I would fall in love with Nepal, but the overnight bus ride from the Nepali/Indian border into Kathmandu was one of the most harrowing and uncomfortable experiences we had while traveling. The bus was crowded, with seats packed tightly together, which meant you couldn’t recline much without trapping the person behind you. The lights in our section of the bus were left on (while the others were turned off) which meant I had to use my scarf wrapped around my head to block out the light in order to get any “sleep.” We stopped once, at some mountain town, where, by candle light (as there was no electricity), people were able to grab a plate of dhal bhat, the traditional Nepali dish of rice, lentils, and pickled vegetables, or to use the outhouse toilets (no flushing of course). The rest of the journey was spent slightly fearing for my life, as our bus made it’s way, sometimes quite suddenly, with jerky movements, down what was probably unpaved mountain roads in total darkness. I knew bus accidents in Nepal were quite common, especially at night, with treacherous roads and sleepy drivers, so every jerky movement and sudden descent sent me grasping at my arm rest.
Fortunately, we made it to Kathmandu in one piece, around 4:30 a.m. in the morning, dropped off at a central bus station where taxis were waiting to bring us to our destination. I had already secured us accommodation, as I had planned for us to arrive the night before, so all we had to do was give the driver the address and find an ATM to take out money. This would prove to be more difficult than we anticipated. When I told our driver the name of our accommodation and asked if he knew where it was he said “yes”, and we further asked him to take us to an ATM to withdraw money, as we had no Nepali Rupees on us. He also agreed to this and we arranged a price. We had to try several ATMs as many of the ones in Nepal are not 24 hours, and once we had secured our cash our driver drove us to our hotel . . . or tried to.
It turns out he didn’t actually know where our hotel was, but only answered “yes” to my question as a way to be polite and secure business (it turns out that Nepalis are very hesitant to give straight “No”s, especially when a question is phrased in such a way as to require a yes/no answer). So, after driving around for a bit and not actually knowing where the heck he was going, I called the front desk of our hotel, which said it had a 24-hour service, in order to get the directions for the driver. We arrived, finally, at about 5:30 in the morning, but our driver wanted more money from us in order to cover the extra time spent wandering around. We felt this was a bit unfair, as he had told us he knew where our hotel was and we had agreed on a price, and this resulted in the front desk clerk, a young Nepali woman, arguing quite forcefully with the driver and basically telling him that wasn’t going to happen. We paid the man our agreed price, before going inside and being shown our rooms. I took a quick shower before passing out on our comfortable beds to get some much needed sleep.
The place we stayed for the first (sort of 2) nights was a wonderful, clean, foreign-owned “tea house” and hostel in the outskirts of the central business district of Kathmandu. They had an amazing breakfast, and the property was so clean, modern, but incredibly cozy, with a nice mix of older tourists to talk to (we ended up speaking a lot with an older French couple). I had already felt a bit sick that morning, possibly from the dinner we had at the border, in conjunction with the crazy bus ride, so the first day was really just spent relaxing at the hostel. This is also worked out for us as there was a city-wide strike going on that day by the Maoist Party, so almost all of the shops were closed. However, the one thing that would be open was the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Durbar Square (which has since, unfortunately, suffered serious damage from the Nepal Earthquake in 2015). We were able to walk there and pay $7 for our entrance ticket. The buildings were quite impressive with their wood carvings, many erotic depictions as well--similar to Khajuraho, but there were SO many pigeons.
We were also able to visit the “goddess” house. In Nepali culture, they still have living goddesses, called “Kumari”, that they revere as divine. They are always a young girl belonging to the same clan or caste of the Buddha, chosen by certain religious leaders in the community, and the main “royal” goddess has living quarters in Kathmandu, which the public is able to explore (when she is not in residence). Getting a glimpse of the Kumari is said to bring good fortune. It was an interesting cultural trait to learn about.
The rest of the afternoon was spent walking around and enjoying the small stupas, or statues, that decorate the city, with their colorful Tibetan prayer flags.
We passed by many a street vendor at these tourists locations, all selling the same small statues that offer protection from various misfortunes/ailments. One was the toothache god! We also noticed another cultural oddity of Nepal. While it is considered taboo for romantic couples to show any signs of affection in public, it is perfectly normal for male friends to hold hands while walking down the street.
We thoroughly enjoyed the hot shower and comfortable bed of our accommodation that night, before moving to a different (cheaper) hostel in the main part of the city the next day, in order to prepare for our trek to Everest Base Camp! I had been looking forward to doing this our whole trip, ever since friends we met in NZ had also done it and posted pictures on Facebook. It was slightly stressful to organize everything at the last minute, but we knew we wanted to use local businesses instead of the overpriced Western ones.
The following day, we walked to our new accommodation right in the Thamel district, which was full of restaurants, Westernized cafes, and trekking shops that hawk all kinds of fake North Face gear (although they also have a legitimate North Face store in Kathmandu, along with a really old burger joint called “Wimpy’s,” but we wanted to stick to the more authentic/budget-friendly stuff.) There was also a lot of dust, which would not do any favors for the persistent cough I picked up in India. Our new accommodation was not nearly as nice as the Tea House had been, but for $20/night we couldn’t complain. It was clean. It had a bed and hot shower. They advertised 24-hour hot water, but I found out this was a bit of an exaggeration. They had several hot water tanks heated by solar energy to provide to guests, but once one tank ran out they would have to switch to another. And so, every night, when I would try to take a hot shower, I would turn on the water and wait a few minutes. Inevitably, it would never warm up. So, I would go downstairs to find one of the hostel workers, usually the same guy, who would then come up to our room, turn on the shower AGAIN and run the water AGAIN for several minutes (even though I explained I had already done that), before determining that indeed he would go switch the tanks. I literally repeated this ritual for most of the 11 nights we stayed there---5 before the trek and the 6 after. I felt bad about the amount of water wasted, but I really did want to enjoy the hot shower.
This hostel was also subject to the frequent power cuts that happen daily across Kathmandu. Nepal uses primarily hydroelectric power, but they don’t generate enough to power the whole city all the time. And so, throughout the day, different sections are subject to “load shedding” where the power is cut off to that district, usually for a 4-hour block. Luckily, our blocks were either in the middle of the night (1 am to 5 am), but sometimes we had it in the middle of the day (2 pm to 6 pm). We had solar lights, but were unable to plug in any electronics. We got used to the schedule after a while, though the previous Tea House had their own generator, so they were able to supply power all the time.
However, the people at the hostel were extremely kind in helping us organize our trip. Many hostels offer this service, and we had done some research/price comparing beforehand, so we were prepared. The man was able to suggest a time schedule for us, show us where/how to get our trekking passes (everyone is required to register with a government agency), and organize and book our plane tickets to/from Lukla (the starting point for the Everest Base Camp trek.) You can also take a bus from Kathmandu to the foothills of the Himalaya and hike to Lukla over an extra 6 days, but we didn’t really want to do that. We were also in a prime location to shop for all of the extra gear that we would need.
We spent the next two days just preparing and getting everything in order. We ended up chatting up the shopkeeper at one shop, who spoke excellent English and was really nice. He had some nice A-grade knock-off North Face coats on sale, and not having packed a heavy winter coat, I was in the market for one. After some haggling, he agreed to sell the coat at a great price and would give us discounts for all the other gear we needed to buy if we bought it all from him. So, we were able to acquire all of our clothes, trekking poles, hats, gloves, underwear, socks, pants--you name it, all in one go. We also were able to get the anti-altitude sickness pills, called Diamox, from a local pharmacy. The grocery store in town also had cheap toilet paper, and great snacks (including peanut butter, nuts, Cadbury Chocolate, and gummy bears) that we would bring on our trek. They really did have anything trekkers would need.
