"EXTREME" - 5231m !!!

Wow, here's a picture of the highest altitude I have ever been - 5231m. This pass was the border of Tibet and are the first prayer flags we saw. We took a little time getting up to this height to acclimatise properly, nevertheless for a number of people it simply wasnt long enough. Quite a few of the others have been ill with altitude sickness. It's affected the young and old alike and some people have been sick and required oxygen, (they are now all better though). I have been extremely lucky and have not suffered at all, in fact I feel the most out of breath here, in Lhasa, at 3600m -which doesnt make much sense.

Shortly after this pass, one of Daphne's front springs in the suspension broke completly going over a bump. This meant we had to bushcamp almost immediately (at an altitude of 4700m) and Pete and Renee started to fix it. We had only just got all the tents up and were starting on the cooking when a storm hit us. Within seconds it was hailing like nothing I have ever experienced before. Burning, painful balls of ice hitting us all as we tried to secure the camp. The tarp that covers the tables completely ripped off the truck in the strong wind, and we tried to prevent it flying away. At the same time some of the tents were about to blow away. Once it was all safe, all we wanted to do was shelter in the truck but...aahhh!- we couldnt because it was jacked up to fix the suspension! For 15 freezing minutes it was absolute mayhem as we ran around keeping everything together, also just remember we are at 4700m with most of the truck were suffering from altitude sickness! I now know why the trip is called "EXTREME"!

At the time, I thought we were all going to loose our tents in the wind and get frostbite, etc. But looking back it was so exhilarating and rewarding because we all worked well as a team. Actually one of the best things about the last 4 days has been the team effort and support of those who aren't feeling well and getting everyone through the "extreme" part. It's been tough but fantastic, and for me- one of the best experiences of the whole trip.