“Jet lag is for amateurs.”
- Dick Clark
In the millions of air miles I've flown and the literal years I've slept in hotel rooms, one thing has never changed: I wake up the first morning after travel and for a brief moment I wonder "where the hell am I?" So far, it's no different on this trip. After traveling 32 hours straight and fighting to stay awake after I got here yesterday so I could get myself on local time, I awakened wondering Where am I, what time is it, what day is it, and what is that smell? My Macbeth/Banquo insomnia prediction proved to be semi-correct.
Sleep. Finally, yet accidental. Last night, I
sat at the foot of my bed at about 5:00pm, reached across for my
shoes...and then woke up at 9pm. I've slept better, but what turned out to be
a series of short catnaps throughout the night yielded enough Zs to make me functional this
(Friday) morning. After sleeping, a long hot shower, and some fresh
clothes, I feel like a new man.
I slowly rolled out of bed, turned on some music, staggered over to my room hotel window, and looked out on the beautiful courtyard while I scratched
myself and collected my faculties. After a world record duration pee
(but not out the window), I started to ponder just what I would do with
my free time. After all, I have three days to kill before I ride. Call
it Karma (after all, I am in Nepal), but as I stared out beyond the courtyard at the
third world maze of shops, restaurants, and hotels before me, my tablet's random
Classic Rock playlist started playing track three from Styx's Paradise Theatre album.
Is it any wonder I've got too much time on my hands
It's tickin' away with my sanity
I've got too much time [clap clap] on my hands
And it's tickin' away
Tickin' away from me
- Tommy Shaw
 |
| Why is there Braille on the box? |
After an impromptu classic rock singalong which I'm sure the guests in my adjoining
rooms appreciated, I was still dragging and I wondered why I felt so
tired given that I had just slept. Looking at the mountain
ranges in the far distance, I wondered how high the peaks were, and it
occurred to me that I was already at altitude. I grabbed my pulse
oximeter to check my
SpO2
saturation. Normal for a healthy guy like me is 95 - 100%, but normal
is relative to the elevation I am standing at the time of collection. My
SpO2 level was 93%; lower than my normal, but not really low.
The elevation in Texas is 482' above sea level, but Kathmandu sits at
4,500', so my body is attempting to aspirate with an effective oxygen
supply of 17.5%, versus the typical 21%. It doesn't sound like much and
an elevation increase over time makes it imperceptible. Exiting a
compressed jet cabin into Kathmandu elevation can be a shock to the
system, but I've flown to and worked in Denver so I can handle this. I
expect an oxygen supply as low as 11% as I cross mountain peaks during my ride to Everest
Base Camp, but the air will 'thicken" again as I descend between
passes. The real challenge will be the two days and the night I will
spend at 17,000' at the base camp. I've read accounts of people waking
up in the middle of the night feeling as if they are gasping for breath.
The air is sufficient, but far lower than our bodies are accustomed to
and crave. Supplemental oxygen tanks are available for those in real
need. I just hope I'm not one of them. This is where my
Diamox
prescription comes in handy! I will be following a dose regimen
to acclimatize in advance and prepare for the elevations, all to ensure I
don't succumb to the altitude sickness symptoms from which so many
westerners suffer when they visit the region.
Breakfast was excellent. I forewent the airline meals and airport food in favor of the nutty fruit bars I brought along, so I was ready for a real meal. The first item on the buffet was bacon; the candy of meats! It's clear to me now that I'm not in Texas and this is not the Hampton Inn breakfast buffet to which I've grown accustomed the last decades. It's also clear to me that the food in Tibet probably won't be this good.
Now I have to decide what to do with my free time, a commodity which I rarely get to enjoy.
These
extra days were really baked-in as an insurance policy to make time for
flight delays/cancellations and recovering any baggage that might have been lost during the three flights on my trip over. This
adventure requires specific gear that I'd rather not have to try to find - much less pay for in Nepal. I faced that scenario in
Australia and do not want to go through the ordeal again. Unlike my last trip abroad where my checked bag was lost for 14 days, my bags arrived without incident. Having iTags inside provided a sense confidence at each leg of the journey.
The weather looks promising, so I'll convert some dollars to rupees and
go explore Kathmandu. I wander better with company, so I'm hoping to
hook up with another rider who got in late last night and hit the
streets. Stay tuned!