We also discovered, to our delight, two amazing restaurants that we would frequent multiple times (as in almost daily) during our stay post-trek because 1) It was authentic Nepali food, 2) It was cheap, and 3) It was delicious. The first place was called Yangling and they served momos, which are basically Nepalese dumplings. We were prone to the buffalo momos, which came in a set of 10 for like $1.50. They were SO delicious! The place only opened at 12 p.m. for lunch because they hand-made the momos in the morning. They also had amazing Chow Mein for cheap as well. The other place we discovered was called Thakali Kitchen, which served traditional dhal bhat, along with the extra delight of yogurt curd, which, when mixed all together, was super delicious. Also, in traditional Nepali style, Dhal Bhat always came with free extra servings of rice and vegetables. They also had local alcohol for people to try called mustang. It was so strong! John likened the smell to motor oil.
However, on our last day we spent some time at a local NGO called KEEP that provides free information and eco-friendly advice to trekkers going to the various national parks of Nepal. They had journals that trekkers could write in to pass on their experience and advice to others. We spent a good 2 hours reading through all of the advice written for Everest Base Camp, and I would spend another 2 hours writing in those journals when we returned. However, around the corner from the NGO was a Burmese restaurant called Dechenling that had good reviews in my Lonely Planet guide, and we decided we would splurge on our last night before the trek. SUCH A GOOD CHOICE. I don’t know if you know much about Burmese food (we didn’t either) but it was incredibly delicious. On top of the nice ambiance of the place, we had an amazing Cheese and Potato curry--it was so rich and scrumptious. We walked back to our hostel that night full and happy, ready for a good night’s sleep and an early morning flight to start our trek to Everest Base Camp!
We prepared our trekking bags the night before, and the hostel agreed to store our luggage for the 16 days we were gone. We caught a taxi to the local airport very early that morning, arriving before it even opened, waiting with all the other travelers ready to go! It was quite an unofficial process, and a bit disorganized, especially if you were trekking independently. But we got our boarding passes and were eventually led outside to a twin propeller airplane with 12 other people that would take us to Lukla.
We met a nice Australian couple on our plane who we would travel with to Namche Bazar, the main sherpa town in the part of the Himalayas. They were taking a slightly different route but we would meet them a few times along the trail and ended up staying a few nights at the same places.The plane ride going was actually quite smooth, with very little turbulence. As we ascended above the cloudline that morning (it was slightly gray and overcast in Kathmandu), the sight that greeted us was just absolutely stunning. The mountains of the Himalayas protruded up from the base of the puffy white clouds. The shimmering golden sunlight of the morning reflecting off of their snow covered peaks. I was completely captivated by the beauty. All I could think is that it looked like how people would describe heaven.
The approach to Lukla was a little scary. The runway there, which sits at the edge of a sheer cliff, is the shortest in the world. It is also at a slight incline, in order to slow the momentum of arriving planes and increase the momentum of departing ones. I gave a slight sigh of relief once our wheels touched the ground (there had been a few notable fatal accidents involving plane crashes before). We had arrived. We gathered our bags, walked past the large group of porters and guides soliciting for last-minute business, and walked along the cobble streets through the town of Lukla, to the beginning of the Base Camp trail and the start our 16-day journey in the Himalayas.
I still keep the trail map that we used on that trek. The creases of the pages are starting to tear from being so well-worn. I will include a picture of the trail map, with all the names of the small mountain hamlets and villages along the trail, to give a better reference.
Day 1--Lukla to Phakding
Our first day of trekking was sunny and warm. We had no need for heavy jackets as we made our way out of Lukla. At the start of the base camp trek there is a line of prayer wheels that you can spin in order to gain safe passage on the trail. We brushed our hands across them as we made our way out of the village.
Luckily, the first day of the trek was not too strenuous as we would actually spend the night at a location slightly lower in elevation than Lukla. “Climb high, sleep low” is the saying in order to best acclimatize. As we passed by other small hamlets, the villagers were all kind enough to point out where the path continued--including some of the children who were excited to see foreigners. There were also many porters, with long yak trains, bringing materials to Namche Bazaar, the largest sherpa town in the region, so we could follow them as well.
Also, along the trek, we came upon many village dogs. None of them had owners, of course, but they would follow you for hours, as many trekkers would give them a bit of food so they had learned to follow those people. One black dog followed us for 3.5 hours but once we stopped for lunch and did not feed it, it stayed behind in the village while we moved on.
We made it to our first village, Phakding, in the later afternoon. Many of the tea lodges were already open this low on the trail, so we just chose the first nice looking one we came to called Buddha Lodge. We were the only two people to stay there, as this was just the end of February and so the trail had really just opened for the new season, but they were very kind to us and it meant the place was quite quiet. Our room was the typical 200 Rp per night for a “private room.” Rooms in tea houses were usually made with plywood sheets and contained 2 twin-sized wooden beds with a thin mattress, pillow, and blankets. The warmth of the day faded quickly as the sun went down. We each enjoyed a plate of dhal bhat for dinner that night, a steal for only 350 Rp each (about $3) (this price would increase as the elevation got higher), playing card games in the lonely dining room while we enjoyed our hot, filling meal.
Almost all tea houses have wood burning furnaces in the eating areas, but they stopped burning wood a long while before as it lent to deforestation of the park. Now, they use dried cow dung, which burns quite well, but being the only two staying that night this tea lodge didn’t want to waste the energy. So, back in our rooms, I had my first baby wipe shower (you can purchase hot water to use for showers but it costs quite a bit of money), we piled our two mattresses on top of each other and snuggled under our combined blankets to stay warm that night. We found that we went to bed quite early each night, between 8 and 9 p.m., as it was dark and there was nothing to do besides card games and reading, and we were up quite early with the sun to get in a good day's trekking, usually by 7 a.m.. We slept pretty well that first night, as we knew the next day was a long, 8-hour ascent to Namche Bazaar.
Day 2--Phakding to Namche Bazaar
The second day of our trek also brought nice weather, but it would also be one of the steepest climbs of the route until we reached one of the last camps on the trail. It would be an 800 meter ascent from Phakding to Namche Bazaar, and the trek would take us 7 hours. However, down at this lower elevation you are still below the tree line, so the lush vegetation and rivers made for some nice sights and distraction from the climb.
It was also this second day when our shoulders and back started to feel the weight of carrying our own packs. By the end of the trek my shoulders would become quite used to the extra weight, but the first few days were quite sore. We stopped at a place for lunch where we ordered another dish that would become a staple on our journey (besides dhal bhat, momos, and potatoes)--sherpa stew. It is a delicious, hot, vegetable (and sometimes dumpling)-filled stew that could really hit the spot for the afternoon push to our destination.
We had a slow ascent to Namche, as we didn’t want to rush it and risk getting altitude so quick, and luckily our slow pace meant we didn’t get headaches. We met up with an older Belgian man who had hiked the trail before and was doing so again by himself (at around 65 years old I would guess). He was nice company, so we kept the same pace as we made the climb up to Namche. We stopped at one point at a lookout, and were able to get our first glimpse of Everest far off in the distance. Knowing that we would walk to the base of that mountain put into perspective the challenge we had ahead, but it was also great motivation!
