A Belgian perspective.
Name: Janne Bouten
Age: 30
Hometown: ...Belgium
Area of study: Environmental and exercise physiology
Position: Post-doctoral research scientist
Ten days in Thamel
It could be the title of a ‘The Hangover’ sequel. I’ve been here for ten days now and it has been very busy and intense. Except for a visit to the Patan Temple complex and the Monkey temple, I haven’t made it further than a 200m radius from the hotel. But don’t feel bad for me, Thamel is this cozy, vibrant part of Kathmandu, known for its nightlife and with dozens and dozens of tiny coffee bars, restaurants, shops and more. For the Belgians and Dutchies reading this post, Anne described it to me as ‘an urban version of the Efteling’ (apparently, I have to go to Nepal to speak my mother tongue although my dialect makes her consider to ask me to only speak English with her). Contrary to the Efteling though, you have to watch your steps constantly because scooters and taxis are about to knock you of your feet every second of the day in the maze of tiny ‘streets’ where traffic is a chaotic wild west.
Before I go on, let me introduce myself. I’m a Belgian researcher who did her PhD on apnea training and its effects on hematological values and exercise performance at Ghent University. I’m currently working as a post-doc at the French Institute of Sport in Paris on a project on the use of environmental stressors, hypoxia and heat, during training in elite athletes in their preparation of the Paris 2024 Olympics. For this trek, they needed someone who could help them out with the measurement of hemoglobin mass, so here I am.
I’m really looking forward for the trekking part. It’s only been a couple of weeks since I first saw the highest mountain in Europe, the Mont Blanc (4800 m above sea level) in the French Alps and now, I’m excited to tackle the highest mountain in the world. I hear you, I’m ‘only going a bit over halfway’, but ‘je m’en fou’ as my favorite French expression goes. Although I love the mountains, I’ve never been at an altitude higher than 1700 meters myself so this adventure is going to be extraordinary anyways.
It is my first Everest Base Camp trek and my first time doing field research like this. I like the creativity and problem solving of setting up improvised laboratories. From fixing gas leaks and forgetting about dead spaces to fixing power outlet breakdowns due to stormy weather and hopping over balconies to enter the adjacent ‘lab’ when someone is out with the key. It has been causing quite a lot of stress, late evenings figuring out mistakes and finding solutions and sleepless nights. Luckily, I’m surrounded with a great team that always looks to help out one another with the many obstacles we’ve had so far. And they are always keen for having a drink or lunch together, celebrating a birthday or treating me on a spa (thank you Tom) in the few hours we have off. I remember one of the first things Anne said when we met at the airport: I’m probably even more excited to see the people again than the actual trek itself’ and I can totally understand why. From my side, I brought some Belgian beer to share with the research team to try, and 7 out of 7 doctors (inside joke here) agreed that Belgian beer is indeed the best beer in the world!
Daily Recap
Today I had more of an ‘easy day’, helping out the exercise team who has 10 tests to complete so I can give them a bit of release and make their day go smoother. During lunch, I’ve got to listen to Wes’ high-altitude lecture animated with the most amazing sound effects (I might call him whistling Wes from now on). This afternoon, I participated in the study myself. It was probably the most lazy experiment I’ve ever participated in, at least from my side: 45 min of supine position while Wes and Abby were doing all sorts of cardiovascular measurements. Perfect for an afternoon nap and a big contrast to all my previous experiences as a participant during which I had to die a 100 times on the bike (no I’m not being overly dramatic here, big thanks to my Ghent University colleagues, you can verify the protocols with them, but I have to admit that they have done the same for me).
This evening, we are planning to go to the climbing hall, but it started raining and as the Nepalese warned us: when the rain comes in Nepal, it comes quick and it goes hard! So right now, we are just waiting in our rooms and hoping for the rain to end.
Tomorrow, I have a big day coming up with 13 CO rebreathe protocols to determine hemoglobin mass followed by packing all the stuff we need to bring with us in the mountains for our next challenge: setting up an improvised lab at 4300 m of altitude with temperatures varying between 5 and 25°C throughout the day and a machine that does not like temperature changes at all.
I wish you all a lovely night of sleep but especially myself 😊.
PS. Hi this is Wes, I'm just adding something so I can try to get automated notifications to work!
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