Himalayan Odyssey(10)

Tuesday 9th October, 2007 (O2 88%, Pulse 68)

Today we are continuing the journey from Tengboche to Dingboche, having spent the night at Pangboche. The previous evening had been enlivened by an English group from the medical profession while we watched 'Point Break' on the DVD player in the dining room. After all the publicity about smoking being bad for you I am always amazed at the number of health professionals who smoke. This group was no exception with some of them, including young women, taking regular breaks outside to have a puff.

Pangboche is at about 3,900 metres and the morning was brilliantly clear. After an earlyish breakfast we headed off along the track up the valley.

View back towards Pangboche

Continuing along we were soon passing along the way this beautiful autumnal display across the other side of the river.

Autumn colours across the river

The blurred vision issue is fairly constant but, apart from being annoying, is not causing me any significant problems. Both Dominic and I are putting it down to hypoxia.

We passed the inevitable Yak train along the way but there is generally much less traffic of all kinds here than there was over the last few days.

Yak train near Shomare - north of Pangboche

The last part of the track up to Dingboche, after crossing the river (again) is quite steep but fortunately not too long. We reached the village after about 3.5 hours of relatively comfortable walking. Along the final stretch we saw a flock of Himalayan Pigeons as they wheeled across the sky.

As we went up through the village towards our lodge we stopped for a few minutes to watch a couple of young Sherpas outside a shop playing a game a bit like billiards but played by sliding disks of some sort across a board to score points. Ang Nuru asserted that he is a champion at this game - I'm not going to try him out though.

Barry and Shirley were enjoying the remains of their rest day at the Sherpaland Lodge when we arrived. I had chicken soup and a boiled egg for lunch and then a good lie down in the afternoon.

After resting for a while we got Chiring, our porter, to do some washing for us. We can finish drying it tomorrow which is an acclimatisation day for us.

O2 82% Pulse 72, Pedometer 5814.

Himalayan Odyssey(9)

Monday 8th October, 2007

Last night it rained continuously but it was fine when we got up this morning. Breakfast was cornflakes at around 8:00am and then we were on our way to Dingboche.

The first part of the track was all downhill through the pine and rhododendron forest to the small village of Deboche. It was very pleasant walking after the hard slog uphill yesterday but I always have mixed feelings about going downhill when I know that the destination is higher than where I started out.

(l to r) Shirley, Ang Nuru, Barry, Passang, and Dominic
on the track heading north from Tengboche

Along the way there were some very good views of Ama Dablam through the trees.

Ama Dablam from the track near Deboche

After passing through Deboche and a wall of Mani stones, we came to the inevitable river crossing by swing bridge. Fortunately the bridges have all been in good condition and the only issue is dealing with the traffic in both directions. It's relatively easy to pass oncoming porters but I prefer not to be on the bridge when there are Yaks on it.

After the bridge the track rises very steeply and is much harder walking. We arrived at Pangboche (3930m), about half-way to Dingboche, after about 2.5 hours walking and had lunch there. Barry and Shirley were feeling pretty OK but Dominic and I were both knackered so we decided to stop there for the night. I was feeling a bit weak - probably lack of nutrition exacerbated by the belly lurgy of the last few days - and a bit light-headed too.

While Dominic and I lunched - I had chicken soup and toast - Ang Nuru went off to find us a room for the night at Sonam Lodge. Barry and Shirley carried on to Dingboche while we headed for the lodge. The room was comfortable looking out over the river towards Ama Dablam. Reading in bed during the afternoon my vision was a bit blurry which made reading difficult. I had experienced this on the last couple of days while walking but it seemed to clear after a while.

Emphasising the difficulty of the day and that I, at least wasn't acclimatising too well, my O2 was at 72% and pulse at 72. The pedometer reading was 7008 - about 5.25 km.

Himalayan Odyssey(8)

Sunday 7th October, 2007 - O2 85%, Pulse 68

After yesterday's relatively short stint and a good night's sleep I woke feeling like crap - literally! I'd been up twice during the night with the trots despite taking Lomotil and Norofloxacin (antibiotic). The Norfloxacin seems to have had a good effect as the violent internal wind-storms had settled a bit but I wasn't looking forward to the long uphill to Tengboche.

After only a quarter slice of toast for me for breakfast we set off at about 8:00am from Khumjung. The first half of this part of the trail leaves Khumjung and goes down to the Dudh Khosi after about one and a half hours.

We stopped at the tea house at Phunki Tenka just after crossing the river. I was still walking in long pants and feeling the heat, no doubt also aggravated by being a bit feverish with the belly infection. At the tea house I lightened up the atmosphere a bit by cutting off the legs of my trousers to make some very (in)elegant shorts. The operation was carried out while I was wearing the trousers and using a pair of first-aid kit scissors with blades no more than 2 cm long. The result was fairly ragged but definitely one of a kind designer shorts.