We arrived at Namche in early evening, again, and the village itself has a very interesting layout. It sits within a protected bowl-shaped valley, you could say, and the “roads” of the village are along ascending steppes, where all the tea lodges and shops are arranged in a U-shape along the mountain side. Naturally, as it was still early in the season, many shops and tea lodges were still closed, but being the main village in this part of the himalaya, there was more activity than the last place.
We found a nice-looking lodge called “Thamserku” which had great, thick walls and a power outlet in the bathroom where I could charge my phone. I had to remember to get in the habit of removing the batteries every night and keeping them warm in my pocket so the power didn’t drain. I didn’t really keep my phone on during the day, only using it to check the time once in awhile. The man at the lodge was very nice and made a delicious meal (and apple pie!) and had the heater on in the kitchen area so we could stay warm most of the time. We also had a double bed in this particular lodge, which was quite convenient, and the bathroom had a proper toilet (not a squat kind) that you just poured water down to flush. It would be a pretty comfortable 2-night stay, as we would also spend the next day and night at Namche in order to properly acclimatize.
Day 3--Acclimatization Day at Namche/Khumjung
The following day was our acclimatization day, and one of the only bad weather days that we would have during our trek. Interestingly enough, it was only the days we spent at Namche, both going and coming, that we had any precipitation. That first day, being late February, we had quite the snowstorm with limited visibility. However, it is suggested to hike a little bit on acclimatization days and then sleep at the lower elevation in order to adjust your body.
There is a small town slightly higher up from Namche called Khumjung. There is an airstrip there, a school that was opened by Edmund Hillary, and a famous monastery where you can supposedly pay to see a “real” yeti skull. The hike out of Namche started okay enough, but by the time we reached the airstrip outside Khumjung we could barely see 5 meters in front of us from the heavy snow. It also became a bit difficult to walk due to the snow accumulation and mud. Thank goodness I had purchased a decent (and waterproof) winter coat! We were able to navigate our way across the field, coming to the gate of the city where we saw some yaks hanging out. There was no school at the moment and nothing was open, so we just took a quick walk around before heading for the path back down.
The path was supposed to go past the famous Hotel Everest View, but it was steep climb up a hill first, with the snow blowing and stinging our faces. We made the climb up the ravine, where a steep drop off was waiting on one side, so we stuck to the one side. We made it to the hotel, which was obviously still closed, and didn’t look very impressive. We managed to cut back across the ridge to get back to the airfield and were able to take the same path back down, which was much easier. Our whole trek took about 5 hours (as opposed to a usual 3), so we were relieved to arrive back inside the warmth of Thamserku Lodge, where we treated ourselves to some warm apple pie and hot chocolate! We also discussed our trekking plans with the lodge owner.
Originally, we intended to head West and go to Gorkyu Ri first, where you can get an amazing view of Everest. Then, we were going to hire a guide to take us across the Cho-la pass, one of the higher glacier passes in the park, in order to cut across to Base Camp, before then heading back down the East trail. However, the lodge owner informed us that there was still a meter of snow on the Cho-la pass, and so no guides had gone across it yet and probably wouldn’t for another few weeks. We had built in 2 extra days for this version of the trek, but hearing that it would no longer be possible we had to change to the regular straight-in, straight-out course and would be able to just take our time.
We also enjoyed a hearty dinner of dhal bhat and fried potatoes for dinner that night, before retiring early to get a much-needed night’s sleep.
Day 4--Namche Bazaar to Tengboche
We were also up early the next morning to get a good start on the next portion of the trek. We opted for breakfast this morning, as we were starting to seriously burn calories during the day. The walk heading out of Namche was pretty easy as we walked along the crest of the ravine, heading around toward the next small village of Sansa before heading along the trail to Tengboche--different from the trail we took the day before for our acclimatization.
It was a general downhill for the first part of the morning, and we stopped at the last town at the bottom, Phunki Thenga, for a lunch in order to stock up on energy for the climb back up to Tengboche. We found a really nice place called Evergreen Lodge that had large windows that looked out on the river. It was sunny again that day, the snow had cleared, so we were able to shed our big coats after lunch for the 3-hour ascent! We crossed a bridge across the river before hiking up and up, trekking through the snow and mud that had begun to melt after the previous day’s storm.
We reached Tengboche by late afternoon, though only 1 lodge in the whole town was open. One of the oldest and most famous monasteries in the region is located in Tengboche, but even that was still closed. The views however, in the late afternoon sun, were gorgeous.
We had read good reviews about other lodges, but were forced to stay the night in the only one available, called Tashi Delek, along with everyone else who was on the same part of the trail at that time. It was slightly more expensive than the other lodges had advertised, but at least it had more of a group feel, which was nice after being a small group of (or the only) people at the lodges so far. The lodge also only had boiling water to refill our bottles. We were used to getting cold mountain water and using iodine tablets to clean it, along with orange-flavored vitamin C tablets to cover up the flavor of the iodine. It made for an interesting taste, one that we eventually got used to, but it was nice to have clean, fresh water to drink for once (once it cooled down).
We also ran into our Australian friends again from the plane ride. We enjoyed the warmth of the eating room that night, though most of the chairs around the heater were taken. I still was not able to shake the nasty cough I had developed in India, that followed me to Kathmandu, and, even in the crisp Alpine air, was making sleeping/breathing more difficult with it’s increasing phlegm. Luckily, our Australian friend brought a few courses of general antibiotics with her from Australia, as she was prone to urinary tract infections, and offered me a pack to try and get rid of the cough (which we suspected had developed into a bacterial infection). It would take a few days, and finishing the whole pack, but indeed my cough would get much better--which I was super grateful for, after suffering for about 3 weeks.
Even so, that night was one of the worst sleeps we had on the trail--including ones at higher altitude where difficulty sleeping is more common. The lodge being almost full, and the walls being very thin, it was decidedly more noisy that night as people walked, coughed (myself included), and otherwise made general noises throughout the night. The mattresses were also terribly thin, and while the blankets were warm it was very hard to get comfortable as it felt like sleeping on a wooden plank. John and I finally decided to stack the mattresses on the floor and once again use our body warmth and the blankets to try and get some sleep. It didn’t come easily, and people began packing around 5 a.m., so around 6 a.m. John and I gave up on sleep and decided to head out early as well.
Day 5--Tengboche to Dingboche
Getting an early start that morning meant the sun had yet to fully rise, so coupled with the increase in altitude it lent to a chilly morning. We made our way carefully out of Tengboche, as the first part of the trek was covered in snow/ice. It was quite slippery so we moved quite slowly that morning until the sun came out. Finally, we crossed a bridge across a river to the side where the sun was shining, and this warmed us up enough to shed our outer layers.
We stopped for lunch a little early at another place with large windows, so we could enjoy the warmth of the sun while sitting inside and filling up on sherpa stew and dhal bhat. After that it was a long walk up to Dingboche, as there was still a lot of snow and mud on the trail. From Tengboche there are two possible routes--Dingboche and Pheriche. Dingboche is the higher of the two, but Periche sits at the base of a wide valley, meaning less sunlight and so colder. We decided that getting a little extra altitude out of the way in exchange for warmth was more preferable. This was also because we would take another acclimatization day at our next destination, and would rather spend it somewhere warmer.
After ascending another 250 meters we came upon a wide plain that wound around the mountains. After crossing the plane we descended down to a bridge to make another river crossing, before having to climb up again for another good hour. Then, we crossed another wide plain, went up and over a ridge, and wound around a second mountain before we reached Dingboche. The whole trek that day took 8 hours, which was one of our longer days, but since we left early we still made it in good time to enjoy some daylight.
