We had a leisurely start to our final morning at base camp, as our transport to Osh would not arrive until 10am. There were several sore heads in the morning as it was clear that alcohol and altitude were not an advisable combination. Roman remained unchanged, immune to the effects of vodka. "How's your head? I asked him. "I took 7 pills as I am 70kg. Now I'm fine", he replied. Another iconic Roman response! I made the most of the final people watching opportunities, listenin

My sleep was deep and undisturbed. No climbers could leave through the night as the weather was still not safe enough to ascend to camp 2, so camp 1 remained still and quiet. I woke before my other team members, possibly due to the excitement of returning to base camp, coupled with hunger following the previous days exertion. I knew breakfast wasn't served until 8 but there would be hot water for tea in the dining tent, so I bundled up in all my layers and headed over. A few

It was a long, cold night but I'd managed to remain warm and cosy. The first noise began at 2.30am where a Russian team and their Sherpas began their push to camp 2 on Lenin. The sounds of zips, harness attachments and intense discussion alternating with quiet apprehension filled the cold air. I briefly drifted back to sleep as they began their ascent, only to be woken by the same team at 5am. I later learned that they were forced to turn back due to the conditions; snow fall

After breakfast, we were instructed to pile into the back of an old Russian military vehicle, which would take us 4km to the beginning of the hike to camp 1. "From bullet" Roman stated, pointing at a bullet shaped hole in the windscreen of the vehicle. "From Afghanistan" he informed us. I couldn't predict any element of this adventure as Alex looked at me saying, "Amy what is happening?" Every moment felt surreal. The vehicle was old and we almost had to sit on top of each ot

It was a leisurely start at base camp, given that breakfast isn't served until 8am. I made a cup of tea and sat on a bench admiring the mountains. Peak Lenin towered over camp ominously, the summit blanketed in thick cloud and snow. Standing above 7000m, the mountain presents a serious challenge with threats such as altitude sickness, avalanche risk, falling seracs and crevasse accidents all prevalent. Despite this, many climbers of varying abilities are attracted to Lenin as

Following a leisurely morning, a vehicle came to transport us to Peak Lenin Base Camp which would be our base for the next stage of the adventure. We loaded onto the mini bus and Roman announced, "4 hour drive" before blasting out Uzbek rap music to drown out any potential follow up questions. On route we stopped at a local shop, in order to replenish our snack supplies. The shop was chaotic with nuts and dried fruit placed next to tins of paint and Mars bars scattered around

I'd slept peacefully in the yurt and woke up to the sound of the river. I completed my water purification tasks before heading to the breakfast yurt. I stirred the sour horse milk porridge, building up the courage to fuel up for the day ahead. My stomach was still very sensitive, so I opted to take another Immodium to be cautious. I knew there was a long day of Russian marching ahead of me with no chance to stop for a rock or bush based toilet. Today's aim was to initially hi

It was early when I felt my stomach begin to gurgle. Was it the horse rice? Did some cow based bacteria manage to bypass my meticulous water purification techniques? Was my weak western digestive system already having a negative reaction to Kyrgyzstan? Everyone lay peacefully and I cautiously crept over the resting bodies, conscious to not shine my headtorch in people's faces. I headed to the squat toilet, but the smell on approach was alone too much for me to handle so I hea

After breakfast we began the drive from Osh to the village of Kozho-Kelen. The contrast of the simplicity of life in the South of the country compared to modern Bishkek was apparent. Here the locals still adopt a nomadic way of life, centered around livestock and their temporary yurt homes. Each year, families will spend the winter in the valleys and migrate upwards to alpine meadows for the summer months. Horses are critical to daily survival where riding is learned from a y

The sound of my 3am alarm rudely disturbed my peaceful slumber. I shuffled around my hotel room, frantically stuffing items into my kit bag and diving on it in an attempt to reduce the volume of the contents and successfully zip it up. Anyone who's spent time trekking in remote mountains will understand, the last minute panic to steal the hotel toilet roll and stash it in between your belongings! I stumbled downstairs, weighed down by gear, and sleepily acknowledged the other

