It may have been the last day of May but no one had told the weather. As we headed up higher the clouds became greyer and the snow started to fall thicker and thicker. When we had left Ali earlier that morning there had been some light sleet but that was only at 4,300m. Now we we were climbing higher and the sleet had turned to snow. We knew we had a pass ahead of us so we wondering how hard it would be snowing on the pass. Over the last week we had crossed many passes and had become blasé, if they weren't over 5,000m, they no longer constituted a pass in our minds. This one whilst just under 5,000m was looking like it was going to be a bit of a challenge. Fortunately the roads were good and a line of black asphalt stretched out in front of us. The snow lay on the ground on either side and through the clouds we could see snow clad mountains and beautiful lakes. As we wound our way further and further up the pass the black strip narrowed as the snow started to fill the road from either side. Soon there was only one lane free of snow but the pass was now in sight and we gently eased over the top. Not that it was that much of a relief as the road hardly descended on the other side. Our guide gave us the good news that much of the next 600kms or so was all above 4,700m. The weather started to clear and we enjoyed lunch by a beautiful lake. Our stop for the night was not far away and we debated whether we should stay there or push on. The plan for the following day was for a very long drive including crossing the highest pass we would have on our whole trip first thing in the morning. As the sun was now out and the day was warming up we decided we would press on. It turned into a long days drive but the scenery was stunning on the high plateau. Eventually we came to the high pass and crested it in good weather but with clouds chasing us up to the top at just a few metres short of 5,400m. With the changeable weather it proved to be a good decision. As we continued down the road we sadly said goodbye to Tibet and crossed back into Xinjiang province but it was not goodbye to the mountains. We had passed beautiful scenery and some wonderful places to camp but because of the restrictions placed on us we could not stop but instead had to stay in one of the trucking stops along the way. The contrast from the stunning scenery could not have been more stark as the only way to describe the truck stop we pulled into for the night was a "s**t hole". The only saving grace was that we could sleep in our truck parked out of the way with the rubbish behind the grim guest house. As we settled in for the night it started to snow. We hoped we weren't going to be snowed in here. We were in luck, we awoke the next morning to glorious sunshine and headed out on the highway again to stunning views of the mountains freshly covered in snow set against a combination of blue sky and the wispy clouds. As we headed up the next 5,000m plus pass the clouds closed in but the pass wasn't a problem and we could enjoy the views. Again after such brilliant scenery it was a shock to see the state of the tiny truck stop where we were staying for the night. It started to make the one from the previous night seem not too bad. The next day was going to be our last day in the mountains and although the passes were below 5,000m they were still to prove challenging. Fresh snow had fallen and the temperature had dropped below freezing so as we headed up first thing in the morning the road was icy. We carefully wound our way up the pass to be rewarded with fantastic views on reaching the pass. Heading down through a narrow gorge we could tell we were getting lower as it started to warm up and we even started to see trees again. We could also tell we were back in the police state of Xinjiang as the police checks became more officious. And then as we descended from the last smallish pass we were back in the desert. The change was quite abrupt and it was only a short drive back to Kargalik where we had been a few weeks ago. Our drive across the roof of the world was complete. Not that our Chinese experience was over. Our evening in Kargalik was to prove that. We had checked into the hotel where we had stayed during our previous visit and were just enjoying our first hot showers in a long time when the guide rang. He was at the police station where we needed to be registered and they were now saying we could not stay in the hotel and also could not stay in the town, even though it was on our permit, and needed to leave in 30 minutes. No explanation was given as to why, we just couldn't stay. We suspected it may have been because it was a Friday (Muslim prayer day) but never found out. We weren't going to rush, continued to have our showers and I even popped to the shops to buy the next day's lunch. We could see the traffic been stopped and now we could not leave the hotel. As we watched to see what was happening we could