We ended up choosing the second place we visited--Dingboche Guest House. There were few guests so we were allowed to choose our room and ended up picking one on the corner that was small but faced the sun for most of the day, so the room was super warm! It also had nice, thick mattresses and pillows, which meant a good night’s sleep. The other extra was an indoor toilet room, which was quite a luxury on the Base Camp Trek. Most lodges had outhouses that were connected via a walkway outside, which could mean for a very chilly trip to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Not so, here!
We were lucky that now there were a few guests at each lodge this high on the trail, so now the furnace was used every night on the trek. This particular guesthouse owner also had two very cute children, and a village puppy that was small, black, and fluffy that the children liked to play with. They gave it food, so it hung around, and I would enjoy petting it on my lap around the warm furnace--mostly because being so young it was still pretty clean. After a delicious dinner, we got a much needed good night’s sleep that night in our warm and comfortable beds.
Day 6--Acclimatization Day in Dingboche
I woke up that morning feeling much better than I had the day before. John and I had no major plans to go for higher walks, as now we were above 4,000 meters, so we just wanted to give our bodies a day of rest. We were again blessed with a nice, sunny day, so sitting in the main eating room or in our own room was super warm. We spent part of the morning reading, playing cards, and relaxing. For lunch time, we even treated ourselves to a batter-fried Mars Bar!
John had already exhausted his supply of gummies in the first few days. I was trying to ration the chocolate, peanut butter, and mixed nuts for those moments on the trail when we needed a boost. So, being able to enjoy a treat every once in awhile at the tea houses was nice. However, almost as soon as the nice man placed it on the table in front of us, a wave of nausea came over me and I started to feel faint with a headache. The first symptoms of AMS (altitude sickness). I was surprised to be feeling it then, after having spent the night at that altitude, and I didn’t want to have to descend on our acclimatization day. Luckily, we had yet to break into our pack of Diamox as we had been mostly at lower elevation, so I took one pill with a lot of water and went to lie down for a while. After about an hour of napping I started to feel much better--the headache and nausea went away. I was able to enjoy the half of the Mars bar that John had saved for me!
At dinner that night, we chatted with some Singaporean friends we had met the night before. They had come to Kathmandu on a business trip and a few of them decided last minute to do the EBC Trek and hired a tour company in Kathmandu to guide them. However, I guess they chose the wrong guide as their plan was to trek all the way to Lobuche that day and then to Base Camp the second day, but the guide took a wrong turn and they ended up going the whole day in the wrong direction! So, they arrived back, unexpectedly, at the lodge that night and were going to try to make it all the way to Gorak Shep (the last hamlet on the trek) the following day! Our lodge host took pity on the tired climbers who had wasted the day, and offered us a free glass of their homemade rice wine that evening. We didn’t drink the whole thing, as alcohol can make acclimatization more difficult, but we appreciated the gesture.
In fact, the lodge owner was once a former sherpa who had done previous Everest expeditions. He had posters all over his walls of the different teams he had been a part of (and apparently had earned enough money to open his own tea house along the trek--a much safer occupation). He had also competed in the Everest Marathon back in 2006 and had a certificate for his achievement. Billed as the highest marathon in the world, it begins at Gorak Shep, the last village on the trail near base camp and finishes at Namche Bazaar. While it technically goes downhill, there are still many rough up and down trails along the way and it is 42 km (or 26 miles) long. This guy finished it in 5.5 hours! We were quite impressed with him. We enjoyed that last evening sitting around the furnace with the cute black puppy and I was grateful I would start the next day much more fully rested than our lodge companions!
Day 7--Dingboche to Dughla
The following morning was a more relaxed one, as we knew that since we had extra days to spend with our adjusted itinerary, we would only make a short jaunt to the next hamlet of Dughla, rather than trekking all the way to Lobuche like most climbers. This turned out to be a very good choice. As we were now hiking at over 4,000 meters, carrying our packs and walking up hill was much more difficult than it was at the lower elevations.
We started the morning with a hearty bowl of garlic soup, in which the lodge owner gave us extra refills for free! So kind. We headed out on the first part of the trail, which was heading straight up out of the town onto a ridge. Luckily we were headed in the right direction (as our Singapore friends were headed the same way this time). This was the hardest part of the hike that day. It was warm and sunny, but at that altitude we had to go at a much slower pace. Going uphill 5 to 10 meters would leave me feeling breathless and tired.
It was slow going, and we tried not to push ourselves too much, and by the time we reached the top we both took a much needed rest and took some Diamox to help us increase our breathing.
After this, it was a slow and gradual ascent after walking along the ridge for a while, which was most welcome. We arrived after only about 4 hours, one of the shortest days we had hiking, and arrived at our destination by lunch time, There was only one place open here, called Yak Lodge, that had really nice views and a small solar dish outside that was used to heat water and generate electricity. We had lunch in the eating room, which got a lot of sun, so we were very comfortable.
After that, we took a nice long nap in our room, which we also chose because it was oriented toward the sun.
Later that evening, back in the common room, we met a nice German woman who was hiking back down by herself from Base Camp. We chatted with her for a while around the nice warm furnace and played some more card games before heading to bed--once again stacking the mattresses on the floor and combining blankets to stay warm. We had gone a week without a proper shower, and while I was able to use baby wipes every night, wash my face (in cold water), brush my teeth, and switch out undergarments every day (using a rotation system), the general state of our hygiene was slowly deteriorating. We could have forked out for a hot shower bucket (and if I were to do the hike again in the future, I think I would budget for one or two) but we figured the smell was worth the adventure!
Day 8--Dhugla to Lobuche
Staying the night in Dhugla was a good idea, as the next morning we could wake up feeling refreshed without any trace of altitude sickness. We had an omelette for breakfast to give us some much needed energy, as carrying our packs was starting to take more out of us as the air thinned The first part of the walk was up another ridge that would take us to the end of the Khumbu Glacier, which starts on Everest. The hike took 2 hours and we were quite tired by the top, stopping to eat some chocolate and take frequent rests. It was only 200 meters of ascent, but we were above 4,500 meters at this point.
As we walked along the glacier, we began to spot monuments dedicated to the climbers who lost their lives on Everest. In total there have been about 280 people who have died on the mountain. The next part of the path wound around the edge of the Khumbu Glacier and sometimes crossing it, giving amazing views as we were down in a valley.
This part was very enjoyable, but once we crossed the flat-ish plain it was time to ascend again. It was a gradual, but arduous ascent up to Lobouche. At one point it became difficult for me to catch my breath so I took another diamox to help with breathing. Whether or not these things were the actual pill (which physically do help increase the amount of oxygen absorption in the blood) or a placebo--they worked all the same.
I felt much better after a while, and just before we reached Lobuche we saw our friend from Singapore coming back down. They had indeed made it all the way to Gorak Shep the day before, and he had been to Everest Base Camp that morning before starting his descent. We were glad he was able to make up the lost day. We made it to Lobuche in about 5 hours, not too bad and we were definitely happy we split the Dingboche to Lobuche trek into 2 days. We inquired at the first lodge we came to, where a young guy quoted us a price of 500 Rp per room, which was incredibly steep compared to what we had been used to. Suspecting he was just trying to overcharge, we went to one of the other places open called Above the Cloud Lodge where the proprietor was a nice, young guy hacking away ice on the stairs. He quoted us a price of 100 Rp per room, confirming our suspicions, so we decide to stay there.
