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Published: March 14th 2010
So part two.... (apologies its rather a long one! but far too much to say!)
Day 9 - Lukla to Pakding, 2610m So started from Lukla, through the white gateway down into the valley below. Really cool walk, and nice and easy with lots of painted mani walls and stones along the way. Still feeling really dodgy though even though we'd both taken the same antibiotics. So after a couple of hours walking called it a day. It was getting late anyway so walked to the furthest part of Phakding and found a bargain of a room, running hot shower and everything!
Day 10 - Pakding to Namche Bazaar, 3420m Still feeling awful but decided to carry on up to Namche Bazaar, much bigger place and thinking it may be time to consult somebody in the know. Nice walk into the valley and went through the national park headquarters to sign in. Further down and across a huge suspension bridge before walking along the river towards the steep climb up to Namche. Lots more porters around the odd yak train starting to appear. Still not so many trekkers about but all the villages were a lot bigger and much
Mani Stone
loads of these on the way...like religious grafittimore frequent. Biscuits and chocolate along the way and after a couple of hours climb reached Namche. Another checkpoint and we went to find a room. Expecting a bazaar-like place but very built up, new stone lodges everywhere. Unbelievable difference with before. Found a place to stay and went to the bakery! Pizza and sandwiches for lunch. Very nice change, although everywhere up here has pizza, pasta, chips etc on the menu, you never know quite what your going to get! Snow started falling falling outside as it got a little later.
Running low on cash so went to find the ATM, been closed for 4 months! One thing the guide doesn't tell you! ITS NOT AT ALL THE SAME IN OFF SEASON!!! Negotiated the hefty commission down a little on the cash advance and went to find the pharmacy. Closed for 2wks! At this point had to laugh! But seriously you could get really stuck! So went back to the hostel and consulted the Lonely P guide. Self diagnosis time....
So decided based on symptoms it must be Giardia, (without going into too much detail, one word 'gas', you seriously wouldn't believe it was possible!!!) had
Walking bushes?
amazing some of the stuff being carried up here! to take 4 pills all at once followed by the same tomorrow! Wasn't at all keen on the idea, but what else can you do! Never underestimate the true isolation of such a place. Plus you can't ever rely on the fact that people there will actually have anything at all! Good job we visited the pharmacy in Kathmandu before we left! Had a rather worried evening sitting chatting to other trekkers, waiting for some severe side effects or something. Fortunately woke the next day feeling on top of the world, obviously hadn't realised how bad it had been making me feel! Happy again!
Also it takes 1-2wks to develop symptoms ie got it probably in Kathmandu! DO NOT even look at the water there! Its bad! But seriously not even to rinse your toothbrush or anything?! Not worth the risk!
Day 11 - Rest Day in Namche So with new found enthusiasm after breakfast we went up to the Everest View Lodge for an acclimatisation trek. Hard going up but once at the top it was actually quite easy (3880m). Really cool views from the lodge, well worth the walk. Back down for another bakery lunch, helping
Valley view
back towards Lukla on the way to Namche with the recovery 😉! Stocked up on some goodies, loads of chocolate bars and sweets, save a bit of cash. Spent the rest of the evening in the warmth of the dining room. Getting to the point where there is no running water as it just freezes!
Day 12 - Namche Bazaar to Khumjung, 3780m Instead of taking a rest day in Tengboche we decided to break up the walk and stop in Khumjung for the evening, after it was recomended. After walking back past the Everest View Hotel and down a 20 minute slope, we were there?! Within 2 hrs, not exactly a half way point, both feeling a little cheated by the lack of walking! But decided why not so found a place and had lunch. Visited the yeti skull in the afternoon in the monastery, see pic! A cosy night spent by the fire with the family, no other trekkers around.
Day 13 - Khumjung to Tengboche, 3870m Nice wander down into Sanasa followed by a local dog. Reached Phunki Thengi and started the climb up to Tengboche. Managed to take the local way with loads of yak trains going by. Never quite sure if
you'll come out at the right place. Pretty tiring climb up though but reached Tengboche for lunch. Another afternoon acclimatisation trek, went very off road so heading back found an actual train up to the gompa. Saw a very impressively neon coloured imperial pheasant and some other partridge looking things - bird watching! 😊
Day 14 - Tengboche to Dingboche, 4360m Down through the forest and then gradually up through the valley, definitely feeling more inside the Himalaya! Pretty short day really, well in time for a lunch of Pizza and pasta (still not really feeling able to eat that same taste of everything else). Climbed to the stupors on the hill, more acclimatisation - climb high, sleep low! Cool walk in the clouds, looking forward to climbing higher tomorrow!
Day 15 - Rest Day in Dingboche It turned out a lot of the other groups were going for the top of where we'd started climbing yesterday. So as we had been unsure of how climb-able it would be, hearing the groups were going we decided we should follow. The usual strategic overtaking and were soon up near the front. Went a lot higher than we thought, really
starting to feel the altitude, but no sign of illness due to all the preparations. Took a while to get over all the boulders at the top but we were soon rewarded with the amazing view! Sitting at 5130ms! Highest yet! Banging headache but it should definitely be expected! Really cold so soon made our way back down. Nice afternoon off, although the headache was still persisting, a little worrying!
Day 16 - Dingboche to Lobuche, 4930m Headache gone, we got going again. Along the valley to Dukla for a recommended pizza lunch and then up the rocky slope to the memorials at the top. Amazing views down and really huge mountains all around. Very moving and beautiful place with all of the cairns for fallen trekkers, really makes you appreciate that you can actually be there! Easy walk down along a moraine towards Lobuche and again there pretty early so went for a walk up a ridge to see the Khumbu glacier. Bit disappointing when you imagine the word glacier but still another worth-while side trip! Into the warmth and then it started snowing, alot!
