Day 3: Acclimatization was successful! My resting Blood Oxygen went up from 87% yesterday to 96% today and my resting pulse rate dropped from 80bpm to 76bpm.

This didn't come too easy though. To acclimatise, we need to increase our altitude today from 3405m to 3880m for the body to feel the drop in pressure and oxygen level and then go back down to 3405m to sleep.

This is supposed to force the body to produce more red blood cells to counter the drop in oxygen level.

Once the body adapted, the %SpO2 Should be back to the usual 95%+ and pulse rate back to normal.

The acclimatization ascent today was more of a challenge to the mind rather than to the body. The body and legs don't feel tired, but the heart rate keep racing to beyond 150bpm even though I was just walking upwards at a slow pace. Breathlessness kicks in pretty fast after about 10min of climb. It seems to me that the body is crying for help for lack of O2 and the mind kept echoing me to just give up.

This is when I realised a guide is crucial. If I were doing this alone, I could have given up more easily.

I just kept following behind him. If he doesn't stop, I don't stop. I just keep putting one feet in front of the other one step at a time, constantly checking my pulse rate, % oxygen, attitude and temperature. As long as these factors are still within the safe zone, there is no reason to stop yet.

Well needless to say, we made it to 3880m after 90min and the view of the mountain range including the peak of Mount Everest was the prize. Here it is: https://www.facebook.com/lin.guoyao/videos/10159168374287306/?t=1

Hopefully when we move off to the next altitude tomorrow, it will feel easier than today.

Some info of interest:
Temperature at 10am: 4 degree
Pressure at 3880m: about 55% of sea level
It cost US$4.50 to buy a bottle of 300ml coke.
You can book a helicopter ride at US$2000 to bring u here and skip all the agony to reach 3880m.