Tibet, 9th September. After travelling through the highways of Thailand, mud-slick tracks of Laos, through landslide-prone roads in China, over mountain passes soaring past 5,000m, and having survived Acute Mountain Sickness, the PETRONAS Adventure Team have made it to Everest Base Camp (5,159m) at 10am on Friday morning. The occasion proved a historic one for the PETRONAS Adventure team, as this is the first time a motorised convoy of this kind has been given permission to drive up to the Everest Base camp.

Blue skies welcomed the 63 team-members in a convoy of 23 four-wheel-drive vehicles. Emotions ran high, with hugging and shouts of exultation from team members when they came face to face with the mighty Mount Everest (8,848m), the world’s tallest mountain. Known as Mt Qomulangna (Goddess Mother of the Earth) by local Tibetans, the Everest is reknowned for its breathtaking beauty.

The PETRONAS Trans Himalayas 2005 expedition members were granted a clear view of the summit, popularly dubbed as the “Rooftop of the World”. According to statistics, almost 80 per cent of visitors to Everest Base Camp could not see the summit due to cloud cover.

“At some point yesterday, we almost did not make it here, but I believe our perseverance paid off! The expedition almost did not make it this far. Despite acquiring all the necessary permits, we were not allowed to pass the second checkpoint the night before. With Everest Base Camp a mere 30km away, the team members remained optimistic.” noted Expedition Leader Halim Abdul Rahman. He adds, “I am honoured to have led the team here. Family and well-wishers in Malaysia and Thailand had been praying for the team last night.” In addition to the Malaysian participants, the expedition also includes five Thai participants.

“It’s a proud moment for the team, PETRONAS and Malaysia,” he said. “Thank you to everyone who prayed for us and wished us well.”

After being turned back on Thursday night, the team camped nearby to await the outcome of negotiations with the authorities. In the morning, the team was greeted with news of successful negotiations. The team’s 70% chance of going on was upgraded to 100% at 9 on Friday morning. The team cleared Rongbuk Monastery (the highest monastery in the world) and were at Everest Base Camp by 10 on Friday morning.

The PETRONAS Trans Himalayas 2005 expedition is sponsored by PETRONAS, PETRONAS Syntium, Ford, Kumho Tyres, and MISC.