The young guy was super nice, and since we were the only ones staying in the lodge that night, we were able to learn more about his life story while we enjoyed dinner that evening.
He was a guide on the base camp trek for many years, and had a few expedition posters where he was a sherpa. He lived down in the lowlands in a town called Zambesi and had a wife and new baby, with some land where they grew potatoes and raised yaks and buffalo. He was working at the lodge by himself, getting it prepared for the busy trekking season when another person would come to help him. It was just the three of us that evening so he gave us extra portions of dhal bhat with rice--he went to offer us a third serving, but we insisted that he eat his fill as well. We sat around the warm furnace chatting into the evening, although I accidentally touched a hot portion and got a burn on my finger. The guy, luckily, had a first aid kit so I was able to get some antibiotic cream and a bandaid on it.
That night we were able to stack our wider, almost double-bed mattresses and we piled our blankets on top of us. Even with that, in our layers of pajamas, I was still cold as the temperatures at this altitude just plummet at night. So, John and I also pulled out the sleeping bag and tried to sleep as close as possible, using our body warmth. We tossed and turned for a good chunk of the night (sleeping at higher altitudes gets notoriously difficult) before waking up at 6:00 a.m. It was a very cold morning, and we got on as many layers as we could before heading to breakfast. We made it a habit of eating breakfast at this altitude, whereas we didn’t before. We made it to the eating room to enjoy our onion omelettes, shivering in the cold, when the guy running the place comes in with two complimentary cups of hot ginger tea!
Now, this doesn’t sound like much, but the incredibly kind gesture did not go unnoticed by us. Hot drinks at the higher altitudes can cost a pretty penny, as water has to be boiled so it takes more time and energy to prepare them. A single mug of ginger tea costs 500 Rp at these altitudes, which meant the guy comped us 1,000 Rp worth of drinks that he could have just tried to offer and make a sale. Now, also consider most of the mountain communities get by on about 200 Rp per day per person, and the graciousness of this one man really stands out. We told him what a kind gesture that was, even though we didn’t order any hot drinks, and his response was “well, it is very cold.” It really does mean more when people give from lack, as opposed to giving from wealth. Even so, we gave him a few hundred extra rupees as a tip to thank him for his kindness.
We packed up our bags and headed out into the frosty morning, we were heading to Base Camp!
Day 9--Lobuche to Gorak Shep & Everest Base Camp
The trek that morning to Gorak Shep was quite tough--there was a wind coming down the valley of the Khumbu Glacier, which meant we kept our outer layers on instead of the usual shedding once the temperature increased. It was a steady ascent up the glacier, but then we had to climb up, then down, 5 small ridges until we reached Gorak Shep. All this up and down left us feeling a bit exasperated and tired, but we passed by people coming back down from Base Camp, who were a day ahead, cheering us on and letting us know how much longer it should take. It again took us about 4 hours to get to Gorak Shep, so we made it just before lunch. We ended up staying at the first lodge we came to, Buddha Lodge, as there were only 3 open and this one was closest to the entrance! It wasn’t actually as expensive as we had predicted--200Rp for a room and the food was quite reasonable.
There were quite a few people milling about the common area, as everyone that had stayed at different accommodation was now coalescing into the 3 lodges open. We were able to enjoy a big lunch in the warmth and sun of the common room, which had nice banquet seating with pillows in front of the windows. After that, it was time to prepare for our walk to Everest Base Camp! For the short 2-hour walk to the actual site of the camp, which is just a large rocky plain at the base of the Khumbu Glacier, we just took our water packs and cameras for the trek. It was SO nice and SO much easier to talk at that altitude without the weight of our packs! (Which had, indeed, become lighter as we ate through the snacks we packed, but they still added several Kgs).
So, even though we were now at over 5,000 meters, the walk to Base Camp was really not too bad. You can’t see Everest from Gorak Shep, and even the view from actual base camp is quite obscured to the point of being almost non-existent (without clouds you can see just a tiny part of the peak behind another mountain called Nuptse.) At one point, we accidentally took a wrong path, but a nice guide quickly caught us and pointed us in the right direction. As we walk along, we can hear (and then see) 3 small avalanches at the bottom of Nuptse. Finally, we start to walk along the flat plain of loose rocks that make up the general Base Camp area. We did it!
There was a sign that said “Everest Base Camp” with the year slightly crudely changed from 2012 to 2013 (it was only early March at this point, so the new sign for the 2013 summit expedition had not yet arrived) replete with lots of old prayer flags. The area was quite barren and expansive, otherwise, save for the yak trains that were beginning to make their way another 500 meters into the valley to drop off supplies. We stayed for about 30 minutes, taking photos of our achievement and just enjoying the feeling that 9 days of hiking had been building toward. John also found a few loose prayer flags under a rock and collected them to bring back home as a souvenir.
We headed back to Gorak Shep before we lost too much daylight, and it was quite an easy trek as it was mostly downhill. At one point, while walking along a ridge, you can get your best and closest view of the peak of Everest (the real view is from the summit of Kala Patthar, which we would do the following morning.) We were able to snap some nice photos of ourselves next to the summit.
We were able to make it back to the lodge that evening, have our baby wipe showers, and change into the trekking clothes we would wear in the morning before the sun fully went down. We did this because we knew that once it did, it would get COLD. So cold.
We were able to enjoy the warmth of extra bodies as we hung around the heater that evening. There were two other girls in the room that evening--one American and one British, and they each had a guide with them. The American girl was particularly annoying, as she was singularly obsessed with getting cell phone service in the middle of the freaking Himalaya. If there were ever a chance to just shun the outside world for a while, she was totally missing it. She was also obsessed with getting the perfect jumping picture every. where .she. went. Indeed, John and I had to wait a considerable amount of time that day to get a picture with the base camp banner as the girl spent a good 10 minutes standing in front of it trying to get her perfect jumping picture. The British girl was much more relaxed, and she had on hand a few traditional Western magazines like Glamour as reading material. Sitting in the common room that night with her Nepali guide, browsing through the magazine, it was such an amusing clash of culture that it caused John and I to start laughing out loud.
First, the man’s face as she browsed the magazine full of women who, by his standards, were scantily clad was a bit priceless. It was a mix of amazement, some confusion, but undeniable delight. Then, the girl tried to read the horoscope for her Nepali guide. The first struggle was just to get his birthday. As I mentioned, the Nepali calendar is very different from the Western one--using different years, names for months, and indeed, as someone born in a mountain community, him even knowing the exact date of his birth was unlikely. So she asked him questions about the weather when we was born, and tried to gauge his correct astrology signal from that.
The amusing part came when the horoscope attempted to give him life advice for the coming month. It suggested that he should try to “exercise more” and suggested a goal of “30 minutes a day” as a starting point. In her very British wit, the girl looked at her guide and said “well, I think you’ve got that covered.” The man, so very innocent about these very foreign ideas and such a good sport about them, also agreed he was doing well in the exercise category. The stark contrast of culture and how absurd one actually looked in the scheme of things was enough to send John and I into amused laughter.
In fact, this guide had served as a sherpa on several Everest expeditions, had summited twice, and had missing fingers on one had as a result of severe frostbite sustained in those expeditions (he showed these to the room). He had earned enough money to switch to the significantly less dangerous job of guiding Base Camp treks--where now he could guide perky young British girls who could offer him life advice like “exercise more” from their glossy magazines.
We ended the evening on that note and made our way back to our room, where it was absolutely frigid. We once again piled on the mattresses and blankets and attempted to get a few decent hours of sleep at over 5,000 meters.
