Finally on the way. We spend the last few days getting ready for our trip, buying snacks, toilet paper and more clothes to bring with us.
Kathmandu airport is a chaos, the power is down and so is the generator, so we miss our flight and have to wait for 2 hours for the next one.
Our plane is small, for maybe 20 people, but we are only 8, me and Kat being the only tourists. We take of and we are in for a treat! What a view, the Katmandu is disappearing in the distance and we are getting closer to the snow covered mountains. Flight to Lukla is a one big adventure as the plane has to climb to flight over high narrow pass, looks like we clear it by meters, no wonder they don't fly when it is windy.
But the real adrenaline rush is when you see the runway you will be landing on. The size of a parking lot, going up the hill, ending into the rock wall. Our pilot is a pro and the landing is smooth.
We pick up our backpacks, eat little lunch and get on the trail.
The trail is pretty busy with lot's of trekkers and porters currying heavy loads, with occasional group of oxes with bells around their necks. They seems scary at first, but are pretty mellow and usually pass you without much interest in you.
We hike for few hours, mostly down the hill, crossing over our first of many hanging bridges.
Day 2
We climbed the steep hill (800m) to Namche Bazaar, which is set on the hill with snow covered peak around. Beautiful views and for the first time we feel we are getting closer to Himalayas. We got our first peek at Mt. Everest too.
Day 3
We spend the day walking around, visiting Mt. Everest Museum with more views of the mountains.
Trying to catch up with our original plan, we leave to trek to the next village, some 300m higher. Khumjung is an old Sherpa village. There aren't that many tourists there, and we get to have it all for our-self to explore in the evening.
Unfortunately me and Kat start to feel sick. This is when I start questioning our quick progress and lack of rest days. Our guide Joti is a wonderful guy, but I guess he tried to get us back on the schedule after our delayed start and underestimated how bad that can be for us.
We are taking our first Diamox ( high altitude medicine) and it helps us to feel little better. But even with the little experience I have, I know we need to get low to acclimatize better. We decided to hike to Pangboche which is the lowest town on the way up.
Day 4
It only took us few hours to get there and we are feeling much better. The hike was pleasant, we are in better mood and we enjoy saying hi and namaste to passing trekkers. We met few female monks, singing songs while hiking.
The village is small, only few houses and two lodges. We spend the afternoon taking shower, enjoying sun and strolling around, watching trekkers and animals crossing a hanging bridge. Our lodge is full and we are enjoying company of fellow trekkers, sitting around the fire stove with the locals, who are drinking rice beer. Good times, Kat takes a group picture of all of us.
Day 5
We only have to climb for few hours to Tengboche today. We are feeling way better and the 2 Austrian boys we met last night are keeping us company for the way up. We take it easy and Joti plays his flute for us while we take a rest enjoying the view.
Tengbodge is sitting on top of the hill, with amazing views, and monastery with a gate worth photographing. We eat our lunch in the sun and then go for an afternoon prayer to the monastery. The monks are praying in melodic voices and I look around the room, liking the red, gold and yellow colors around. The rays of light are trying to get inside thought the windows and it all feels very soothing and relaxing.
Afternoon is getting colder, but we still have to hike up the hill in order to " hike high, sleep low" motto, we start up the hill and are pleasantly surprise to see clouds rolling bellow us , making it perfect for amazing sunset. We watch the sky turning yellow and orange and than quickly make our way back to the lodge to warm up by the fire and eat warm dinner.
Day 6
We are heading higher to the next village. The trail is not that steep and we are doing well. It is windy and colder up here and we have to cover our faces.
We stop for lunch and I chat with Jimmy , English guy I met few days back on the trail.
Two more hours of fast hiking, i left Kat with Joti behind, and I am in our destination for the day.
My new friend Jimmy runs out from the near Bakery and calls me in for a tea. The room smells like fresh baked goodies and i am enjoying my tea.
My new friends join us and stay in our lodge and now instead just the three of us, we have four British guys, one Scottish girl and Anemesh from India staying with us! What a joy to have such a good company for the evening.