see 4 platoons of police been marched down the street in riot gear. The staff of the hotel tried to usher us back inside but this was too interesting to miss, so I continued to watch. I asked one of the local policemen if there was anything wrong and what was going on. He just shrugged and said everything was normal. We never did find out what was happening. I suspect nothing and it was just the police having a show of force for the benefit of the local population. Anyway we still had to leave and after the police left, we drove 40kms to another town. We now had to find a hotel that would take foreigners. Whilst the guide was busy investigating two policemen arrived on a motorbike, soon to be followed by two police cars and a heavily armed group from the army. Just how many people does it take to make sure the tourists are behaving themselves? They were desperate that we had to go to the police station to register and weren't too impressed when I explained we hadn't decided whether we were staying yet. In the end I said we would leave and they said they would escort us out of town. Half way out I stopped and explained we wanted to get dinner. Over dinner we decided it was too late to drive to Kashgar so we headed back into town only to be quickly surrounded by the police again. Do you think they had misheard when we had told them we were tourists not....? Parking a short way from the hotel they then insisted we had to go to the police station to register. At this point I lost it and told them what I thought of their policy of harassing tourists. They insisted we went to the police station and I told them the only way I was going is if they arrested me. Yelling seemed to have an affect as a number of them slunk off and the rest followed us to the hotel where in the end they were happy to take photocopies of our passports. I felt for our poor guide who was caught in the middle and kept cool throughout. The next day was a straightforward drive back to Kashgar. I nearly missed the hotel we were staying at though as the armoured personnel carrier was no longer there to guide me. In fact the whole city seemed to be a bit more relaxed than last time although there were still an astounding amount of police on the streets. As it was Ramadan we were a little concerned about whether we would be able to eat in the evening especially as it was light until nearly 11pm. We needn't have worried, heading out that night there was a street market selling all kind of goodies and the cafes behind them were grilling kebabs as usual. We later found out that the Chinese government had mandated that all cafes and restaurants had to stay open as usual and if they closed for Ramadan they would be closed for good! Mind you not everything looked that appetising. We were in Kashgar for a couple of days and it was good to have a break from all the driving we had been doing. We had also timed our arrival for the famous Sunday markets. First up was the livestock market, this was where the farmers from the surrounding countryside came to sell their livestock to other farmers and to the local restaurants and shops. When we arrived vehicles were arriving loaded with cows, sheep and goats as well as the odd horse and camel. We wandered around the pens admiring the fat bottomed sheep and watching some of them been shaved the old way with a big pair of scissors. The local men in their Uighur hats were busy sizing up the animals and in deep discussion over what to purchase. As we came back to the entrance of the market we could see some of what was to become of these animals. There the sheep had not just lost their woolly coats but also their heads and the carcasses were strung up for all to see. From there we headed to the less dramatic more everyday market where household goods were sold. We had heard that this was an amazing market but too be honest we were rather underwhelmed by it. It just seemed like any other market selling clothes, household goods, nuts, dried fruits, carpets etc. We also took time to visit the Abakan Hoja Mausoleum which was built by a family that ruled the region in the 17th and 18th century. It's considered one of the holiest Muslim sites in Xinjiang and is a beautiful piece of Islamic architecture. Kashgar already had much more of a feel of Central Asia than China and this mausoleum certainly was a foretaste of what we would be seeing as we headed towards Central Asia. Finally it was time to relax before we headed to the border. To the wilds of Central Asia and freedom!

