Over the weekend it seems that the news that everyone had been waiting for finally arrived, as the Nepali military finally arrived in Base Camp on Everest's South Side and began enforcing the rules that we've been hearing so much about for the past month.
 

Also arriving in Base Camp is David Tait, who has had a series of misadventures since his expedition has begun, including an unexpected trip to a dentist in Kathmandu. (He's braver than I thought!) David had been trekking the Khumbu along with Russell Brice of Himex and Everest: Beyond The Limit fame. Brice was displaced from the North Side, his usual base of operations, thanks to the Chinese Torch Team locking down the region, and decided to make an Everest Trek instead this season. David joined him, as he had climbed with Himex on the North Side last season. The unexpected return to Kathmandu put a damper on those plans, but he had hoped to fly back to BC by helicopter. Turns out the Chinese are not allowing helicopters in the region, other than for emergency purposes either. So, David, and a Sherpa guide, have made the long trek back to BC, in record time it would seem. David's account of his trek is quite good, especially when he describes the reaction of this Sherpa, who got more than he bargained for when he took Tait on as a client.

Of interest is the ban on helicopters. I guess the Chinese really are paranoid that someone might make a dash for the summit when they Torch Team is in place. The fact that you can't even take a commercial flight to Base Camp at the moment tells you how different things are on the mountain this season. The Chinese really do have things on lockdown, even in a country they don't occupy.