Himalayan Odyssey(25)

Monday 29th October, 2008

After breakfast we head down to the main road to get a taxi into the city to visit the 'Monkey Temple' (Swoyambhu Hanuman Dokha). This turns out to be an entertaining ride as there is a police blockage diverting traffic to the north when we are a little over half-way into the city. This is probably due to traffic congestion but, as usual, information is hard to come by. Anyway, our driver persuades the police to let him divert into the valley southwards instead. This takes us along narrow roads between rice paddies and through small villages and eventually brings us to the eastern north-south section of the ring road at Patam from where the driver can takes us fairly directly up to the temple. Fairly directly means lost of back streets, through another Durbhar Square and finally up the main road to the temple. As it has taken quite a bit longer to get there than expected (about 1 hour instead of 40 minutes) for the fare we negotiated we are happy to give the driver a bit extra for the scenic tour.

View of the temple dome

The temple is very busy with many tourists. It is quite interesting and another example of the toleration that exists between the Hindus and the Buddhists as both faiths are well represented at the temple. Strangely monkeys seem scarce although there are a few on the lower level before we make our way up to where most of the activity is on the upper level.

Souvenir seller and Hanuman Shrine

Large golden Budhha

The view for the temple could be quite good but it is fairly hazy so visibility is somewhat reduced. Dominic has been looking out for a good quality Tibetan Singing Bowl and manages to find one to his liking - about 18-20cm in diameter and weighing several kilogrammes. It is important to try such a bowl for yourself as its natural resonating frequencies may not be harmonious to you. Fortunately the sellers are always willing to give lessons on how to make the bowl 'sing'.

Looking back down the steps towards the city

After our visit to the temple we head down the steep steps (where I manage to save myself from a nasty fall on the worn treads) and walk back into Thamel for lunch before taking abother taxi back to Bhaktapur.

Himalayan Odyssey(24)

Sunday 28th October, 2007

It promises to be a nice fine day so having studied the local map we head off southwards past the temple to hopefully walk a circular route ending up in Bhaktapur.

The road goes down into a valley past rice paddies and through villages. The rice harvest is in full swing - people cutting, stooking, threshing and carrying all by hand. The villagers are all very friendly and the little kids like to practice their English on us. The rice stooks and the general atmosphere remind me of time spent on a farm with my aunt and uncle in Northern England as a child. The same sort of languid summer days and the women bringing lunch and tea out to the fields as we played while the men worked.

View north-east across rice fields near Bhaktapur

Rice stooks drying near Bhaktapur

Family cooperation in the rice harvest near Bhaktapur

After walking for about 80 minutes we come to a fork but there is no indication that the left hand branch - the most likely one -will lead us back over the hills and around northwards into Bhaktapur. Reluctantly we turn around, not being willing to take the chance that the road would lead us in the right direction.

As we follow the road back down the valley we stop to look at some sort of citrus tree which has enormous fruit. A local girl around 16-17 years old stops to ask what we are looking at. She tells us the fruit is edible and much like an orange. We chat for a while as we walk down the road together and then we get to her turn off. Before leaving she asks us our names which we duly disclose, upon which, and with a sweeping gesture of her right hand, she informs us the "and I am Lolita". We are gobsmacked and have a good chuckle to ourselves as we carry on down the road. From the gesture, and the way she announced here name (possibly a name she has adopted) we are in little doubt that she has read Nabokov's book.

The day has warmed up quite a lot leaving us quite hot and sweaty. I have suffered from some dizziness and blurred vision and a mild angina attack.

After lunch back at the guest house we do some (very necessary) laundry and then I entertain the staff by playing a bit of blues 'harp' outside in the banda.

Himalayan Odyssey(23)

27th October, 2008
After arriving back at the Bhaktapur Guest House yesterday, thankfully now mostly free of the UTI that kept me in the city, today we are going to visit the old royal city of Bhaktapur itself. Dominic has already seen most of it of course on the day that I was obliged to return to the guest house in sorry state.

The walk into Bhaktapur city from the guest house is not long, taking about 15 minutes. On the way we stop to watch rice harvesting and threshing in a field using a treadle driven thresher.

Rice being harvested near Bhaktapur

The city, like Durbar Square in Kathmandu, is a 'pay to enter' proposition but the cost is low. There are many old buildings in the city and many of them are under restoration. Even though tourists have to pay a fee to enter the city, it is still very much a 'working' place and there is a grammar school just inside the gates.