Everest. It has fascinated mankind for years and I am no exception. Ever since I had seen a picture of the North Face and heard that the Chinese had built a road allowing you to get up close and personal with the mountain I had dreamed of taking the truck up there and getting the photo: the truck, the family and Everest. The ultimate photo to encapsulate our overlanding adventure? Why is it that mountains, especially really big ones, fascinate us so much? And what is the pull and the draw? It was George Mallory back in the 1920's when asked why he wanted to climb Everest famously quipped "Because its there". We would be timing our arrival at base camp during climbing season so would potentially be getting to see much more adventurous people than us. But first we had to reach Everest from Lhasa. Whilst the roads were fantastic the altitude was still going to be a challenge. We left Lhasa set at a relatively low altitude of 3,660m and headed up. Along the way we crossed numerous passes but to be honest at this point any less than 5,000m were hardly worth mentioning. Crossing one pass we were given a view of beautiful Yamdrok-tso, one of the holiest lakes in Tibet. It wasn't a perfectly clear day but the water was a fabulous shade of deep turquoise. From there it was a short drive to Gyantse a historic town that had been a crucial link for traders and pilgrims journeying across the Himalayan plateau. The main attraction here was the Gyantse Kumbum which is a five floor 32m high chorten set in the grounds of a monastery. We explored each floor of the chorten with its many chapels and then also toured the monastery grounds admiring the views to the Gyantse Dzong which the British occupied in the early 20th Century. We were lucky in that we did not have to take a hotel and could instead camp in the monastery car park. However our luck was not to hold, as during a walk around the charming old town a dog ran out and bit Lucy. The bite was not that bad and fortunately she was wearing thick trousers but there was a graze and it was border line whether it had broken the skin. With rabies been a real possibility in Tibet we were in a bit of a quandary. Lucy had had a course of rabies vaccinations before we set off but if properly bitten needed two boosters to be truly effective. However we were in the middle of nowhere. Fortunately the next day we were headed to Shigatse the second largest town in Tibet (population 80,000) so we headed straight to the hospital. They sent us down the road to another hospital who had a large supply of rabies boosters and within 15 minutes we were done. We had to persuade the doctor to let us take the second booster with us as normally they do not allow this but after assuring her we could store it correctly in our fridge she agreed. Another interesting aside on the price of drugs. In the US I understand a rabies injection costs at least $150, in Tibet it was $9. Go figure. The second booster was administered at a clinic in a small town 3 days later at a cost of £1. I don't think we will be making a claim on our travel insurance! With that worry out of the way we then had time to explore the fantastically impressive Tashilhunpo Monastery, traditionally home to the Panchen Lama. After the 10th Panchen Lama died the current Dalia Lama identified his reincarnation the 11th Panchen Lama who was subsequently detained by the Chinese ("the youngest political prisoner at the age of 5") and has not been seen since. Instead the Chinese identified an alternative Panchen Lama and it was his photo we saw around the monastery. The monastery was one of the few in Tibet not damaged during the cultural revolution and therefore we could enjoy its full glory. We spent a couple of hours exploring the chapels including one containing the largest gold guilded Buddha in the world as well as the chapels containing the ornate tombs of the Panchen Lamas. The main assembly hall was set around a lovely courtyard with views over the whole complex including up to a large wall from which tankas were unfolded during special festivals. On leaving the monastery we joined the throng of Tibetans doing their daily kora around the walls of the monastery before meeting back up with our guide for a Tibetan lunch. Leaving Shigatse we were heading for Everest. Crossing our highest pass to date the Gyatso-la at 5,248m we were given a fleeting glimpse of Everest way off in the distance but the main event was to be the next day when we would drive to Base Camp. We all awoke eagerly the next day, a combination of excitement and the altitude still making sleeping difficult. First we had to cross the Pang-la pass at 5,100m. From here on a clear day there are fantastic panoramic views of the Himalayas. Unfortunately it wasn't totally clear and whilst we could see the peaks of the mountains jutting up from the clouds and the hairpin bends twisting down the pass the full mountain range eluded us. Would our hopes of fantastic views of Everest be dashed or was that just a layer of cloud sitting between the pass and the mountains themselves? Eager to find out we descended the pass and entered the valley floor dotted with traditional Tibetan villages and farmers ploughing their fields for the short summer season before starting to gently climb again. It was looking positive, the clouds were above us and