Everest Base Camp: Why This Bucket List Trek Is More Doable Than You Think

Most people hear 'Everest' and immediately rule it out. Troy Barnes is here to change your mind. A seasoned mountaineer on a mission to conquer the Seven Summits, Troy sat down with Paula to share what it's really like to trek to Everest Base Camp — from the world's most nerve-wracking airport landing to yaks delivering groceries at 5,000 metres, and why people in their late 60s with average fitness made it to the top.

In this episode

• Why Everest Base Camp is a trek, not a climb — and what that actually means for your body
• Troy's group included people aged 69 with average fitness. Two didn't finish, but 13 out of 15 did
• Lukla airport: tagged the world's most dangerous, one runway, and a wall at the end of it
• What you eat along the way (simple, nourishing, and surprisingly fine if you're not fussy)
• Tea houses vs tents — and why Troy was very pleasantly surprised
• The moment 40 yaks came charging across a rope bridge 100 metres above a river
• Altitude sickness: what to watch for, when to take tablets, and why you shouldn't skip the safety checks
• The highest-altitude Irish pub in the world at Namche Bazaar. Of course Troy found it.
• Why April and October are the best months to go

 Practical info

• Getting there: direct flight Singapore to Kathmandu (~4.5hrs), then a small plane to Lukla
• Duration: approximately 14 days total including acclimatisation days
• Best time: April or October — moderate temps, stable weather
• Do you need a guide? Yes — they handle permits, tea house bookings and daily health monitoring
• Altitude tablets: optional but recommended to have just in case
• Packing tip: don't over-pack. You carry your own bag. Troy had energy bars until day 7 and never needed them

Links & resources

🏔 Peak Potential Adventures — Troy's tour operator

🎙 Ep 1: Paula's Sicily Road Trip — the episode that started it all

🌐 Truly Expat Travel — more destination guides

Ready to explore Taiwan with a small group of adventurous women over 50? I'm leading a 10-day Taiwan group trip in October 2026 — temples, mountain scenery, stunning coastline, and so much more — and I have just 2 spots remaining.

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Transcript

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SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome to the very first episode of Truly Expat Travel Podcast, where I chat with expats about their favourite holiday destinations. Let's be honest, expats are some of the best travellers around, always planning the next adventure, exploring hidden gems and finding the best spots wherever they go. So who better to ask travel inspiration than expats? In this episode, Troy takes us on an unforgettable journey into the heart of the world's tallest mountains. He shares what it's like to stand beneath their towering peaks, the challenges and triumphs along the way, and why high altitude adventures are his ultimate form of travel. Curious about what it really takes to take on the Himalayas? Or why some people are drawn to the thin air and gruelling climbs? Troy unpacks it all and reveals why reaching Everest Base Camp might be more within your reach than you think. This one's not to be missed, so hit play, sit back, and let's dive into the adventure together. Welcome, Troy.

SPEAKER_00 1:00

Thank you,

SPEAKER_01 1:01

Paula. So yeah, so my very first episode of Truly Expat Podcast, and I thought, who else should I bring on for my very first episode than Troy? You're in all my videos, you're all in my social media, so yeah, why

SPEAKER_00 1:17

not? Deeply

SPEAKER_01 1:19

honored. So I'm not going to go into, you know, who you are and your expat life, but what I will do is we'll start off with what type of the kind of traveler are you?

SPEAKER_00 1:30

Great question. I would say I'm a fit for purpose traveler. So I like a variety of things. I do love an adventure and a challenge. I'm a curious person by nature and I like to stretch myself. So that would probably be my preferred. But also there are times when you travel and you just want to hang out, chill, have your downtime, go to an island somewhere or somewhere that's just a relaxing environment. So, yeah, it just depends on where we are. Again, the adventurous exploration where I can challenge myself is certainly the preferred model. And then, of course, I guess at times I become the tag-along husband and just, yeah, try and fill the boots, as they say, and just come along for the ride.

SPEAKER_01 2:21

I'm glad you put that one in there and it wasn't, you're just a solo traveler. Don't be worried. Yeah. But yes, you come along, quite a few of my travels. So we're going to talk about the one destination that stole your heart. Can you explain what it is and where it is?

