The Joys of Shipping

Whilst the investigator team are now back to normal everyday life, you will be glad to hear that the Xtreme Dream isnâ��t over for all. Work is still going on behind the scenes in Nepal as all of the equipment that was sent from the UK to carry out the research needs to find its way back home.

My Nepali counterparts and I have been busy filtering through all the equipment that was sent down from Namche Bazaar, Pheriche and Everest Base Camp, as well as all the kit from the Kathmandu laboratory, and packing it into a 40ft container.
In a situation which is quintessentially Nepali, the container sits not at the Summit Nepal Trekking compound, but instead next to the Air Cargo building a few miles away.

The reason for this is not because the equipment leaves as cargo on an aeroplane (in fact it will be leaving on a lorry to Calcutta and then transferred to a ship destined for Southampton), but more because there are constant roadworks in an attempt to widen the wonderfully uneven mud tracks that are known to the locals as roads, and build a sewerage system underneath them. Each day, at least two of the three roads leading to area where the compound lies are being demolished and rebuilt. If you donâ��t believe me, ask David Howard.

The packing process has been rather complicated with various requirements taking priority over others. In an ideal world, when the container arrives in Southampton in just under two monthsâ�� time, we would like to open it up, remove all the equipment that belongs to Southampton University, and then send it on to London to unload at our the Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health - our new base at UCL.

However, as the container is travelling by sea, it is important to pack it tightly to ensure all of the equipment is not thrown around by unsteady waters during in transit. Unsurprisingly, the Southampton equipment did not pack quite as tightly as one would desire and therefore some equipment destined for London has been wedged between it.

To add to this, we have a few delicate objects that needed careful attention. Among these are the Lode bikes, liquid nitrogen dewars and a rather impressive number of gas cylinders. To ensure the gas cylinders donâ��t fall over and become punctured, all 125 of them have to be secured into wooden crates. These crates now form the final barrier between the doors of the container and the equipment contained within. No doubt this will put customs off checking if barrel number 907 actually contains the items that have been listed as its contents on the 118 page-long shipping invoice.

The good news is that, as of around 16:30 NPT, the container was fully packed and sealed. A few minutes (and many brown envelopes to the men on the gate of Air Cargo) later, the container left on the back of what I can only describe as a feat of Indian HGV engineering after seeing all of the other lorries around here.

In celebration, I have returned to the Summit Hotel for a swim in their ever-tepid pool and to listen to the sweet verse of of middle-aged British ex-pats working for unheard of NGOs, over dinner.