Backstreets of old Bhaktapur

When buying our tickets we talk to the very friendly student manning the ticket booth. When he finds out that we are from Australia he tells us that he is learning to play the digeridoo.

Walking on into the city we are accosted by another young man whom I manage to offend with ease. As he comes alongside us I tell him that we do not need a guide thankyou, thinking that he is one of the usual touts who annoy tourists. In a slightly huffy voice he says that he is a student and just wishes to talk to us and be of whatever assistance he can. I am suitably chastened and he leads us through some interesting back streets before taking his leave - we wishing him well in his studies.

Rice spread out to dry in a square in old Bhaktapur

In Peacock Alley I buy a small wooden carving of 'Garuda' which will look good on the wall at home.

The eponymous Peacock Window, Peacock Lane, Bhaktapur

Then we visit a shop selling handmade paper that Dominic and the others visited the previous Saturday. After buying a small package of greeting cards the owner Mr Prajapati offers to give us a guided tour of the paper-making factory out the back. He then takes us up through the four-storey building explaining the contents of each floor until we arrive in his son's study on the top floor. We partake in a very welcome cup of tea with father and son while discussing the son's book publishing - he has written a guide book to Bhaktapur which will be published in paper form. There is also an explanatory book which will be printed locally on hand-made paper. Our suggestion to him is to also publish it electronically.

Following lunch after walking back we spend a lazy afternoon mostly just watching the rice-harvesting going on in the valley.

Himalayan Odyssey(22)

Thursday 25th October, 2008

Today starts off rather dull in content - pick up the CT scan and take it to the clinic. The urine culture has showed up a very nasty (Nepali) bacterium which caused the prostate infection. Antibiotics for another two weeks should make sure it is gone for good (I hope).

Afterwards we check in again with Thai Air to see if a flight change has come thorugh for him. No luck yet so check back on Tuesday 30th.

In the late afternoon we take a taxi to see the giant Stupa at Bhoudanath. Apparently both locals and visitors take the opportunity to make clockwise circuits around the Stupa at the end of the day. As they go they turn the many prayer wheels set into the lower walls. They can also go up onto the Stupa and make their circuits on to of the immense building. Dominic and I also take a turn around but this is most definitely non-religious on my part and more just a look at the local culture. Along the way their are some fine examples of carved wooden doors as well as a huge prayer wheel inside a building.

The Stupa at Bhoudanath from the main entrance

Local colour at Bhoudanath as people circle the Stupa

Beautiful carved doors at Bhoudanath

During the latter part, as the sun is setting, Dominic and I go up onto the rooftop area to have an early dinner while watching the spectacle.

View of Bhoudanath Stupa from our rooftop restaurant

As the sun is setting many Buddhist monks enter the Stupa for their evening prayers and leave about half an hour or so later.

Himalayan Odyssey(21)

Tuesday 23rd October, 2007

Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me ...
I'm feeling so much better this morning following yesterday's big hit of antibiotics plus the follow up ones I have to take. While not completely 'healed up' its just so much better and since today is my birthday I think that is a pretty good present!

I'm back at the clinic at 11am for a quick check on progress. At 105/65 my blood pressure is a bit low but nothing to get too concerned about. Tomorrow I have to go for a CT scan for an anomaly which showed up on the XRay.

Later in the day the hotel sent up a birthday cake and Dominic and I had some of it as desert after dinner.

Birthday cake kindly provided by Radisson Hotel, Kathmandu

On this day last year I was at the Radisson in St Petersburg, Russia and they also provided a birthday cake and a bottle of bubbly which I shared with Mike and Sandra. Maybe this is to become a tradition for me? I wonder where I'll be next year - hopefully somewhere exotic.

Wednesday 24th October, 2007

Feeling so much better every day now so after breakfast, at Dominic's suggestion, we walk to Hanuman Durbar Square. This is an old imperial and religious area and even though it is a significant tourist attraction parts of it are still in use for religious purposes. On the way there we traverse back streets which I find quite interesting with normal everyday business going on.

Kathmandu street scene on the way to Hanuman
Durbar Square

There is a lot of reconstruction and renovation going on. Many buildings date back as far as the sixteenth century.