SPEAKER_00 2:43

Yeah, probably the most recent climb I did. And look, just to be clear, it's probably more a trek than a climb. But the journey I went on to the Himalayas was, yeah, just incredible. mind-blowing in so many ways the fact that you can go to a place on our wonderful planet these days and still see something that's largely been untouched for hundreds if not you know thousands of years and get to enjoy that in this day and age is for me you know I guess an experience that's hard to put into words and of course it links up to my adventurous exploration uh favored method of traveling so yeah it was uh it was just it was just an outstanding trip and the culture the people there and even to little things like how some of their dwellings are built and have lasted for so long it was fascinating so um yeah it was really a it was a cracking one for me for sure

SPEAKER_01 3:48

so i'm going to touch on two things that you just mentioned firstly you do climb mountains so it's not your first can you just explain a little bit about that

SPEAKER_00 3:58

Yeah, so some years back I started to get interested in climbing mountains and I got this real sense when I climbed my first one or two. For me personally anyway, there was just a real sense of achievement that's not like any other. When you're looking down on the world and seeing things around you, there's just really a special place and it really ticked a massive personal box for me emotionally and physically. So I started to generate an interest and have now turned that into the potential aspiration of climbing the seven summits. And the seven summits, for those who are not familiar, is the tallest mountain in each of the continents around the world. And I'm on that journey. It's been slowed a little, COVID and a few other things, the geopolitical conflict in some areas has caused a bit of a blocker. And actually, that's the reason why I pivoted to going down the journey of taking on Everest Base Camp. Base Camp, not necessarily a mountain, but still the ability to go through a trek and a small climb to get to an altitude that was going to continue to test my body and have it prepared and familiar for those other climbs that I intend on tackling down the track.

SPEAKER_01 5:14

Yeah. And then you touched on trekking and climbing and they're different.

SPEAKER_00 5:19

They are. Climbing, there's the two elements of it. There's the non-technical climb and the technical climb where you've got the ropes and the sleds and you're really doing some shearing and you've got the boots, particularly in those colder climates where you've got snow and ice that you've got to deal with versus a trek that's more of an altitude walk, if you will. And all the mountains will have that part of them. Some of them you can get through that kind of approach right to the top. So something like Kilimanjaro, for example, which is one of the mountains I've done already as part of the Seven Summit journey, was a trek. There was a couple of periods where we had a couple of rock faces that were sort of climbing with hands and feet, but not a technical climb. The Ascension on the last day was a bit of a doozy, but other than that, it was a fantastic exploration into the largest single mountain on planet Earth. actually, where all of the other summits in each of the continents are part of mountain ranges. Kilimanjaro is the only one that's on its own. So that was real fun.

SPEAKER_01 6:27

Do you think Base Camp is something that I could do?

SPEAKER_00 6:30

Yeah, definitely. I couldn't recommend Everest Base Camp as a bucket list item enough. And a few reasons why. Firstly, the group that I went on was a little bit larger than I would have liked, but Great people, nonetheless. So the group was about 15 or 16. And we had people from late 30s through to, I think, the eldest one or two of the journey were 69. Again, not super fit people. You're average Joe, average Sue. What are you

SPEAKER_01 7:06

saying? Are you trying to tell me I'm not fit?

SPEAKER_00 7:08

No, no, no, not at all. What I'm trying to encourage is that when people hear Everest... regardless if it's Mount Summit or Everest Base Camp, there's a balk that comes in. But I can't tell you that, sorry, my point is that the trek in itself and even the altitude and the guys who took us on the journey tested blood oxygen levels and your body's ability to tolerate the altitude climb every day that we walked forward. Okay. Yeah, it was super safe and everyone's health was obviously top order, no matter what was happening around us. But I'm very happy to say that we had two out of the 15 to 16 that didn't make it. One had chronic set of injuries who probably shouldn't have started from the get-go, but wanted to push himself and whatever else. And there was another gentleman, I think, in his mid to late 60s who got just before Everest, maybe a day or two before, and one of his knees had just had enough. So he just hung there and we went up and picked him and come back down, picked him up on the way down and he finished it off. So other than those two, it was, yeah, it was a success for all. And it was a trek. So it's a good walk. It's about, I'd say anywhere between five and seven hours a day. There was no real super ascending trek, so it was going to put your body, knees, hips, and those who might have some joint issues over time under real pressure. But again, the journey and taking a very slow speed as you do when you're walking or trekking or climbing at altitude, the environment around you is just something that's very hard to put into words.