My and Kat are starting to feel the elevation gain and get headache, this time we just take the Diamox without hesitating and go for a quick afternoon hike to a near hill.
Evening is full of fun, stories and Joti playes his flute for us. We all hit the be by 8 pm, when the light goes off , there is no power and they are using solar charged battery.
Next day is our rest day, the British guys are going on. If everything goes good, we should meet in a lodge 3 days later.
It is cold outside, water that was in my bottle in my room got frozen overnight.
Joti has planned a hike to the 5400m peak and we are not too excited. Somehow we would rather sit near fire and read books.
Well it needs to be done, we need to get higher to acclimatise better. So up we go. I just want to be done with it and hike fast, as usual, kat is keeping slower and steady pace and soon we are quite far apart. I reach the 4700m with Joti, who without much of an afford hikes ahead of me. I give him sandwich for Kat and go on on my own. Somehow it is way better for my motivation when it is just me and the mountain. I keep getting higher, breathing heavy and make it near the first summit, 4900m, so i climbed 700 in 2 hours, that is enough for me, i take few pictures, eat the cheese sandwich and head fast down. I am happy to meet Kat and Joti waiting for me in 4700m and we all together go back to the lodge.
Time for some freshly baked Danish and apple pie at the bakery.
In the evening the owners 3 years old runs around and I get to practice my nanny skills, drawing pictures for him... What do you draw for a little Sherpa kid? Yak, mountains, house, stupa... Nepalese kids are really cute, with their rosy cheeks.
Bed time at 8, the usual. We have 5 hours hike waiting for us. To Lobuche near 5000 m. Mash and R are going to join us for this part.
Day 10,
We are on the way down. Last few days was hard. Cold nights, followed by trekking higher every day. We are tired. We made it to gorac sheep, ate our lunch and had a little break and started to climb the Kala Pattar to be at the summit for the sunset. I am having hard time, going slow and getting dizzy. I kept going, but reached the summit only thanks to Joti our guide. I am lightheaded on the top and have to sit down how dizzy i feel, but I did it! 5500m!
We are sleeping at 5000m and i have a cold. Such a rough environment. We witness 2 helicopter evacuations in 24 hours. It seems to be common that people get sick and can't make it back.
I took ibuprofen, paracetamol and diamox to sleep better. I feel chills all over my body and can't sleep. You can hear people coughing, the walls are paper thin.
Last day, we have our breakfast and slowly start hiking to the Everest base camp at 5400m. We are tired, going slow, it takes us over two ours to get there!
Finally, we made it, i am so happy, we pose for pictures and enjoy the view of the Khumbu ice fall. We take few rocks with us, little peaces of Everest to take home with me.
We eat our lunch at Gorak Shep and head out , mostly 2 hours down hill to Lobuche. I feel happy to be going down, our headaches staying behind. We are now group of 5 and we are pleasantly surprise to meet our 4 British friends from 2 nights ago. We are a sitting around the fire stove , sharing our stories and pictures. Good times.
Day 11.
5 hours of hiking gets us to my favorite town of Tengboche. I take a shower, is has been 6 days since my last one!. I am happy, feeling the oxygen, loving how the clouds are rolling over the hill. The night is way warmer and we sleep better.
Day 12
We push and hike all the way to Namche bazaar, where we have few hours break, to enjoy the sun. Me and R stop at German bakery to have delicious chocolate danish ad tea sitting on the roof enjoying the view, waiting for our slower friends. we have good lunch and shop for souvenirs.
We leave the town around 3pm, to hike for few hours more, to Jorsale, we have dropped over 1000m, staying by the river in a little lodge. I sleep like a baby, still have a bit of a cough, but feel warm at night.
Day 13
Five more hours of hiking and we are back in Lukla. Celebrating with chocolate cake and glass if wine. Can't wait to be in Kathmandu and be warm again!
Day 14
Early morning, chaos at the airport, saying farewell to Joti who is staying behind, doing one more trek to Everest Base Camp one more time in few days.