Pagoda, Hanuman Durbar Square, Kathmandu

Statue of Garuda, Hanuman Durbar Square, Kathmandu

Leaving the area we are again in among the back streets and alleyways and the older architecture is quite fascinating - particular the upper storey overhangs which are reminiscent of parts of some of the older towns in the UK where they built out over the street to gain more space in the building.

Residential architecture, Kathmandu

At 5pm the CT scan is over quite quickly although it takes a bit longer to get the bill paid as they have to go to another building to do the credit-card transaction. Afterwards we walk back looking for an Italian Restaurant but finding none we arrive back at the hotel and have a very pleasant dinner at their Italian Restaurant and are serenaded by a live group of local musicians. Now that I can eat again the Minestrone soup and Spaghetti Carbonara is delicious.

Himalayan Odyssey(20)

Sunday 21st October, 2007
Some slight improvement but still very painful and volume way too low. Dominic phones the CIWEC clinic in Kathmandu and is fortunate to talk to one of the doctors. He gets me an appointment for 11am tomorrow (Monday). The doctor confirms that the antibiotics I am using should be sufficient to do the trick so we'll just have to wait and see how it goes.

Monday 22nd October, 2007
There has been no real improvement in my condition since yesterday so its off to the clinic in a taxi. The guy who runs the guest house takes us down to the main road as I am really not up to walking far at all.

Arriving at the clinic which is just across the road from the British Embassy, I am attended to quite quickly. The nurse takes vitals Pulse - 88 (high), BP - 120/70 (good), temp - 38.7 (high) plus a urine sample which is a huge effort. After seeing the doctor (David K.) I'm taken in for xray and ultrasound. Because of the obvious urinary tract infection I'm put on a saline IV. Since the Norfloxacin hasn't worked they zap in some Gentamycin via the IV and I just rest for most of the rest of the day. They also gave me paracetomol to break the fever and for some time I'm lying in bath of perspiration.

It doesn't take too long for the Gentamycin to start working its magic and I'm able to pass more of a normal volume for the first time in a few days - wonderful. Dr David wants me to be available to attend the clinic over the next few days so suggests two possibilities. First would be to check me into the clinic hospital wing. Second option is to go into a local hotel for a few nights. I choose the latter so we end up in the Radisson which is just five minutes walk away. In this state I'll worry about the cost later.

Himalayan Odyssey(19)

Saturday 20th October, 2007
Woke up very tired after a truly rotten night. Very painful to urinate and little output. I had woken up in a lather at one stage and even had to change pillows because the one I was using was soaked through. However, I get up for a light breakfast as Tulsi and Bhimal are to take us into Bhaktapur to look at some of the Dashain festival celebrations. After walking down the hill and across the main road we stop to have a look at a Temple where there were many people queued up to get their sacrifices blessed.

People queued at the Temple to get their sacrifices blessed
(Outskirts of Bhaktapur)

It is quite warm and I am very thirsty, needing to urinate, and getting very cranky at Barry who keeps hanging around the temple rather than carrying on which is what I want to do. I realise, however, that it is not his problem but mine so I decide to go back to the guest house and let them enjoy the day without me acting the misery guts.

I spend the rest of the day in bed. When Dominic gets back from the excursion we look up the book and decide that a course of Norfloxacin is in order. Fortunately we have plenty on hand so I start off on a course of it.

All in all it has been a pretty awful day but hopefully the antibiotics will do their job and tomorrow will be better.

Himalayan Odyssey(18)

Friday, 19th October, 2008
After a nice quiet night's sleep we only have time for a cup of coffee at 7am before Tulsi arrives at 7:30 to take us to the Shiva Temple. The walk up the hill is quite pleasant in the early morning. At the beginning of the Temple grounds there are two paths up to the Temple. One through a formal gateway and up flights of steps to the top of the hill and the other up a slightly less steep set of steps. We chose the less steep path ;-)

Gateway on path leading to Shiva Temple, Bhaktapur

Detail of carved wooden plaque in Temple gateway

Shiva Temple, Bhaktapur

After visiting the Temple its back to Tulsi's house where we meet his lovely wife and have another cup of coffee and then back to the guest house for breakfast.

Dominic and I head into Kathmandu by catching a local bus at the bottom of the hill for 50/= Rs. After getting off the bus in Kathmandu its a 2km walk to the Thai Air office - arriving at about 12 noon and they close for lunch at 1pm. The office is packed and they have a ticketing system so that they can deal with people in proper order. My ticket is 26 and they are currently serving number 7! However, we get to the counter just before the 1pm close only to find that there is no way to change my flights to get back to Aus and earlier. Dominic gets waitlisted for 31 October - hopefully to fly out with me but we will just have to wait and see.

