57 years old Man Conquered Everest Base Camp

August 12, 2018

57 years old Man Conquered Everest Base Camp

Written by - Tan Yann Fang

SHAH ALAM: 57 years old man, has been and hiked Everest Base Camp five years ago.

A place where Tan wanted to visit again.

Robert Tan took the flight to Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal with a gang of 10 friends of his and spent two days for visiting the town, temple and experiencing the local culture.

On the third day, Tan went to the airport by van at 5am and ride on a 12 seated Fokker plane to Lukla’s airport , a popular place for visitors near Mount Everest also the world’s most dangerous airport.

Tan shared his experience saying that the plane went full speed and brake rapidly once reached the land because of the thin air.

After collecting their luggage and put it on the yak, they started their journey.

There are a few teahouse along the way up to the Mount Everest and hence they spend their first night at the first teahouse.

The teahouse’s wall is made out of rock, the divider is made out of plywood while the roof is made out of zinc with a very small room which has only 8x12 feet.

The teahouse offered 3 meals which are bread for breakfast while spaghetti, dal soup, rice and some vegetables for lunch and dinner every day.

There is no electricity or power supply and hence the guide need to run in front of the team to book the teahouse on the spot.

Tan shared that the temperature is single digit at night and the hot water cost RM50 for 80L for bath.

“It’s so expensive and hence I chose not to bath”, laugh Tan.

Tan explained that he wouldn’t sweat much as the weather is cold and so he only wiped his body with a towel.

A worthy journey full with laughter and pain.

“The best moment of each day is when you drinking hot tea outside of the teahouse while looking at the beautiful view after the hike”, said Tan.

There is nothing in his mind throughout the hike, simply enjoying the view, pain and suffering under the cold weather.

Challenges

When Tan and his friends about to reach 4000-4300 meters height, their leader got height altitude sickness and went back with a helicopter.

Hence, Tan has been appointed as the leader for the team by the guide as they couldn’t control the ladies as they demanding ridiculous things like wanting vegetable for their meal.

However there are no vegetable as they are at the height with a temperature of -20 degree at night where ice is the only scenery around them.

“I order whatever they have, and just told the ladies that if you want to eat then eat, if you don’t you stay hungry. And they have no choice just accepted it quietly”, laughed Tan.

There is also a guy told him that he couldn’t make it anymore and wanted to take helicopter back.

Hence Tan asked the guy to give him RM20k cash then he may go back as taking the helicopter cost RM20k.

Tan told the guy to think about the feast after the hike, the pork, tender grilled chicken… And that became the motivation for the guy to hike.

Passion towards both photography and hiking

According to Tan, he had brought his camera bag which weight around 8kg along with him throughout the whole hike.

After finished the hike, the pain of his back is like hell and couldn’t walk.

His friend did asked him to put his camera bag on the yak, but he refused.

“Once I carry my camera bag all the way up, I will carry it all the way down too. This is where people start to respect”, said Tan.

A short story after the hike

Once they got back to Lukla, they saw carrot and some mustard plants then planned to eat them raw.

It was very sweet but it was unfortunate that the ladies who complained no vegetables back then got diarrhea.

What his wife says

Being a housewife, she felt boring and lonely as Tan always hang out with his friends.

“I have heard his story a billions and billions times”, said Lee Hwee Lian, Tan’s wife.

After Lee keep complaining to Tan that she has not been hiking with him after all this long, and her wish granted by conquering Mount Kinabalu with Tan last year.