Day 10--Kala Patthar Summit, to Pheriche
The next morning was cold. So, so cold. We woke up early as we wanted to get a start on the hike before the sun rose, in order to catch the morning light on Everest. (Being on the West side of Everest and looking East, you don’t actually see the sun rise on the mountain, but rather behind it. Still, it was going to cast some nice morning light on the scene).
We started to get ready and I went to put in my contact lenses, which I had taken out and put into saline solution every night. Well, the temperature had dipped so low that some of the contacts had frozen! Luckily I managed to use my hot breath and a bit more solution to unfreeze them and was able to wear them. We had worn our hiking clothes to bed, as we knew taking off any layers in the morning would have just been a punishment, so all we had to do was pack up our basic things and put on our shoes. I prepped my water pack with some chocolate and grabbed my camera and trekking poles before heading out.
The first part of the walk was grueling. In the very, very soft light of the morning there was absolutely no warmth and someone’s thermometer read -20*C. It was also very steep, almost straight up hill as the summit of Kala Patthar lay 400 meters above us. We were followed up the path that morning by a black village dog that had also followed us to Base Camp the previous day. The girls named him “Dalbat” after the Nepali dish, and this dog was something. He didn’t have a huge fur coat like other mountain dogs, yet there he was, prancing up the hill at 6:00 a.m. in the morning when the temperature was well below freezing.
We had climbed for about an hour, and were about ⅓ of the way up when John finally had to surrender to the elements. His hiking shoes had gotten a hole in the sole, as we were wearing them down with all the hiking, which meant the cold air was attacking his feet and making walking more difficult. He decided to head back down, with Dalbat following after him, and I would press on alone. A few other people were slightly ahead of us on the trail, but almost none were coming up from behind.
I made my way, steadily, slowly, up the steep and rocky face. I ended up getting into a walking and breathing pattern, in order to preserve energy while still moving in order to keep the bitter cold at bay. *Breathe in* *Step* *Step* *Breathout* *Pause 1 second* *Breathe in* *Step* *Step* . . . . and on I went, for another 2.5 hours, up to the summit of Kala Patthar. At some point along the way, perhaps maybe ⅔ of the way up, the sun finally made it’s glorious appearance from just behind the summit of Everest, splashing it’s golden rays onto my path. The difference in warmth was instantaneous. I literally stood there for just a few minutes, basking in the warmth and getting a jolt of energy that would push me to the top.
As I got closer to the top, most of the group who had gone ahead were already on their way back down. As I finally reached the summit, the only people left were the sherpa and the obnoxious American girl, who, predictably, was having her guide take a jumping picture of her on the summit. Thankfully, they didn’t linger long, and soon I had the summit all to myself.
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| Everest is the bare peak right in the middle. The South face doesn't get very much snow from the sun and wind that lash at it year round. |
I stared down over the valley, basking in the light of the early morning sun, and a perfectly cloudless blue sky, with the giants of the Himalayas and the summit of Everest towering majestically over all. There was a perfect, beautiful silence. In that moment, I was totally alone, humbled by the massiveness of the surrounding vista, and totally at peace. I took a moment to simply sit and enjoy the journey I had taken to reach there, snacking on a few pieces of well-earned chocolate. I was sitting across from, with a totally unobstructed view, the tallest mountain on Earth. It took a few moments for me to soak in that fact. Soon after, I started to snap a few photos (ok, maybe a lot of photos), before slowly arranging to make my way down.
I wanted to stay longer, though I knew I needed to get back as John was waiting for me and we had a lot of descending to do that day. As I took one last good look up at the summit, almost barren of snow due to it’s piercing of the high winds of the jet stream that lash at it’s peak for most of the year, I understood why people climbed. Granted, I was not nearly crazy (or rich) enough to ever attempt the feat myself, but I understood why people had to do it.
I made my down in about 1 hour, passing a few more trekkers along the trail who had (wisely) waited until the sun was out to begin the hike up. By the time I got back to Gorak Shep, I was pretty tired, but was able to have a big bowl of vegetable soup for breakfast before heading out with John. Climbing out over the ridges of Gorak Shep was pretty tough that morning, but once we reached the flat plain of the Khumbu Glacier it was mostly smooth sailing from there. We made it back to Dughla in about 3 hours, where we ran into our Aussie friends who were on their way up. It was great to catch up with them over a much-needed lunch of fried potatoes with vegetables and cheese. It was more downhill after that, and we reached our destination for Pheriche in about 1.5 hours.
We reached the tea lodges just in time, as there had been clouds rolling in all afternoon, blocking out the sun and sending a cold wind down the middle of the valley into which we were walking face first. It was getting colder and colder and we were able to reach Periche with about 30 minutes of daylight left. We ended up choosing a tea house that covered its walls and floor in a cheap felt, a sort of insulation against the cold, but it worked surprisingly well.The windows also head double curtains to keep out the draft so we were able to have a warm and decent night’s sleep. Even though we were the only 2 they mercifully used the dung heater in the eating room that night while we enjoyed a filling plate of Dhal Bhat. We had been in the mountains for 10 days, and had reached the apex of our journey, but we still had 6 days left, and we still had to get back down.
Day 11--Pheriche to Phortse
We awoke the next morning quite warm in our felt-lined room. Though the lack of a shower meant my hair had reached quite an unfortunate state.
I would continue to put it in braids for the rest of the trip (and would make a mental note to purchase dry shampoo the next time I attempted such a long hiking excursion.) We were able to have a lazy morning and make our way out a little later, stopping at another little town, Shomare, a little further along (about 1.5 hours) in order to grab a bit of lunch.
The night before one of the lodge owners in Shomare had stopped in Pheriche and told us to visit his place for the lunch the next day--saying he would provide the best sherpa stew on the trek. Indeed, we stopped there and had a delicious stew that even included small dumplings, which was quite the treat!
We headed out of the town to our next destination, which was not one of the main towns, but split from the path back toward Tengboche. We had a bit of difficulty as the guide book was not very clear about this route--we were trying to find a different monastery from which we would take a path toward our destination of Upper Pangboche. Along the way we had to stop and buy a quite expensive roll of toilet paper (about the equivalent of $2, which is pretty expensive for a single roll) as we had run out of our own. We asked the proprietor the way toward the trail, but his directions were also not too specific.
We ended up taking a wrong turn and went down about 50 meters, when we came upon the archway leading back to Tengboche, which is when we realized our mistake. We looked ahead and could see a trail slightly above us that would lead us to the correct destination. So we went “off piste” and climbed up the almost sheer drop off of the mountainside for about 20 minutes until we were able to find the correct trail.
The guidebook described this section of the trail to our final destination of Phortse as a “leisurely stroll.” I suspect the person that wrote that section of the guidebook had never, in fact, actually walked that portion of the trail. The truth is that it was quite an arduous, undulating trail that went up and down--slowly climbing to a height of about 4,000 meters before then descending down in Phortse. The entirety of the trail was next to this sheer drop off on one side. It had stunning views but it was certainly NOT a “leisurely stroll.” The walk ultimately took about 7 hours with periodic rests.
At one point John stopped to explore a small cave along the mountain side. We also saw some wild tahrs--a Himalayan animal that looks a bit like a wild goat. We were able to get some great pictures, as we passed very few people to disturb the animal on this portion of the trek.
Finally, after our 7 hours of walking (almost 5 from our stop for lunch) we came around a bend to see the sight of prayer flags indicating that we were entering a town. It still took over an hour to get to Phortse, but it was mostly flat or downhill from there.
