To the bottom of the top of the world

The prospect of trekking for 11 days to Qomolangma base camp may seem daunting, but it is attainable for most with the right preparations. Alywin Chew reports from Shanghai.

Golden Week in China is usually an affair I look forward to because the weeklong holiday allows me to take a lengthy trip away from the city to relax and recharge.

But ahead of this vacation which involved trekking to the Qomolangma base camp via Nepal, I was filled with more apprehension than excitement. After all, people have lost their lives during this trek. In March, an Australian man died of acute mountain sickness, or altitude sickness, while descending from the base camp of Qomolangma (also known as Mount Everest in the West).