After the 'excitement' of the airline office we walk into Thamel and, appropriately, have a Thai lunch at 'Yin Yang'. AFter a bit of shopping we pick up the rest of our belongings from the Yanki Hotel and taxi back to the guest house at Bhaktapur for 1500/= Rs. This tariff included the taxi-driver carrying the suitcase up the hill because his taxi couldn't make it.

Himalayan Odyssey(17)

Thursday, 18th October, 2007

Because we were told that we would fly out at 9am we are up and packed ready for breakfast by 7:30am. It is a brilliantly clear day so everyone expects the flights to be on time. Of course - we don't know what conditions are like in Kathmandu. After waiting a while the lodge Didi tells us that Kathmandu is fogged in.

So we waited (and waited ...) at the lodge until eventually, just before midday, we are told to make our way to the Airport (this is about a 150m walk). While waiting we had watched some of the planes landing and taking off on the short airstrip.

Plane landing at Lukla

Plane taking off at Lukla

One pilot left his touchdown a little late and used all of the strip plus the turnaround area at the top to be able to stop before ploughing into the concrete wall which stops the planes from coming into our hotel.

Eventually our flight leaves at 13:05 arriving in Kathmandu with no dramas around 13:40. Since we had previously agreed and arranged that we would go to Bhaktapur for a few days - where Barry's friend Tulsi lives - he (Barry) has to contact Tulsi to let him know that we have arrived and need to know how to get to Bhaktapur. The deal turns out to be that we are to wait for Bimhal - Tulsi's son - to meet up with us. Barry and Dominic had to go down to the main gateway to the airport to meet up with him otherwise he would not be allowed into the area. Eventually the three of them come back - Shirley and I had been minding the bags - and arrange a mini-bus to take us to the Bhaktapur Guest House which is owned by Tulsi's uncle.

The trip out was uneventful but the guest house is at the top of a hill and we have to walk up because the mini-bus can't make it up the steep, rough track with a full load.

The guest house is a large modernish complex generally used for conferences and as a training venue. It is currently empty and we have good clean rooms over the dining room. There is electric light, hot water any time for the en-suite shower, and even TV - what luxury!

After getting settled in Bimhal takes us to meet up with his father and sister Tripti at their house which is just behind the guest house. They are a very nice family and very friendly. Barry and Shirley met Tulsi when he was at the ANU in Canberra while Bimhal and Tripti were only about 5/6 years old. Since Bimhal is now about 17/18 that puts it at about 12 years ago.

(Dominic) Tulsi, Bimhal and Tripti at the house near Bhaktapur

Tomorrow Tulsi is going to take us up to the Shiva (Hindu) Temple which is a bit further up the hill behind the guest house.

Being so far away from the main road it is very quiet and peaceful up here at the guest house - a total contrast to the noise and confusion of Kathmandu which is only about 45 minutes drive away.

The rest of our gear is still at the Yanki Hotel in Thamel so we plan to pick it up tomorrow. I also want to go into the Thai Air Line office to see if I can get an earlier flight back to Australia - there is no point in me hanging around here. If I can get back earlier Pat and I might get away elsewhere for a few days before I have to go back to work.

Himalayan Odyssey(16)

Tuesday 16th October, 2007

At around 8am we leave Namche Bazaar for the long walk down to Ghat - a descent of around 1000 metres. For the very first time ever my knees start to play up - the left one in particular. There are many steps on the path and they tend to be generally higher rise height than your average staircase. This tends to overload the knees somewhat so to relieve the stress I find myself lowering the left leg at the expense of the right one. Fortunately this doesn't cause any overloading of the right knee so it isn't too bad walking.

The day is a beautiful one for walking and we are taking it reasonably easy. A stop at Benkar for a drink near the waterfall is very pleasant.

On our way up we had stopped at Phakding and the accomodation was fine but Ang Nuru wants us to overnight at his Aunt's lodge at Ghat - about 40 minutes past Phakding. Lunch at Phakding is pleasant and we chat with some other travellers while sitting outside in the sunshine.

