me is the sun and the mountain peaks forming their valleys and still wearing their hats of snow. Around me is only green and darker green and gold.

And finally the path ends and the edge of the plateau is reached, I rejoin the asphalt road and the biking crew, and the world is again as it’s always been.

Cool Rach. SO back to it then. Once we were done with the bikes we had a bit of a drive back to the hotel. I found another mountain that I wanted to call mine. Sadly no picture due to the driving... I now have a mountain in Cortina and a mountain in Andorra! About halfway through the drive we stopped to see some of the land art which was cool. We also stopped at an overlook of the valley. This was particularly cool because the next day, on our open activity day, I chose to do a Via Ferrata on the cliff we were standing on, scaling the 500 m cliff face to get to the top where I was standing this day that we drove to! I’ll get to that. This night was not our last night eating at the hotel but as a kind of celebration Nick made us some traditional food from Andorra and they gave us wine to drink out of a funny glass (check out the video later on). After dinner we went into the common area where Nick played the guitar and a friend of his sang songs. It was a very good night.

Day 6- ah, we have already arrived at the last day of adventure, the free day, and the Via Ferrata. This was a highlight of the trip, everyone else got a ride the Naturlandia to ride the luge, I only managed to convince Reid to go climbing with me. We met our guide in town and drove with him to the cliff where we would climb. There are a few available route to choose from and we debated between beginner and intermediate. I was quite intimidated by the label intermediate but we chose it any way (and thank goodness we did I think the beginner would have been FAR too easy). Via Ferrata is like rock climbing for dummies. You clip onto a line on the cliff with 2 carabiners and make your way along a pre-determined route with big iron staples. It includes a lot of the thrill of rock climbing without the mind numbing terror that you might have grabbed the wrong hand hold and will shortly slip to your doom. I mean rock climbing isn’t really THAT scary... but even so with lead climbing outside it definitely has a higher fear element than the via ferrata did. Our guide took some bad ass pictures with his go-pro and sent them to us. It took us about 1 hour to get to the top and he said we climbed pretty quick. We climbed down and then I joined up with a path 7 km that took me back from Canillo to Soldeu. It was lovely to walk alone and take in the scenery and reflect on the week. Once everyone returned to the hotel we traded stories and had one last dinner.

The next day we went back to the airport and went our separate ways either home or on to the next destination.

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evodex · 7 years ago

Text

14 days of Everest Base Camp: Pages From My Travel Journal I

Everest Base Camp Trek

Kathmandu, Nepal

pic credit- Meera Prashant (Do not miss spotting Kunthal in the blue shirt who has climbed Everest and is celebrity status for all aspiring climbers.)

For the ones who are reading for some inspiration in between our story you will know what the trek looks like;

pic credit

The minor difference being that we skipped Pheriche during our trek.

Day 1 — Lukla(2850)/Begin Trek/Phakding (4-6 hours)

The people in Nepal are very friendly and the Nepali kids are used to strangers. They love posing for pictures and I got a few lovely shots with them.

Loved how he was playing with his cycle.

Day 2 — Phakding to Namche Bazaar(3440 mtrs) – (6-8 hours)

Meera and Me

The Dudh Kosi river in the background

We walked through villages along the Dudh Kosi river(Dudh-Milk, Kosi-River) and crossed multiple suspensions bridges. The most noteworthy was a double suspension bridge that we had to climb.

Double Suspension Bridge

Taking a halt just before we reach Namche Bazaar

pic credit: Justin Brown

P.S. You burn about 4000 calories per day, so stock up on those carbs people.

Day 3 — Acclimatisation Day At Namche

p.s. Some side effects of Diamox are that you pee a lot and might have blurry vision.

p.s. Namche Bazaar is the last place where you can shop for anything you need for your trek and the last place you will find ATMs.

The post 14 days of Everest Base Camp: Pages From My Travel Journal I appeared first on Maa of All Blogs.

14 days of Everest Base Camp: Pages From My Travel Journal I published first on http://ift.tt/2Afzj22

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evodex · 7 years ago

Text

14 days of Everest Base Camp: Pages From My Travel Journal I

Everest Base Camp Trek

Kathmandu, Nepal

pic credit- Meera Prashant (Do not miss spotting Kunthal in the blue shirt who has climbed Everest and is celebrity status for all aspiring climbers.)

For the ones who are reading for some inspiration in between our story you will know what the trek looks like;

pic credit

The minor difference being that we skipped Pheriche during our trek.

Day 1 — Lukla(2850)/Begin Trek/Phakding (4-6 hours)

The people in Nepal are very friendly and the Nepali kids are used to strangers. They love posing for pictures and I got a few lovely shots with them.

Loved how he was playing with his cycle.

Day 2 — Phakding to Namche Bazaar(3440 mtrs) – (6-8 hours)

Meera and Me

The Dudh Kosi river in the background

We walked through villages along the Dudh Kosi river(Dudh-Milk, Kosi-River) and crossed multiple suspensions bridges. The most noteworthy was a double suspension bridge that we had to climb.

Double Suspension Bridge

Taking a halt just before we reach Namche Bazaar

pic credit: Justin Brown

P.S. You burn about 4000 calories per day, so stock up on those carbs people.

Day 3 — Acclimatisation Day At Namche

p.s. Some side effects of Diamox are that you pee a lot and might have blurry vision.

p.s. Namche Bazaar is the last place where you can shop for anything you need for your trek and the last place you will find ATMs.

The post 14 days of Everest Base Camp: Pages From My Travel Journal I appeared first on Maa of All Blogs.

14 days of Everest Base Camp: Pages From My Travel Journal I published first on http://ift.tt/2Afzj22

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