Day 17 - Lobuche to Gorak Shep, 5160m Up crazy early for
On the way to the Everest View Hotel
View back towards Namche after reaching the top of the climb breakfast and fortunately the snow hadn't carried on overnight but there was still nearly a foot! Followed some of the earlier groups tracks, soooo cold and the hose for the water bag froze within a couple of minutes. Very much feeling the altitude, but mainly due to having just eaten and the cold. Hard to warm up when you have to go really slowly. Fortunately the sun soon came out which made it all a lot more bearable. Reached Gorak within a couple of hours so had some lunch (10am!) and had a rest - well waited for some other groups to leave, not fancying getting lost with no tracks to follow!
Amazing trek up to base camp, definitely enhanced by all the snow! But a pretty level-ish climb to a ridge on the side which leads down to the glacier. Base camp itself is very small, normally with all of the camp sites around the sides. Unfortunately absolutely no-one there so no apple pie stall around for us 😞. Lots of pics before the bigger groups arrived and had the usual mars bar and some mint cake. A Quick wander around the glacier and then headed back. Hard
Everst View Hotel
Just about make out Everest, top just in the clouds, right to the left of the pic with the huge white Lhotse in the middle. to believe that we'd nearly completed our goal. What do you mean go back down?! But really cool feeling to have made it unscathed! Nice relaxing night, again with the warm of the yak dug fuelled fire.
Day 18 - Gorak Shep to Pheriche, 5160m to 5550m and back down to 4240m! Nearly all of the other groups got up at like 4am to see the sun rise at kala pattar. After hearing disappointed stories and realizing just how cold you would get doing this, we opted for the later option. Plus didn't want to do it on an empty stomach! So left just after 8am. Really not that bad a climb, but thinking that the Jiri trek had really helped us out with the acclimatisation! Made it up in a good hour and
you really can not believe the views. Looking at a panorama photo from Kala pattar (Google!) you can't believe that it will actually look like that, but its better! It took about 10 pictures to fit in the view along the skyline! So obviously my pics cant really express the true view you get! Messed about at the top for a while, climbing up a
Enjoying the view
sitting next to the Everest View Lodge very slippery ice covered rock to get to the true top (5550m!), probably the most dangerous thing i ever did, but you can't get very nearly to the top can you?! Made it down alive though and had a celebratory coffee and mars in Gorak before starting the mammoth walk down again!
Quick toilet break in Lobuche and then lunch in Dukla, with another good hour walk to Pheriche! Crazy day walking! Stayed in a really nice Himalaya hotel, and had a celebratory Everest beer - straight to the head though so stopped it at one can(!) - still way over 4000ms! Mmm.... beer!
Day 19 - Pheriche to Namche Bazaar, 3420m So definitely going back down, had thought of doing to Cho La pass but it was all getting a little much. So back to Tengboche (nearly 4 hrs!) for lunch and then all the way to Namche. Back down the horrible hill and all the way along the valley to reach Namche at 4pm! Really not very enjoyable at all! Cool views but after all the thinking about the easy walk/run back to reality, it proved a little more difficult! So sore, developing random blisters and
View over Khumjung
maze of stone walls sore bits that had not been a problem the last 19 days!!! Both pretty exhausted but managed to get a hot running shower, all change with the start of the busy season. After dinner hit a bar in town with a load of the other groups that had been with us along the way. Nice evening and sampled some Everest Whisky (actually pretty good - well maybe?!) and got our names signed on a t-shirt that was later put on the wall with the other 300 already standing. Strangest thing to think that only yesterday morning we were standing on Kala Pattar, over 2000 metres higher up!!!
Day 20 -Namche to Lukla, 2800m Some funny looking faces the next morning due to the excessive beer consumption but fortunately had escaped early enough to prevent a horrible walk to Lukla. That said the walk to Lukla was pretty horrible. Down a massive hill and then up down up down until we finally reached Phakding (scheduled coffee break) at 1pm!!! Quick snack and carried on with the plan to reach Lukla for lunch. Really horrible walk, both we no energy at all, forcing ourselves to persevere up the hill. Probably the
Yeti Skull?!
Khumjung Gompa worst part of the trek, everything combining for the worst. The only motivation was so that we could say we'd carried our stuff the whole way. Damn tourists walking by with no bags 😞 Grumpy! But made it back though after a couple of hours moaning and groaning!
Changed the flight out for the next day, changed up some dollars for some spending money and relaxed! Nice lunch, shower and went to the bar. Everyone back in the party mood again, so lots of beers, pool, djing, then more pool, beers and rum, fell into bed around 1am. Not quite the normal 8pm bed time! Think we deserved it though! 😊
Unfortunately though we had to be at the airport at 6.45am! Not the best wake up ever but managed to board a plane back to Kathmandu around 8am. Very scary flight, tiny plane felt very twitchy flying through the mountains, very fragile! But back on solid ground, taxi to the lodge to reclaim the rest of our bags....clean clothes, food, electricity, running water, hot water, more air!!!! ahhhh!!!!!
What a trip!
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Jill
non-member comment
WOW!!!
Shit vad nice Anna!! Vilken story, vilka bilder!! Jag tycker att några av mina trekkingar har varit tuffa och coola, men det här slår nog det... 20 dagar - respect!! Men åååååå vad avis jag är!! Vilken tur att du inte frös ihjäl i min sovsäck... den är ju inte riktigt gjord för minusgrader, har för mig om att den håller till 5+ eller dyl... men jag sov faktiskt i den i TÄLT... i snö... i Himlaya:-). Skönt att ha er nere på havsnivå igen, och ska bli superkul att träffa er snart!! Kraaaamis!!