After lunch it is on to Ghat only to find that his Aunt only has a double room available. We are offered accomodation in the monastery but I decline because I don't want to offend the monks by not sticking to rituals or whatever. I am really quite annoyed with Ang Nuru for not organising it properly. This is probably exacerbated by low blood sugar after walking for several hours so we sit inside the tea room and have a drink while Ang Nuru goes off to find us alternative accommodation. Eventually the situation is resolved and we have two rooms (which amounts to exclusive use) of a new lodge just a few hundred metres towards Lukla.

The new lodge where Ang Nuru has arranged our rooms is, in fact not quite complete. The upstairs area where the rooms are is not completely fitted out - there will probably be a few more rooms up here eventually. It is fresh and clean although the toilet is a bit of a trek outside and around the side of the building.

In the late afternoon as we are resting and reading there were some huge thunderstorms and torrential rain. However, the nights sleep is good and I only have to go outside once during the night.
O2 93% Pulse 60, pedometer 20770.

Wednesday 17th October 2007
Today is a fairly short but slow walk from Ghat to Lukla. Looking around at the mountains dominating both sides of the river valley we discover that yesterday afternoon and evenings rain fell as snow on the peaks down to between 3300 and 3600 metres.

A little way along the track we stop for a few minutes to watch some monkeys raiding a garden plot - and being chased off by the garden o wner. I guess this is one of the penalties for living in such wonderful surroundings.

The uphill stretches make me a bit blurry-eyed but this clears quickly when I rest - frequently! I used Tiger Balm on my knee last night and it has eased it a little although there is still some discomfort rotating through the last 10 degrees before the leg straightens.

A long shot of Ang Nuru's house across the valley.
The two-storey house cost $4,000 to build.

After about 3 hours we reach Lukla where our accomodation is at the Shangri-La Lodge which looks out over the end of the airport runway. At this stage the pedometer reads 12050 steps.

At lunch we meet up with Ang Nuru's friend, Mike Quayle. Mike is an Englishman from the Isle of Man and is associated with a charity which builds schools in Nepal. He also provides free marketing for The Sherpa Society.

Ang Nuru tells us that the hotel will confirm our flight details for tomorrow once the Yeti Airlines office re-opens at 3pm. Later on they tell us that we are confirmed for flying out at 9am which is a good time. Both Ang Nuru and Pasang are going to their homes, which are not too far away, for the night and we will see them in the morning.

Lukla is one of the less inspiring places to stay but we have a walk down the main street later on. The street is very dirty with broken stone paving which would account for a few sprained or broken ankles for the unwary. In the middle of the street there is a drain which is barely concealed under stone slabs.

For dinner back at the Shangri-La I have Spaghetti with a tomato and cheese sauce which is quite OK but I couldn't finish the whole dish.

We are early to bed and I read for a while until my arms become too cold.

Himalayan Odyssey(15)

Sunday 14th October, 2007


Today we had a restful Sunday in Namche. After a late breakfast we stroll around the town, past the Tibetan markets laid out in the field below Hotel Norling. The goods on sale are mostly clothing and bedding items. In the centre of town I buy a new book to read ('Making History' by British actor and writer Stephen Fry) having almost exhauseted my current one.

As we were coming along the track through Sanasa yesterday a girl was selling little cloth amulet bags with a Mandala embroidered on the front. I hadn't bought any at the time but I buy a couple of these in Namche as gifts. Since Namche is well provided with Internet cafes I also send an email home to Patricia to let her know what is happening - the fore-shortened trek etc. The email is not expensive - about 100/= Rs for 10 minutes usage.

The village this morning is thick with white and pungent Juniper smoke as people burn it in their devotion rituals.

As we are going to be her for at least another day we suggest to Ang Nuru that he lets Chiring, our porter, go home for a night or two since there is nothing for him to do here. We have been toying with the idea of going over to Thamo for a night when Barry and Shirley get back but we won't need our full gear just for that - we can travel much lighter.

The rest of the day passes peacefully and we are glad of the additional time to let our bodies recover.

At the end of the day the pedometer reading is a measly 1200.

Monday 15th October, 2007
O2 89%, pulse 51 - obviously the rest day at this slightly lower altitude has worked a little magic.

Its another quiet day for us after an 8:30ish breakfast. Dominic and I walk up past the Gompa which is on the way out to Thamo, and then circle around the top coming along the high bypass track. It was very peaceful as we sat for a while in the sun overlooking the village.