From the tea house the track to Tengboche zig zags up the south-facing hillside very steeply. We took it pretty slowly and also stopped many times to let yak trains and porters past in both directions. The extra cooling provided by my shorts was very welcome although there were frequent patches of shade provided by the pine and juniper trees covering the slope. There were many other trekkers on the track going in both directions. We stopped briefly to chat with a couple of English guys who had been as far as Tengboche and then were on there way back. We had met these two in Namche and they only had a few days to spare before leaving Nepal so Tengboche was as far as they could get in the available time.

Tengboche was reached at about 12:30pm and the Gomap Lodge was a very welcome sight. Dominic and I headed for our room and had a very welcome lie down. Later on I went for a walk back up by the Monastery and took a few pictures.

Monastery Gateway at Tengboche

Gompa at southern entrance to Tengboche

Lhotse from Tengboche

Late in the afternoon back in our room, I managed to get a shot of Everest from our bedroom window.

Everest from Tengboche

The cloud just dropped sufficiently for the late afternoon sun to show us the magnificent sight. Barry and Shirley, who were in the room to our left, also spotted a musk deer just outside their window.

In the dining room that night they had fired up the Yak-poo powered cast iron pot-belly stove. It was so hot in there that I had to go out into the chill evening air to cool down otherwise I would have passed out. On going back in I went to the furthest point I could get from the stove - sitting with strangers rather than repeat the experience. The others joined me soon afterwards as they also began to succumb to the extreme heat.

Pedometer 12811, O2 85%, Pulse 85.

Himalayan Odyssey(7)

Saturday 6th October, 2007 (Pulse 58bpm, O2 87%)

Today we continued the trek with a relatively short stint to Khumjung. Unfortunately I woke up with diarrhoea so wasn't feeling crash hot. Unfortunately stomach upsets are not uncommon for tourists - despite taking almost paranoid precautions with hygiene. Thankfully we are carrying all the necessary medications to deal with such problems as and when they occur.

After settling the bill (1500/= Rs each for 2 nights including food) we sat outside waiting for the porters to be ready as I didn't feel up to visiting the Saturday market as previously planned. However, it was so warm sitting there that I was getting very over-heated and had to go inside again out of the sun.

We finally left for Khumjung at around 9:30am and, of course, it was up - up - up out of the Namche cirque heading toward the landing strip near the top of the hill. On the way I saw a small, tan, marmot-like creature scurrying away at high speed - probably to avoid being eaten. Barry and Shirley split off to take the track to Khumjung via the Everest View Hotel while Dominic and I took the more direct route.

After a short rest at the landing strip it was up a bit more before the track levelled out taking us down to Khumjung at 3780 metres. The track leading over the top and into the village was very picturesque with a steep mountainous backdrop. On either side of the track the land and vegetation was quite reminiscent of Scottish glens although the illusion was spoiled somewhat (although pleasantly) by a couple of Sherpanis coming towards us from the village.

Khumjung from Namche Bazaar track.
The Hillary School is in the middle foreground.

We reached the Hidden Valley Lodge near the village centre just before midday with Barry and Shirley arriving soon after. The rooms on the ground floor were quite comfortable with the usual appointments - twin beds and space to lay out gear on the floor. Also - reasonably close to the inside toilet!

After lunch we went out for a walk through the town 'streets' - narrow walkways between drystone walls between the small fields and houses. There are no street names or directions so it's just a case of 'follow your nose' but it is quite interesting to see ordinary Sherpa people at work and play.

For a while we sat outside during the afternoon talking to some guys from a Spanish party which we had come across previously. Most of the foreigners we have met are very friendly and eager to share experiences of this and other treks they have done.

Later on I wasn't feeling good at all - aching eyeballs, mild temperature, and no appetite, all exacerbated by more diarrhoea. Hopefully Noroxin will help to get rid of it reasonably quickly.

At the end of the day, my pedometer registered 7301 steps - about 5.5 km with about half of it steeply uphill.

Himalayan Odyssey (6)

Friday 5th October, 2007 (O2 @ 88%, P 61bpm)
This was a very welcome rest day at Namche Bazaar after the long hard walk up the previous day. It rained most of the night and there were lots of dogs barking throughout the night. They must have tired themselves out because they were quiet when we woke up! (Grrr!)

After breakfast we went for a walk down into the main part of the village. There are lots of shops selling clothing and equipment for trekkers - it's the last chance to buy on the outward leg. There are also grocery stores, banks, bookshop and several internet cafes.