SPEAKER_01 9:05

Did most people go in small groups? So in a small group?

SPEAKER_00 9:10

No, no. So our group was together. There were a mixture of other groups that were there with other organizations that provide the same service to take you to Everest Base Camp or for those who are doing Everest Base Camp as a start to their ascension to Mount Everest and the summit. So it varies in sizes. The other thing I was going to say, which I didn't mention before actually, is on top of just the whole experience and the journey, the people are amazing. Brilliant, super kind, super nice. You feel like you've stepped back a few hundred years into a world where the Nepalese living like we did before all of the modern bits and pieces came to life. I mean, you know, fascinating stuff.

SPEAKER_01 9:57

Because it's quite a spiritual country itself anyway.

SPEAKER_00 10:00

Correct, correct. And they're a very, upon the top of the spiritual, religious side of things, they're just a very... polite delicate and take care of you kind of people so when you're in the most of the places you stop at have tea houses which is a very simple big open area where you can have breakfast lunch and dinner and then rooms that are typically shared rooms so two people per room um and then you have a mixture of shared facilities for shower and toilets on the odd occasion or If you wanted to pay a little bit extra, you could go to a tea house at each of the stops where you would have a shower and toilet as part of the shared room that were provided for you. But no, really amazing, amazing experience.

SPEAKER_01 10:50

And what kind of food did you eat along the way?

SPEAKER_00 10:52

Food was very simple. So breakfast was a combination of one or two cereal types, bread, and they did make plain egg omelets. So those were typically your starter for the day. And then, of course, you had water and juice as your options for drink. Lunch, when you got there, was a combination of a very, very plain vegetable soup, but it was nice. They had their spices that they dipped in there to give it a little bit of flavor. And then you would have rice, eggs, and some vegetables was typically the core variations of those for lunch and dinner was how it was served through most of the journey. So you got most of your nutrients. You can take some bits and pieces and that's where the Kathmandu start helps out a lot. Okay. But yeah, I'm a big eater and I found it whilst the meals weren't big, I was more than happy to get through my day on the nourishment that was provided at all the tea houses through the journey.

SPEAKER_01 11:58

So you mentioned Kathmandu. I guess the first thing is how hard is it or how easy is it to get to the destination?

SPEAKER_00 12:05

Yeah, great question. I was pleasantly surprised on this one because Kathmandu was the sort of where everybody came to as a meeting place to get started. And Kathmandu from Singapore, direct flight, brilliant. I think it's maybe four and a half hours, maybe a little bit more, four and a half, maybe five. But I think Singapore Airlines do it once or twice a day pretty frequently. There's a couple of other carriers that do it as well. So that was really easy. And Kathmandu, I'd call it maybe a much more smaller version of a typical Indian city that you might go to, like Mumbai or Delhi or Bangalore. So similar culture and similar experiences there. And the hotels were your typical brands that you have. So we stayed at the Ramada Hotel, which is a pretty good hotel.

SPEAKER_02 12:56

And

SPEAKER_00 12:57

that was where we bunkered, did all our check-ins. We spent our first night or two, I think, just getting all of the admin work and pre-work settled before we then set off. And I think that's where most organizations that take tourists or people who want to do the trek will start in Kathmandu, again, because of the ease of being able to get there to get started. And then you move to your second place, which is... Nearly lost my track of... Yeah. Yeah. So Lukla is the airport that you fly into with a little plane where you're just outside the national park and the Himalayas is part of a national parks. There's a fee and there's a paperwork that's got to be done, which is typically organized with your tour guide or the organization that will take you on the trek and you get started from there.

