Me, a transient San Franciscan on a year-long pilgrimage around Mother Earth. For worshippers of superlatives, Mount Everest is Earth's ultimate mecca. An earthling can aspire no higher than the 29,000-foot mountain straddling Nepal and Tibet. Though it's well worth the effort, traveling to Everest isn't easy. The People's Republic of China, Tibet's tyrant since 1950, forbids independent traveling in Tibet.
Public transportation is scarce and hitchhiking is risky.
Despite the bureaucratic hurdles, it's fairly simple to get into Tibet from Chengdu, capital of China's Sichuan province. There you can buy a basic tourist package, which includes the flight and accommodations in Lhasa, the capital. China also charges foreigners at least double the Chinese price on everything from local parks to train tickets. A sacred journey Against all odds, we decide to shirk the four-wheel drive option and make our own way to Everest. We have slim budgets and open calendars.