Barry and Shirley in Namche Bazaar main 'street'

The only thing that I bought was a plastic water bottle for carrying around on days like this and also for use in the room at night time (for during the day when trekking I have my trusty Platypus 2 litre hydration bladder). Barry was still trying to contact his parents but without any success. He is still able to maintain contact with his son Matthew thanks to the Internet.

After such a strenuous morning(!) we returned to Hotel Norling and zonked out on our beds for a while listening to music (MP3) and reading (You don't want to overdo things. We're on holiday after all!)

To aid our altitude acclimatisation Dominic and I decided to walk up to the Museum which is located near the track leading out to Tengboche just over the top of the cirque. Barry had gone up to Everest View Hotel with Passang but that was way too strenuous for us - really! The track up behind the hotel was very steep and because I wasn't warmed up I had a bit of an Angina attack. It was not unexpected and went off quickly enough once I was warmed up. We missed the correct path along the way so ended up traversing fields and climbing dry stone walls until we were back on track.

Rock inscribed with Buddhist prayers at the
top of Namche Bazaar.

The museum is set up as a typical traditional Sherpa home with furnishings and household implements. Entry at 100/=Rs (~$2) was not an issue but the lights were turned off when we went in and I was completely blind - Dominic having to lead me up the stairs until we got to a glimmer of light. On the way down into the village we met up with a couple of English guys who had been up to the Everest View Hotel where they ate 'the best chips ever'.

Ang Nuru had previously told us that Saturday (the next day) is the weekly market day. When we got back to the hotel we could see early traders already setting up their tents and stalls. Occasional roars of laughter went up as street entertainers performed their acts for the appreciation of the crowds of porters and others.

Traders setting up for weekly market - Namche

At bedtime, O2 was @85% and P @ 65bpm. The figures show why all treks have a rest day at Namche on the way up. Namche is at 3440 metres and it takes the body a while to adjust to the lower oxygen content in the air. The pedometer registered just 6004 but that's not too bad for a 'rest' day.

Himalayan Odyssey (5)

4 Oct 2007
We were awakened during the night by a very heavy rainstorm but, fortunately, it was fine we arose just after 6:00am. Checking the vital stats before breakfast my HR was 62bpm and O2 at 90%.

After an early breakfast we started off at around 7:40am heading to our day's destination - Namche Bazaar. The pathway begins on the western side of the river and undulates a bit before it crosses a swing bridge over the Dudh Koshi between the small villages of Bengkar and Chumoa. We had a good lunch at Jorsale just after the Sagarmatha National Park entrance, after crossing the river once again. The scenery looking back down the river was great as shown in this picture.

Looking back down the Dudh Koshi towards
Bengkar

After crossing back over the river slightly north of Jorsale we crossed again where the Bhote Koshi joins the Dudh Koshi near the start of what is a long slow climb. There were many other trekkers, some in large groups of about 20 people, who were sometimes quite pushy to get past us. Also many heavily-laden Yak trains in both directions made for some exciting moments. Ang Nuru had already instilled in us the safe way to deal with Yak trains - get off the track if possible on the high side (you don't want to be pushed off as a Yak blunders past) and watch out for the hooves and the wide-spreading and very sharp horns. The Yaks are not aggressive - they are naturally large and made much wider by the loads that they are carrying. On a few occasions are horn embellished head came close to me and I just grabbed a horn and pushed it away without difficulty. Still - we had to be wary.

We found ourselves leapfrogging some of the pushy groups who had already passed us. As I expected - I was quite slow and happy to count out 50 or 100 paces, depending on the steepness, and then stop and let my heart rate subside from about 120+bpm to something more sensible before continuing. On very steep sections I was down to 25 paces between rests but we weren't in a hurry so taking it a bit easier was no big deal. We arrived in Namche Bazaar just after 3:00pm - about 6 hours and 20 minutes after starting out - quite weary and ready for a rest.

Namche Bazaar from the southern entrance.
Shirley, Barry and Passang in the foreground.

From the southern entrance, everything in Namche Bazaar is above you - a fact not lost on our weary bodies. Namche Bazaar nestles around the sides of a large cirque with the village centre about halfway up and in the middle of the valley. In the picture above, our hotel - Hotel Norling - is slightly left of and above the centre of the picture.

After arriving and settling into our rooms we went down to the dining room and had coffee etc, staying there until dinner time at 6:30pm. After the long hard day - about 1000 metres ascent - we were in bed early, albeit reading and listening to our MP3 players. We again measured our oxygen etc after leaving the dining room for bed and my HR was 70bpm, O2 at 86%. My pedometer reading was 14629 for the day but I'd say my pace length was probably closer to 50 cm rather than 75 cm as normal due to the steepness of the climb making a total distance for the day of somewhere between 7.5 and 9km.