I was feeling more alive after a night’s rest and headed down for breakfast to become acquainted with my fellow travelers. All Aussies with one American man, a friendly bunch that I was instantly happy and comfortable to be travelling with. Today our Bishkek guide Rus would led us to the outskirts of the city to Ala Archa National Park for an introductory trek to approximately 2000m. I was grateful for this opportunity to get the legs moving and the blood flowing following th

Nestled in the centre of Asia, Kyrgyzstan is a landlocked country bordering Kazakhstan to the North, Tajikistan to the South, China in the East and Uzbekistan in the West. It is the most isolated country from the oceans in the world. Naturally when you announce you're travelling to Kyrgyzstan, you are met with confusion followed by curiosity. Once you've established where it is, how to spell it and how you'll get there - it's a matter of why? The remoteness and wildness app

The final descent was around 10km to the gate. Before we set out the ranger approached us asking if we wanted to take the jeep rather than walk. Anthony laughed saying "She won't allow us to do that!" as he looked at me for confirmation. He was right as I replied, "Let's finish this properly, we've got this far" as he nodded approvingly. We walked through the forest as monkeys and baboons went about their daily routines. The route was caked with mud from the recent rain and

The team had decided that after my 11 hour epic summit day, I deserved a lay in and Ramaa wouldn't deliver me tea until 9am. We relaxed at camp for the morning as Anthony and Nasibu taught me how to prepare a local dish called ugali. Saidi explained that him and Anthony were a little concerned regarding the teams that had ascended through the night. A group already had returned, failing to safely pass the snow in the dark and by now it was 11am and the other teams hasn't retu

A gentle knocking on my door with the sound of Ramaa's voice woke me up. I'd been reminded the previous evening that "There's no alarms in Africa, we need you to wake up peacefully and happily - Ramaa will come with tea" It was 6am as he began the morning ritual of questions to assess my wellbeing; "How did you sleep Amy?" and "How are you feeling?" He gave me a bowl of warm water and soap for washing and a cup of tea, telling me to come for breakfast whenever I was ready. To

There was instant commotion as I stepped off the bus, following a 6 hour journey from Nairobi to Arusha. As my eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight I saw 2 familiar smiles as Saidi and Ramaa waved excitedly. “Jambo, jambo!” they greeted me in Swahili simultaneously rushing over frantically to hug me and before I could even attempt to lift my bags they were already loaded onto their backs. “Ay up duck” Saidi said through uncontrollable laughter, remembering the Nottingham gree

The final day had arrived. There was only one other team at camp and they were completing the last few kilometres in a vehicle. Alex explained that the risk of dangerous animals is high on this final section so most people drive. There was limited space in the vehicle, Alex had discussed with the ranger and we had approval to walk the final stretch. "We are concerned for you, ladies need their personal space and I am worried you will not be comfortable squashed with all these

It was early and I could Samson's voice saying "Amy are you inside, are you okay?" followed by him vigorously shaking my tent. This was not the usual gentle peaceful wake up call I had become accustomed to. "I need to untrap you Amy" he said as the shaking continued. I was half awake and unsure what was happening. He began to unzip my tent saying "Look Amy, we ordered a surprise for you - you went to sleep in Kenya and woke up in Canada!" I could hardly believe my eyes as I l

I began to hear shuffling around camp at 2.30am as the two other teams were getting ready - the sounds of endless zips, clips and sleeping bags being stuffed. I attempted to get more sleep but could not settle again. My alarm went off at 3am and I began layering up for the summit ahead. Alex had told me he wanted me to smother my toes, finger tips, nose and cheeks in vaseline as it provides extra insulation and protects from wind burn on your face. I laughed to myself at his

I slept perfectly though the night, luckily not disturbed by any rabies infected dogs or angry buffaloes. After breakfast, Alex led me out of camp following a steep incline. The altitude had already progressed to over 3000m which was clear with my elevated breathing. The mountain was quiet, with only one other team at the camp overnight. Alex would announce, "study time" when we encountered a new plant species and begin listing facts. Half way through his explaination of the