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.

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.