Today was a memorable day. Without going into too much detail, there were many more car problems. It took us 12 hours to travel 180 kilometers (roughly 110 miles) because the jeep broke down so many times on the way to Mount Everest. At one point, the driver was inside the hood of the car sucking oil out of a tube in an attempt to unclog it! I can still picture him spitting out globs of oil, and going back for more…

Everything was worth it when we reached Rhongpu Monastery, 8 kilometers from Base Camp. I gathered my belongings and hiked uphill and upwind to the launching pad of one of mankind’s greatest challenges. With a raging river to my right and the Himalayan mountains on both sides, neither the setting sun nor the bitter cold could dampen my spirits. The five mile walk was great because there was a certain mystique about being the last one to come into Base Camp for the night (elevation 5200m).

I checked into one of the Tibetan tents with the two Germans, and was given an interesting proposition by the Tibetan owner.

This story requires a little background (all explained to me by the owner)… The Tibetans own and operate the tents that people sleep in at Base Camp, but since the Chinese “own” Base Camp, they receive all the profits. The Chinese authorities come around every night and count heads, collecting 40RMB/person. The only way the Tibetans make money is if someone buys breakfast or dinner. It would be possible to hide a visitor, but it is very risky because (sadly) many Tibetans are Chinese informants.

How I come into play… I had been unsuccessful in negotiating a lower price for a tent, but I used Mandarin the entire time and made quite a stir because I propositioned each owner. Since much of the town knew I spoke Chinese and was operating on behalf of the Germans, my tent owner conceived the idea that I could be a tour guide. He put his hands on a fake document that verified one Christopher Lonsom as a Chinese tour guide. Thus, when the Chinese authorities entered our tent I spoke to them (in Mandarin), and explained I was the guide for the two Germans. They nearly stumped me when they asked me questions about why an American tour guide was helping Germans, but by feigning ignorance and using the most complicated Chinese phrases I could remember I was lucky enough to pull it off!

Needless to say, as the Chinese authorities were leaving the tent (with 40RMB less than they would have had), I realized my heart was pulsating uncontrollably. Despite that, it has made for a great story, and it felt great to pull one over on the Chinese authorities with the Tibetans – especially with my large PLA coat on the entire time.