As we made our way into Phortse, we could see Tengboche across the valley below us. We also saw a rescue helicopter fly past to go collect some poor soul who had ascended too fast and got too sick (and would have to pay a pretty penny for it!) Helicopter rescues in the himalaya are incredibly expensive, as they have to leave from Kathmandu. You have to pay them UP FRONT, and it can cost several thousand dollars to have them come and collect you. Better to just give yourself the necessary time to acclimatize (though this is another drawback of Western tour groups--in which you have to follow the pace of the guide, rather than setting it yourself.)
The room we had that night was nice, with a skylight and a laundry line outside to air out some of our more smelly clothes and socks. That evening at dinner, we met a nice Dutch couple who were coming down from Gokyo Ri with a guide, and were taking the long way up to Base Camp (as Cho La Pass was indeed still closed due to snow). The one man was 74 years old! I only hope I am still climbing mountains at 74. The cook at that lodge was also really kind (or perhaps he was friends with the guide.) Either way he gave us huge portions of food for dinner, which was much appreciated (now that we no longer had the excitement of reaching base camp to push us onwards, I planned my days around when we could eat, and how many days left before I could take a LONG, HOT shower!)
We slept quite well that night, in the warmer and lower altitude. We even gave the last of our diamox to the couple, as we were heading back down and so wouldn’t need it.
Day 12--Phortse to Khumjung
Our walk the next morning out of Phortse was pretty pleasant. There was still a bit of ice on the trial so we had to go slow, until we reached a bit that ascended about 300 meters to a hamlet called Mongla. It took us about 3 hours to make the climb--we walked slowly but gradually. It was always up hill, but luckily we were on the side with the sun, so it wasn’t too cold. We passed by a Western hiker who was just sitting on the ground right off the path--he was sick with AMS and so had stopped while his porter went to go get some assistance. He looked pretty worse for wear, and unfortunately we had already given our diamox away as he did not have any. We encouraged him to descend, but he said he wanted to wait in the same place for the porter.
There was not much else we could do for the guy, so we pressed on. On our way up, we also passed by more Himalayan animals such as musk deer and the Danphe bird, with very colorful plumage.
We finally reached Mongla around 11 a.m. The views over the valley were really beautiful. We were able to choose a cafe for lunch that had window views over the whole thing. We were also in the sunlight, which meant it was nice and warm.
We chatted with an Australian guy who also had plans to do the same trip John and I had wanted to--climb to Gokyo Ri, cut across the Cho La Pass, then head up to Base Camp and back down. He wanted to do the whole thing in 13 days. We warned him that the Cho La was still closed due to snow and that 13 days was cutting it quick. But he gave the excuse of “Oh, I’m really fit and I do a lot of bushwalking in Australia.” Yeah, 1) That doesn’t matter and 2) That is not the same thing. But whatever, guy could discover the disappointment for himself.
After enjoying the view and our filling lunch, we walked another 1.5 hours down to Khumjung. It looked very different when it was not in the middle of heavy snow fall! It was also much livelier than the last time we were there, as more trekkers were beginning the hike. We had heard there was a famous bakery there called Everest Bakery that made the best apple pies on the Everest Base Camp trek, but unfortunately they were still closed. We settled on a lodge for the night called Sherpaland, as they had nice proper beds with thick mattresses, thick blankets, a nice pillow, a big window for run, reading lights, and sockets in the room!
John noted that having separate beds at this point was a good thing, as he had not really had his daily baby wipe shower and was becoming unable to stand even his own smell. My hair was in a gross state, but luckily we were just 5 days away from returning to Kathmandu and hot showers!
We decided to visit the local temple in Khumjung that boasted having a “yeti” skull that you could pay to see. We knew it was actually the skull of a Himalayan breed of antelope, and so it was quite anti-climactic because it was actually very small--but it had in information panel and we donated a few rupees to the temple. We had a great, warm sleep that night before waking up early to start our very short walk to Namche Bazaar.
Day 13--To Namche Bazaar Again
The following was a really nice morning. 10 days later and a lower altitude really made a difference with the weather. It looked so different without all the snow! We retraced the same path back into Namche Bazaar, only take 1.5 hours to get there. We decide to stay at the same place as before and even got the same room (though the owner didn’t remember us). We were able to order garlic soup for breakfast and it was so good! We had the whole day to just chill, so I found a few books on the window sill in the eating room. I spotted the book “Into Thin Air”, by Jon Krakauer, which I had read before, but I figured what a better place to re-read it than on the Everest Base Camp trek! I sat in the sun in the common room, reading until lunch. We were able to chow down on some fried noodles and apple pie! (We could splurge more now that we were nearing the end of our trek and knew how much money we had left.)
John wanted to find some coffee, of which there were many shops around, so we took a walk but many of them ended up being quite pricey (surprise, surprise). We ended up finding a decent German Bakery away from the center of town with fresh baked goods and cheap coffee! So we posted up there for a while to enjoy some coffee and fat, fluffy, warm donuts.
I finished the book by the end of dinner (it is not really that long, but worth a read) and it was so interesting to experience the contrast of the trek from Lukla to Base Camp from what it was over 15 years before. Plumbing has definitely gotten better.
The lodge was much fuller with guests the second time around. Perhaps it was the extra noise they created that prevented me from sleeping well that night, but for some reason I just couldn’t fall asleep. We woke up the next morning and got ready to head out. This is where I learned that (at least now, perhaps not before when the lodge was empty) that the tap in the bathroom let out warm water if you ran it long enough! I wish I had known the night before and I could have washed my hair! Alas, it would only be a few more days until I could take my glorious shower. We headed out that day for our very final day of walking--making the trek back to Lukla.
Day 14--To Lukla
The last day of walking was mostly downhill, which was a great relief. We stopped on the way down at another viewpoint where we could get one last glimpse of Everest through the trees.
As we headed down, we passed many more trekkers and big groups heading up. I was quite relieved that we did the trekking as early as we did since we avoided the crowds and possible inflated prices once people lose the choice on where to sleep (since places fill up). It took us about 4 hours to get down to Phakding, where we stayed that first night, and we ended up going back to the same place for lunch. Turns out it was the best deal around! Along the way we also passed many Nepali children who loved to say hello to all the trekkers--they were so cute!
We also passed tons of more porters heading along the trail carrying supplies, and their loads were getting larger and larger in preparation for the main trekking season. I can’t imagine the back-breaking work they do just to earn some money to live on. Even some of them were wearing sandals and basic sneakers, not proper walking shoes! Contrasted with even some of our knock-off North Face gear we felt quite lucky to be able to have proper equipment. We knew that the NGO that we had visited in Kathmandu, KEEP, did clothing donations to porters on the trek so we decided we would donate whatever we did not need from our gear when we returned.
As we headed out after lunch it looked like the weather was going to take a turn--some dark clouds started coming in and we were worried about rain, but luckily it passed and no foul weather materialized. At one point we passed a few trekkers, including a Canadian guy, and were happy to give some advice about the trek. I must say, our days spent trekking had been incredibly satisfying and fulfilling, but it was also a nice feeling to know that we were almost finished!
From Phakding, we didn’t realize so much of the last bit would uphill, but indeed the last few hours were spent ascending again. Finally, around 4 p.m. we walked into the end of Lukla village, back to the house with the spinning prayer wheels and bell, which we rotated again to signal our safe return.
We stopped to take a quick. Exhausted, wind-chapped, greasy photo of our relief at the finish! We made our way into town and ended up finding a decent place to stay near the airstrip, where we would be able to watch the planes come and go.