SPEAKER_01 13:51

And how, how, so is that how you got there? You flew into the airport?

SPEAKER_00 13:55

So going in, we did a combo journey. We took a midnight or one o'clock in the morning bus that was about four hours up a interesting, and it was probably a good thing that we couldn't see that much outside, but basically one of these curly roads that go up the mountains to get to a smaller local airport. And then we took an 18 seater and that took us to Lukla. The alternative is you just go back to Kathmandu, which is about a 20 minute drive out of town. And you can get a plane from the Kathmandu local version straight up to Lukla for there, which is what we did coming back.

SPEAKER_01 14:31

I hear that that plane is quite scary.

SPEAKER_00 14:34

Not scary. It's a light plane. Lukla has been tagged the...

SPEAKER_01 14:42

Most dangerous?

SPEAKER_00 14:43

Most dangerous airport in the world. But when you see... I don't know, maybe 50 or 60 planes coming in and out of there a day. The scariness is actually just what it is. It's basically one runway, and the runway has a slight ascension as you come in, and at the end of it is a wall.

SPEAKER_01 15:10

Oh, God.

SPEAKER_00 15:11

So if the brakes don't work,

SPEAKER_01 15:12

there

SPEAKER_00 15:14

may be an issue or two. And then, of course, when you come down, You leave the runway and basically it's just a direct fall off. But whilst that itself might get people a little bit, can't do that, it's fine. It's fine. As I said, we sat there for a day and we did one night there before we kicked off the trek. And there must have been 50 or 60 planes just... Yeah. And it was like clockwork. So I'm sure the tagline is probably one that was... older uh it's tarred properly the runway now it used to be dirt so i suspect back in those days when it was dirt and the traction to get planes up down and and up might have been a little bit more tricky um but yeah no it was uh it was a fun ride again it's only i think it's 25 minutes up in the air so it's pretty pretty short and they they weight everything so Again, because of the tricky nature of landing on a small airport at altitude, a little bit of altitude, they measure your body weight and your bag weight just to make sure that when the plane goes on, it has a precise. So they get down to that level of specificity to make sure that the plane has got the right weight, safe, and it gets there and everything it needs to do to make sure that it has a safe landing and departure is in check.

SPEAKER_01 16:44

Is it one of those trips you have to have planned? So you have to go with a guide and a tour company?

SPEAKER_00 18:35

Yeah, good question. I would say yes. I'm sure there are – well, actually, I know you can do it yourself. The challenge is you've got to do all the paperwork yourself. So, you know, knowing that there's a few stops to get to where you start, which is Lugla. You've also got to do your approval to get access to the Himalayas because it is a national park and there is a fee to enter the national park. And then you've got to organize all your stays because there's no brand at any of the points between your Lukla start and Lukla finish. So all of the stop ops up and coming back down are all family run tea houses.

SPEAKER_01 19:18

And are you booked in beforehand or is it first in best dressed?

SPEAKER_00 19:22

In terms of?

SPEAKER_01 19:24

The tea houses.

SPEAKER_00 19:25

Oh, so it's all booked. Yeah. So the guys we had, Darren's company is called Peak Potential Adventures. Yeah. They take care of everything. They're brilliant. So yeah, and then that way you arrive, you get to your destination, everything is taken care of you.

SPEAKER_01 19:45

And was there a standout experience or a moment that made this trip unforgettable?

SPEAKER_00 19:49

Oh, there's a few of those. Okay. I guess one that stands out is when you're going through, they do have rope bridges at, I think, three places. And for people who are familiar with Temple of Doom, it's not quite as scary as that. The engineering has been done quite solid. But when you're walking on a bridge and you're 100 metres maybe above the river underneath you, and out of nowhere you hear this whistle, and then all of a sudden about 40 yaks

SPEAKER_02 20:20

start coming

SPEAKER_00 20:21

past you, you're like, Okay. I'm sure they've done this before. And these yaks have got like 100, 200 kilos of, you know, food, drink, gas bottles, you know, linen and whatever else the tea houses and the different areas may require. And that's their method of transport. And it's, you know, again, takes you back, you think, It's 2025 and you've got a yak bringing up your groceries. I love that because you feel like someone's taking you back in time. Yeah. And super simple society, no qualms, no frills. The food gets there on time. They do this every day. The yaks navigate these treks that are probably two humans wide with such precision and discipline. And even when they go up these little curly areas, they just soldier on. They get

SPEAKER_01 21:26

there. I mean, and yaks, they live in that sort of altitude, don't they?