Barry and Shirley arrive back mid-afternoon with Pasang having come down all the way from Pheriche today. They had made it up Kala Patar where Barry hung the prayer flags in honour of his brother. Since the Hotel Norling is full up they are staying at Hotel Himalaya which is not too far away.

After a bit of discussion we decide to walk down tomorrow to Ghat which is on the way to Lukla, and then on to Lukla the following day to fly back to Kathmandu the day after that. Barry and Shirley are not interested in doing the Thamo side-trip and we aren't really committed to it either.

Later in the day from our bedroom window we watched some guys engaged in constructing a new lodge. They were using a traditional pit saw. This could be a segment for Tony Robinson's "Worst Jobs Still Being Done" if he ever has such a show.

Pit-saw being worked at Namche Bazaar
(centre of picture)

Counting today, we have been at altitudes of 3,400 metres or higher for 11 days.

At the end of the day the pedometer reads 4000.

Himalayan Odyssey(14)

Saturday October 13th, 2007

It was very cold overnight and, for the first time on the trip, I slept in longjohns and socks. We start our walk on the leg to Namche Bazaar at around 8:00am. Shortly after beginning the long descent to the river (Dudh Koshi) I spot a group of pheasant-like birds scurrying through the underrush below us. Ang Nuru tells us that they are 'Monal' - indeed a kind of pheasant - and we are very priveleged to actually see them. The Himalayan Monal is the national bird of Nepal.

Still near the top of the track we can see Khumjung directly opposite us at about the same altitude.

Khumjung seen from the descent from Tenboche

Later on, looking back up the river valley, we can see the track which goes up to Phortse to the west of Tengboche.

The track to Phortse wriggling up the west side of the valley

After about an hour we reach the river crossing and then another long uphill slog to Sanasa. This stretch is quite strenuous and I have a few Angina attacks, using my Nitrolingual spray twice to ease the symtoms. At Sanasa we have a very welcome break for lunch which includes one of our favourite drinks - hot lemon. While we are there Ang Nuru runs into an English guy, Mike, who has apparently acted as his mentor/counsellor through the period after his (Ang Nuru's) father's death.

The track from Sanasa is almost level with mild undulations before reaching Namche. At one point the track has been built up across a very steep drop which goes all the way down the river 300 metres below. A false step here would be very nasty!

Also on this stretch we see some more of the pheasant-like birds - this time in the open. When flying they show a brilliant red tail display. Ang Nuru tells us these are Dhanphe which turns out to be just another name for the Himalayan Monal (Impeyan Pheasant).

The rest of the walk is uneventful and the view of Namche from the top of the hill is a very welcome sight - it really is a remarkable location for a settlement.

Namche Bazaar from the Sanasa track.

We arrive at Hotel Norling in Namche about five and a half hours after leaving Tengboche. This time we are given a room on the first floor right over the 'Dinning' room.

Overall today the walking has been cool but strenuous and we are ready to zonk out and relax at the end.

The pedometer registers 10200 paces, O2 is at 84% and pulse is good at 56.

Himalayan Odyssey(13)

Friday October 12th, 2007 (O2 84% pulse 64)

We have a fairly late start (8:30am) from Sonam Lodge in Pangboche as we don't have far to go today - only as far as Tengboche. It's a brilliantly sunny morning for the walk which, as we know from the walk up three days ago, is 'flat on average'.

I couldn't resist taking a picture of the family's accomodation at the lodge before we left. The outer cladding is 4 gallon kerosene cans which have been opened up and flattened out.

Family dwelling at Sonam Lodge, Pangboche
Lhotse in the background

The first part of the walk today is downhill towards the river crossing. There we have to wait for Yak trains and porters to cross but we are not in any hurry. After the river crossing the path is relatively level as it passes through Debuche and Rhododendron, Pine and Birch forest. The cloud is low over the valley but it is still quite pleasant, although cooling rapidly.

Mani stone wall beside the path near Debuche

There is a porter resting under that load of timber!

The recently rebuilt stone pathway soon passes and it is back among the trees for
the slow haul up to Tengboche, which we reached after about 1 hour and 50 minutes of walking.

I have a brief lie down before lunch but I I have chilled down quite a lot so the down jacket got its second usage.

Lunch of real chicken soup and a boiled egg is very welcome and tasty. Afterwards we visit the Eco-Centre attached to the monastery and also the monastery itself.