We were also in the company of a very large group of monks who had gathered in the main hall to play instruments and chant and sing. Turns out their elder monk had passed away, so this was all part of a larger buddhist ceremony. They were prepping backs of snacks and other food to give away as apparently the whole village was coming by the following day to pay their respects to the monk!
We got decent sleep that night but were awakened at 5 a.m. by the sound of morning prayers coming from downstairs. Time to make the best of our last day in the Himalayas!
Day 15--Around Lukla
We had the extra day to spend in Lukla because we got back earlier than expected because we didn’t do the Cho La Pass. Our early rise from the monks meant we were able to watch the few flights take off that morning from the narrow, harrowing runway. There were only a few to leave that morning and then they were finished once the clouds started rolling in.
We decided to walk around town to kill time. We also wanted to send an e-mail to our accommodation back in Kathmandu about our arrival the following morning. There was actually free wifi in Lukla but we had no phones with wifi capability so had to pay to use a computer at a cafe. Still, pretty nice that you can get internet in the middle of the Himalayas. The place called itself “Starbucks” even though it was definitely not a Starbucks, but I suppose things like copyright don’t really matter there.
We also did a bit of “shopping” that day in Lukla, which meant haggling again. Unfortunately, it seemed like the people in Lukla had become so used to tourists and were more willing to try and scam/cheat people. For example, we went to go buy a string of large prayer flags to take back. The guy tells us 100 Rp and we say okay. Then we look around a bit and then go up to purchase and the guy tells us 200 Rp at the register. We ended up buying them from another woman instead who offered them for 100 Rp. We also had to stop by the airline building that afternoon to confirm our seats on the flight out the next morning (weather and late trekker issues mean you have to check in the day before during a very specific time when the office is open.) Luckily we had no troubles.
We made our way back to our accommodation, where indeed there was a huge line of villages lined up to get their goodie bags of food and money in remembrance of the elder monk. We enjoyed our final dinner that night of rice, noodles, and potatoes (all the carbs!) Even though we weren’t hiking anymore, we both still had quite the appetite. The owners of the lodge also offered us a free glass each of their rice beer, called chaang, which we were now able to accept and enjoy since we didn’t have to acclimatize. It was pretty strong so one glass made for some good sleep! We drifted off to the sound of the monks downstairs finishing their final songs and chants.
Day 16--Back to Kathmandu
On the final day we woke up early, around 5 am, so get dressed and all packed so we could make it for the airport opening at 6:30. We went downstairs and tried to open the door but found we were locked in! We eventually had to find someone and wake them up so that they could let us out (and we also had to pay our bill.)
We made it to the airport for the 6:30 opening and luckily the weather that morning was good so the flights left pretty on time--one after the next we boarded the tiny twin propeller planes and launched ourselves off of this short runway on top of a mountain. There was actually very little turbulence, but I noticed the guy behind John was terrified of flying. He kept grabbing the back of John’s seat and saying small prayers to himself.
Part way through the flight we were told we had to land in some random field. Apparently Kathmandu airport was closed for 30 min (for some reason that we never became aware of) and the tiny planes didn’t have enough fuel to keep circling. It was a minor hiccup, but for someone Jonesing for their first shower in 16 days it just added to the torturous wait. While we were in the field the plane refueled with an electric pump and generator. After about 30 minutes we were able to get back in the air and landed at Kathmandu airport around 9 a.m.
We were quite famished so as soon as we got a cab back to the hotel we dropped off our bags and headed out for buffalo momos! We had been dreaming about them for 16 days! However, upon arriving at the restaurant, we saw that is was closed that day! My heart dropped a little, and we had to go elsewhere. We settled on a popular Western-style bakery called Pumpernickel, because ALL THE CARBS, and stuffed our faces full of pastries and snacks at the store.
After that we headed back to the hostel where I took the most glorious hot shower I have ever had in my life. I didn’t even have to ask them to switch tanks for hot water this time! My hair would still need a few shampoos to go back to normal, but that post-first shower felt amazing.
The following few days were mostly spent recuperating and planning for the next country. I have to say I have never had an appetite like I did when we first returned. When the momo restaurant opened the next day, we made sure to go and each got a plate of momos and chow mien.
I swear I could have eaten 5 of those and still not felt full. I wasn’t sure if it was just the decrease in altitude or the amount of exercise I had in those 16 days, but I literally could not eat enough. We even visited our favorite Thakali Kitchen for Dhal Bhat with unlimited veggies and I ate a ton. It was also becoming quite popular, including among tourists. One night there was a very loud Japanese man who could only speak broken English. But hey, he had made it to Nepal so you couldn’t fault him for being adventurous. Every night we also went to a pastry shop at 8 pm when all of their stuff went on sale and loaded up for breakfast the next morning.
This was probably a good thing though, as we noticed when we got back that neither of our belts fit, even on the last notch, so John had to make another hole in them just so we could keep our jeans on! John also got a much needed haircut, though it was the best haircut he had ever had for $2! They even threw in a head massage.
Thamel district was becoming quite packed with tourists those last few days. The main trekking season was gearing up and so everyone was descending into town. We were sort of glad we were able to make the trip before all the crowds came. We had a large tour group come to stay at our Guesthouse the last night and all the restaurants were starting to fill up. There were so many people we started playing the game of “Spot the Hippie.” Every time we saw some wearing: dreads, all linen clothing, those Aladdin balloon pants, no shoes, etc. . . we would get a point. If one of the locals came up and asked us if we wanted hasheesh, we got 2 points (this happened often--mostly to John.)
The only other issue we had in the final few days was rearranging our travel plans. We were meant to fly to Egypt next, to spend 5 days there. However, John’s father’s friend, Richard, who was Egyptian and living in Cairo told us about the worsening security situation there. This was after Tahrir Square, but before Morsi was deposed, and things had become more tense. Right before we were meant to leave, the high court passed down rulings giving the death penalty to people who had been involved in a riot at a soccer match and people were angrily protesting. He advised us not to come and was actually preparing to leave Egypt and go back to the UK. I was so, so excited to be able to spend my birthday at the pyramids, but ultimately we decided to heed Richard’s warning and change our travel plans. We had planned to fly to Paris after, so we just ended up paying a bit to change our itinerary to skip Egypt and fly directly to Paris instead. I was bummed, but it wasn’t worth the risk to our safety. Parisian pastries for the win!
Egypt is probably in even worse shape now than it was then. I hope one day it will be safe to travel there, as it is now sitting patiently at the top of my bucket list.
However, those last few days wandering around Thamel felt strangely familiar and comfortable. We visited the same places everyday, so people recognized us. The chaos of the streets were something we had started adapting to. When two tourists got ripped off for a rickshaw ride, we chuckled to ourselves over the naivete of these newbies. We were becoming quite used to the lifestyle of developing countries and indeed had developed a strong affinity for Nepal. After we left, in the following years, Nepal, and the Himalayan community, would suffer from serious disasters, including the devastating earthquake, and today many are still struggling to get back on track.
Indeed, the country itself has had a difficult and bloody history. It broke our hearts to see the devastation in Kathmandu after the earthquake, remembering those people and places so fondly during our time there. The struggles of the sherpas over their treatment by the Western trekking companies, and the unappreciated (and undercompensated) dangers they place themselves in has also been incredibly frustrating to hear about. I have such a heart for Nepal and for the amazing people we met there. I hope, one day, I can return there to see it thriving.
Namaste, Nepal.
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