SPEAKER_00 21:34

Yeah, there's two variations. Yak is one. I can't remember the name of the other, but one of them is good, I think, 3,000 metres above sea level and higher.

SPEAKER_02 21:47

The

SPEAKER_00 21:48

other ones, that's where they start to struggle. Even though oxygen, as I understand it, starts to get reduced at 4,000 metres. Yeah, they split the animals between the two levels.

SPEAKER_01 22:02

And just on that oxygen and altitude, did you need to take altitude tablets?

SPEAKER_00 22:09

I didn't. And I chose not to because my ambitions are higher. So this for me was just... Test yourself at something so that you don't need to. So it was good practice to be natural. Excuse me. But most of the others took half a tablet in the morning just to make sure that any wobblies were managed. Yes. So it really is up to yourself. I think if you start to feel like altitude may be affecting you, then maybe have them with you just as a side bet. And if you don't need them, then don't use them. Okay. 5,400 is where Everest Base Camp is. It's not a monumental altitude, but for some people it's a little bit of a struggle. So having something that can certainly help you along the way.

SPEAKER_01 22:58

Because I know people that didn't make it because of that and had to get airlifted back.

SPEAKER_00 23:03

Well, the other thing too is with, again, the company I chose and Darren and Chris and team took care of it. These guys check your blood oxygen level regularly. and your oxygen levels in your blood and your blood pressure tests every day. And the minute they get a little bit of an inkling that not that great or it looks a bit dicey, they'll give you the right advice to ensure that you set up for success for that day and just keep monitoring and checking you as you proceed forward.

SPEAKER_01 23:32

Yeah. I mean, those sort of tours, you just want to make sure that you get the right guide and, you know, you don't go cheap on stuff like this because it's dangerous.

UNKNOWN 23:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 23:42

I couldn't agree with you more. And it's just, you don't risk your health. I mean, that's something that you just don't put into jeopardy at any point. And if you talk about the climbing Everest at the summit, which is not a cheap expense for people who want to go down that path, and that's hopefully something I might be able to tackle at some point. When you try and look for alternatives on cost reducing or trying to minimize your cost for such an adventure, The two things that are typically compromised to reduce costs are the number of Sherpas you have to support you and the number of oxygen tanks. That's the two most common ways that costs are reduced between different organizations. So yeah, focus on your health and safety, number one. Don't compromise them, even if it costs you a few extra dollars.

SPEAKER_01 24:32

Those two things are probably the most important. I can do without food, but not without a Sherpa and some oxygen in my lungs. So is there anything that really surprised you about this trip?

SPEAKER_00 24:44

Yeah, funny story. So climbing Kilimanjaro was do your own tent every night. And I'm expecting I go in there and thinking, okay, we've got 14 days up and down, 14 nights in a tent, shouldn't be too bad. Just before base camp, I think it was one night before base that we hit zero as a temperature. So other than that, it wasn't too bad. But when we got to the first stop, I'm looking around for where is the place that the tents are going to be and all this kinds of stuff. And Chris, the gentleman who was one of the gentlemen leading the tour, I asked him the question. I said, where do we put our tents up? He said, we don't do tents. There's tea houses the whole way. I said, really?

SPEAKER_02 25:34

So

SPEAKER_00 25:35

I started, so you mean you're going to get a bed? And he said, yeah, didn't you know that? And I said, no, I did. Darren, who's the other gentleman who runs the company, the other clients I've done with him, it's been tents all the way. And he goes, we could put you in a tent if you want. I said, no.

SPEAKER_01 25:52

I was surprised.

SPEAKER_00 25:53

So that was a pleasant surprise. And although they're very simple, I mean, you get a nice, nice warm bed in a room and they're shared rooms, as I mentioned before. It was lovely. And the local Nepalese family run to your house at every stop, and there are more than one. They look after your food, great service, super friendly, and, yeah, help you on your way.