Rear view of the Monastery at Tengboche

Back at the lodge we learn that the 'unseasonal' cloudy weather has sealed in Lukla and there haven't been any flights in or out for 4 days.

Today I'm still getting a bit of chest pain but this is mainly when 'under load' - i.e. going uphill.

At evening the pedometer reads 7137, O2 is at 84% and pulse is 64.

Himalayan Odyssey(12)

Thursday 11th October, 2007 (O2 86%, pulse 54)

Woke up tired this morning after a very bad night. I woke up several times during the night literally gasping for breath and it was very uncomfortable. Also had some slight soreness in the upper chest. I'm definitely not looking forward to the stretch from here (Dingboche) to Lobuche which is another 500 metres higher at 4910 metres.

After talking it over with Dominic and Ang Nuru we decided that it would be silly for me to carry on and risk Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) with the early symptoms already well in evidence. If it had been like this yesterday morning and then OK today it would have been adifferent matter. I was happy to go back down to Pangboche by myself with a porter but Dominic decided that he would come with me. I feel bad about him missing out on the ascent of Kala Pattar but it is his decision in the end.

After a light breakfast Dominic and I started back down to Pangboche between 8:30 and 9:00am. It was quite a pleasant walk down but the upper chest soreness made it a bit uncomfortable. This soreness is probably due to irritation of the membranes from sucking in huge quantities of cold, dry air but is unlikely to go off without rest.

We arrived back at Sonam Lodge around 11:20am and chatted to some English guys who are going to climb Ama Dablam. Apparently there will be about 20 different climbing groups on the mountain.

There was also another Brit who lives in Los Angeles and he has come down from Ama Dablam to try to get rid of a cold before returning to climb with his party.

The weather today was much colder than it has previously been and it promises to be a cold night although that won't be a problem for us in our sleeping bags.

Pedometer was 10217.

Himalayan Odyssey(11)

Wednesday, 10th October, 2007

(O2 88%, pulse 52)

Today was fairly restful being a planned acclimatisation day in Dingboche. Dominic and I went for a walk up as far as the Chorten on the track towards Dughla and Lobuche.

Dingboche looking South-west from the start of the Dughla track

The Chorten sits on top of the ridge leading out of the village and provides a good place to assess the view around 360 degrees.

Dominic in fron of the Chorten on the ridge
above Dingboche leading towards Dughla

I felt that my breathing was pretty good at this altitude and my aching quads tell me when it is time to stop and have a rest. After a couple of minutes break things are back to normal and time to carry on again. The hypoxia or whatever is still affecting my vision however.

The village was quite picturesque viewed from the Chorten as shown in this view. The Sherpaland Lodge where we are staying is the U-shaped building right in the centre with a slighter darker blue roof.

Dingboche from the Dughla track near the Chorten

Since Barry and Shirley had a rest day yesterday they have gone off up to Chukhung which is on the track leading east to Island Peak. They arrived back at the lodge at around 1:15pm. Barry would dearly have loved to get to the Island Peak base camp but Ang Nuru had persuaded him that it was not doable on this trip.

The third child of the lodge owner is a very energetic and mischievous girl of around 12 years old. She delighted in teasing Dominic and I by surprising us at the window as we sat reading in the dining room. This was on here way backwards and forwards between the field at the back of the lodge and the front of the lodge carrying a heavy basket full of dried Yak poo to a stack from which it can be brought inside to fuel the fire.

We had a chat to a couple of Swiss guys who had left Gorak Shep that morning. After climbing Kala Pattar they had then headed down all the way to Dingboche.

Later in the afternoon I had a drink of juice made from the fruit of the Sea Buckthorn which grows on the hillsides. Apparently there is a movement to farm and use this plant which is reputed to have some very good medicinal properties. (See the Sea Buckthorn Research site). The lodge had an advert up on the wall for it so I decided to give it a go. I was mildly surprised that it was served up hot but it had a not unpleasant taste and went down OK.

Another early night to read and listen to MP3 player to prepare for the slog up to Lobuche tomorrow. The original itinerary that Dominic had worked out would have had us going only as far as Dughla and then face the 300m ascent to Lobuche the following day. However, Ang Nuru had told us that there was no suitable accomodation in Dughla so we were to to the full Dingboche to Lobuche leg in one go.

At bedtime, O2 84%, pulse 54, Pedometer 2000.