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.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment