Napassaporn Chumnarnsit was never one for the great outdoors. She preferred to spend her time reading books and studying hard. If she did venture out, she'd rather head to the beach.
"I did not like sports, I've never been interested in any outdoor activities. I spent my time reading books," the 32-year-old dentist told Spectrum of her youth.
"I am more of a beach person. Mountain climbing was never on my mind."
Yet she became the first Thai woman to scale Mount Everest on May 19, after a journey that was long and arduous in its own right.
Napassaporn, also known as Dr Eem, was watching television five years ago when she stumbled across a programme showing Vitidnan Rojanapanich becoming the first Thai to reach Earth's highest peak on May 22, 2008.
Vitidnan was shaking with emotion having reached the summit. The climber, now 48, unfurled a Thai flag with the words "Long Live the King" and sang the royal anthem as a tribute to His Majesty.
Napassaporn was touched, and the moment would change her life.
"I cried for no reason," she said. "It was a powerful moment."
THIS IS A DRILL
Born in Chon Buri's Sattahip district, Napassaporn graduated in dentistry from Srinakharinwirot University and works at Prachuap Khiri Khan Hospital. A slight, 160cm tall woman, it took years to transform herself into a mountaineer.
"I started to wake up at 4am to go jogging and I would lift weights after work every day," she said. "I had to be disciplined."
Napassaporn pushed herself to ultramarathon distances, running up to 10 hours at a time to strengthen her body and her lungs.
She also practised scaling mountains in Thailand. "Thai forests are thick and tropical. You have to look around yourself all the time," she said.
Three years ago, she met Vitidnan in person and told him of her Everest dream. Vitidnan encouraged her, saying his heart would be there to support her.
That year, she joined a climb of Malaysia's Mount Kinabalu. It was organised by Khomrat Pichitdej, known in mountain climbing circles as "Uncle Khomrat", who serves as a guide and offers logistical support.
"After I reached the top of Kinabalu, I thought it was possible for me to climb Mount Everest," she said.
Every year for the past three years, she travelled to Nepal to climb and become accustomed to the climate. The trips were organised by Khomrat, whom Napassaporn described as a father-like mentor.
She escaped last year's massive earthquake, having left Nepal for Thailand just a week before it struck. The tragedy brought home the dangers, but her determination did not waver.
"The weather is getting warmer every year, and the melting ice makes it more risky. But I was still determined to go," she said.
She was fully away many had perished trying to reach the top -- three died in the week of Napassaporn's climb.
"If people die while climbing Mount Everest, other climbers don't bring their corpses down but leave their bodies there. This is because it is considered their wish to be buried on the mountain," she said.
LEAVING BASE CAMP
At the end of April, she set out on her journey. But it's not as simple as marching up from base camp and back down again. The climbers are required to reach Camp Three and return to base camp twice -- a rotation that takes about four days -- before the final assault on the 8,848m summit.
The path also includes the notorious "death zone", where the level of oxygen is just a third of that at sea level.
The trip is gruelling and the climbers can encounter snowstorms at any time. "We had to stop and stay safe whenever a snowstorm came," she said.
On April 27, the group consisting of Napassaporn, Khomrat, a Norwegian climber and three Sherpas began their first rotation. The first difficulty was the long and steep Khumbu Icefall.
"I stepped onto the glacier and fell. A Sherpa had to help me," she said.
"After the icefall, there were endless snow hills lying ahead."
By noon, they reached Camp One, 5,900m above sea level. Other climbers' tents were scattering around the white landscape, and they spent the night there. "I woke up in the middle of the night a few times because I felt like I did not have enough air to breathe," she said.
The next day's journey to Camp Two at 6,400m was arduous, with three or four 90-degree cliffs to overcome. The terrain at the camp was less welcoming, a mixture of rocks and glaciers. After reaching Camp Three, at 6,700m, they made the trek back to base camp, arriving on April 30.
With the first rotation complete, they rested for a few days before repeating the journey in early May.
“We needed to rest at the base camp to allow for the production of red blood cells.”
On May 14, the team went up the mountain again one last time. On reaching Camp Three, however, Khomrat was too weak to climb further.
“He told me he would wait for me at Camp Three and asked me to carry his dream to the top,” Napassaporn said.
Napassaporn decided to forge ahead without her mentor, and along with the three Sherpas and the Norwegian climbed eight hours to Camp Four then a further 13 to the summit.
“I felt very exhausted. At that moment, I thought if this mission was for me alone, I would have turned back. But I was thinking about the King’s image and the Thai flag that I always carried with my travel gear.”
She thought she would have to climb one step at a time. “I found the human body is a miracle. Our physical body may give up but if our hearts are still fighting, we can go further.”
By 9.45am Nepal time on May 19, she reached the summit, becoming the first Thai woman to do so.
Surprisingly, she did not have the world-conquering feeling she had expected.
“I did not feel any different. I was so exhausted to have any feelings of greatness. There was the same white landscape there.
“The destination is not special but it is the journey that is special.”
Napassaporn took photos of herself with the King’s picture and the Thai flag as planned. “It was my respect for him that carried me through to the summit,” she said.
After five years of preparation, she stayed at the summit for only 20 minutes.
“It was very cold and windy. After 20 minutes, I decided to go back, which is the most difficult part of the journey. I climbed up with motivation. But after reaching the summit, I ran out of energy and purpose.”
She doesn’t want to be known as a conqueror of Everest.
“I could reach the peak because nature allowed me. I was lucky that there were no incidents when I was there.”
Khomrat was waiting for her at Camp Three and they celebrated. “I also made Uncle Khomrat’s dream come true,” she said. Khomrat has never reached the peak.
Napassaporn said she came back down the mountain a different person. “I realise how humble people are when compared to nature.”
Yet, she added, “From now on, I feel anything is possible. The most difficult part is not to overcome the mountain, but to take control of our mind.”
Step by step: Ms Nappasaporn and other mountaineers scale a ladder on the Khumbu Icefall.