not in front of us and as we climbed and climbed our expectations rose accordingly. The mountains around us were stunning but the tops of the Himalayas still eluded us and then as we wound our way around a corner, bang, it was there! Everest sitting right in front of us and not a cloud in the sky. What a sight! We continued a short distance to Rongbuk Monastery (the highest Monastery in the world at 5,000m) and where we were going to be parking for the night. The views from here were just stunning but as we could drive a little further nothing was stopping us now so we drove a further 4kms up to what is known as tented camp at 5100m. From here you could either walk a further 4kms to "Base Camp" or take the Eco Bus. With a strong head wind Lucy was not walking, so Gilly and I then had a difference of opinion on who was taking the bus and who was walking. Base camp at 5,200m afforded yet more stunning views with the real Base Camp (you are not allowed to visit) with the serious climbers camped just a short distance away. Looking up the North Face of Everest was less than 20kms away. It literally took your breath away in more ways than one. It had certainly been worth the effort getting here. Gilly and I both walked back down, leaving the children with the guide to take the bus. As we descended we kept turning around as we just could not believe the view and the fantastic weather with hardly a cloud in the sky. It was just stunning. We returned to the truck feeling pretty good about ourselves and whilst we had not climbed Everest we had certainly reached our own Everest summit. Just as we were congratulating ourselves there was a knock on the truck door. Two fit, suntanned young guys asked "Are you driving back down to the monastery?" "Yes." We replied." "Any chance you could give us a lift?" "No problem," we said. Chatting with the guys as we drove back to the monastery we learnt that the reason they were there was that they were at the real base camp and were heading back to the tiny village at the monastery to go to the restaurant to get some chips. They were very modest and were asking us so many questions about our trip that it took us a while to realise that not only were they at base camp but that one of them, Kilian Jornet, had actually reached the summit of Everest only 2 days before. As if that was not a big enough achievement he had done it without ropes or oxygen and had climbed up and down in one go. Arriving at the monastery gave us time to talk a little more, show them around the truck and snap a photo. We would have loved to have talked to them further but it didn't seem fair to get between a person who had just summited Everest and his chips so we exchanged blog details, said goodbye and wished them luck for later in the week. Sensing that Kilian had achieved something special we decided to google him and learnt that he had just broken the world record for summiting Everest from the North Face base camp in an incredible 26 hours. Thats climbing from 5,200m to 8,848m in 26 hours without ropes or oxygen, amazing. We hadn't realised we had had such a superstar in the truck! Both Kilian and his friend Seb Montaz were hoping to summit again later that week so I hoped they had a good fill of chips before they started. We later heard that Kilian summited again less than a week after his first summit. This time he set off from Advance Base Camp at 6,500m and it only took him 17 hours to reach the summit. Some achievement. Suddenly our achievement did not feel quite so significant. We went for a wander around the monastery but it was the views of Everest that we kept coming back too, even when yaks occupied the car park and tried to get into the temple. We kept looking up to see the summit and watched as the sun set over its wonderful awe inspiring peak. Now we had to face some practical issues, how would we and the truck fare spending the night at 5,000m. The good news is that we all faired pretty well. I struggled to sleep but the compensating factor was that when I couldn't sleep I could look out of the back window of the truck and still see Everest. Now, would the truck start at that altitude and with the temperature just below freezing? Well, with a little help from some Easy Start it coughed and spluttered but finally fired up in a cloud of smoke. It was a clear day so we were eager to return to the pass and see the panoramic view of the Himalayas. Our luck held and as we reached the pass the stunning panorama was laid out in front of us. Everest may now have been more distant but we could see the magnificence of the whole range of the mountains. There are 14 mountains in the world over 8,000m and from where we stood we could see 5 of them; Everest 8848m, Lhotse 8511m, Makulu 8481m, Cho Oyu 8,153m and Shishapangma 8012m. It was a fantastic end to an unbelievable few days. We may not have summited but we had reached our own Everest and that felt pretty good.