SPEAKER_01 26:16

I was going to ask if there was a dish that we need to try, but I guess you don't get a choice, right? They give you local dishes every day.

SPEAKER_00 26:26

It's not so much local. So they're also wary that for people who are in unfamiliar territory and going on a trek to either Everest Base Camp or further up, Familiar foods is certainly something that they play on. So, you know, clear soups with some veggies in there, vegetables that are boiled typically. You don't often see meat, maybe a little bit of chicken here or there, but then predominantly eggs, rice and fried rice with the normal stuff that people are used to in their home countries and bread in the morning. So you can butter some toast or have some basic, I think they have one or two cereals that they offer. is what most tea houses will give. It's familiar. It nourishes you enough to support you on your journey so you get your carbs and you get protein. And then some juices that typically get there. So you'll have your water or you'll have your orange or apple juice and typically provided. Again, bear in mind, you stop in Kathmandu for a couple of days. So if you want to lug two or three, four kilos of weight for extras that you want to take with you that can, well, predominantly non-perishable, Yeah. You know, take some fruit with you, take some bars. A few people did that just to have some additional supplements in between meals. I'm a big eater. So as you know, I didn't find it a problem at all.

SPEAKER_01 27:48

And did you take other food?

SPEAKER_00 27:50

I think I took a couple of energy bars, but it was about it. But I didn't find I needed them. So I had them in the bag until I think it was maybe day six or seven. And it was only because I was just hanging in bed, chilling out and going through my bag. I thought, oh. I just had a

SPEAKER_01 28:06

snack,

SPEAKER_00 28:08

as you do. Did

SPEAKER_01 28:11

you have any cultural experiences?

SPEAKER_00 28:15

Yeah, I think just observing how they go about their day. Not too much on the religious side of things, and the Nepalese tend to be quite spiritual and religious in how they carry themselves and their practices. But there's a temple coming down at one of the stops that we had that was – Yeah, I think five or six hundred years old where the Dalai Lama had left his handprints and a couple of other things like that. So that was nice to see. We did go in one temple where they were, looked like, doing some form of silence or sermon in there. So you obviously had to be super quiet and you could only go in and out for a very, very short period of time. But otherwise, I think culturally it was more how they managed transport of all their vitals, their foods, their waters, their liquids, their energy supplies, how it really looked like you were stepping into a 16th or 17th century farm

SPEAKER_02 29:18

at

SPEAKER_00 29:19

many times. And then, of course, the Nepalese have their traditional dress, which is worn by most that I saw through the journey. They were the, I guess, the key elements that stuck out. And then, yeah, just the just the simplicity of their lifestyle that they were happy with. So what's

SPEAKER_01 29:39

the best time to travel then? Is it seasonal? It is, isn't it?

SPEAKER_00 29:44

It is largely because as you get higher up, there's obviously monsoons, a wet season, and it's colder at certain periods of time. There is some fluctuation in temperature, although once you get higher up, it's just basically stone cold and that's it. The monsoonal season or periods of time, I think, play a little bit having with obviously things like avalanches or the potential for avalanches through the mountains and that may not affect your trek maybe you should get to base camp God forbid if there's something that was massive they did have an earthquake there 10 years ago which was quite devastating in many parts but otherwise no we I think the guys offer the base camp at April and October so at those ends as I said I think for maybe two days, the temperature got below zero. The rest was not a problem. So your gear, you didn't have to get, you know, the super sort of high altitude minus 40 degree jackets and pants and all that kind of stuff. Just something that kept you warm and obviously generated heat as you were trekking. Yeah. But yeah. And then of course the Everest climb, they try, I think they have a window in between the 10th and the 15th of May. It's a small window because I think the volatility of weather as you get further up, it gets a little bit out of control. So I think that's the sort of periods where most tend to focus.

SPEAKER_01 31:15

So I guess it's busy. Busy base camp, right?

SPEAKER_00 31:18

Base camp it is. It's like a little town when you walk in there and you sort of come in and there's tents everywhere. But they do have a control of the number of permits every year that can climb Everest. Now, I think the limit in theory is about 500. I think they've had a couple of recent years, again, because of the COVID situation where I think they've opened that to nearly 600 plus or minus, but they do keep it controlled because you don't want to, and it already is, I believe, when you get to the summit on that one day, because most of the organizations get there in and around the same couple of days, it can be a little bit of a traffic jam and you don't want to spend too much time at that altitude, even with oxygen tanks.

SPEAKER_01 32:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 32:05

So, yeah, they do keep a control on it.

SPEAKER_01 32:08

What is the one thing you wish you had known before you went? Or was there something that you discovered along the way that you think might be a good hack?

SPEAKER_00 32:18

No, I think with this particular trek, the thing that I found most surprising was the accessibility of it. Now, I would... strongly recommend to anybody who is mobile and doesn't have too many issues on long walks to look at this as a potential experience. You can do some training beforehand on inclined treadmills and the like to test your body walking in those types of terrain. But when you've got people in your group, I think we had maybe four or five who were in their mid to late 60s getting to Everest Base Camp without too many challenges or issues. And they weren't super fit humans. They were average people who were looking for an adventure. So on that, in terms of hacks, no, I think just do some exercise and training and simple stuff just to get your body ready. Have your altitude pills. You can get them from pharmacies pretty easily, I think, over the counter these days, just in your back pocket, just in case. Again, health and safety don't get compromised in any situation. The other thing that I did pick up along the way at Namche, which is probably the biggest, most popular stop of all the stops up and down. It's like a really small town in the Himalayan mountains. It just so happens that the highest altitude Irish pub is there.

SPEAKER_01 33:48

There's always an Irish pub.

SPEAKER_00 33:52

So, yeah, that was the only time I had a beer. Oh, well done. So I thought, yeah, why not? And I got a shirt that I took away with me. But, yeah, no, I don't think it's – I think just be ready to experience the amazing and appreciate the untouched serenity and environment standing amongst us. 8,000 plus meter mountains all around you. The final thing I would say is, which I did for this one, not so much the others, is I was at the back of the group taking my time. I'm in it.

SPEAKER_01 34:31

Yeah. That's unusual for you.

SPEAKER_00 34:34

Very unusual. But walking very, very slowly, which you do anyway when you're going at altitude because you want to conserve all of the energy you have in your body and make those steps very slow and easy. But I was at the back because I couldn't take enough photos on the iPhone. I think by the end of the trek coming back, I had about 1,300 pictures on my phone. I just wanted to take pictures of everything to keep it in the memory because you may not get there again or whatever, and you just want to – yeah, it's brilliant, beautiful, loved it.

SPEAKER_01 35:13

I do have to say that out of all your trips that you've done without me, that was probably – The most photos you kept pinging to us.

SPEAKER_00 35:22

Yeah, the Nepalese Sherpas that were with us along the way were brilliant young guys. They were helpful, they were supportive, encouraging. I've got a picture with them at the Everest Base Camp Rock where it's got the altitude number there and that's basically I've done Everest Base Camp.

SPEAKER_01 35:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 35:41

And yeah, we had a jump in with a photo together. It was awesome.

SPEAKER_01 35:46

Thank you very much for coming on, Troy. There is an article on my website, Truly Expat Travel, for those who want more information about traveling to base camp. Thank you for coming on and supporting me on my very first episode.

SPEAKER_00 36:01

Yeah. Hey, look, one last thing before I leave. Have a think about it.

SPEAKER_01 36:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 36:07

People hear the word Everest and they run for the hills. Not so much that hill, but it's... It's a doable journey and I can't recommend it highly enough for someone who just wants to see the world for what it was and what it still is in very, very few places on the planet.

SPEAKER_01 36:24

It's exciting. You know what? I think you might convince me to do it myself because I'm a hiker, not a climber.

SPEAKER_02 36:32

So

SPEAKER_01 36:33

join us again next on Truly Expat Travel Podcast, where I have another exciting destination in a world that's too big to be left unexplored. Ciao for now.