Dunkibas, Nov 27, 2011.
69 km.
The weather has been holding up fine. It continues to be warm and sunny during the day, but still gets quite chilly at nights. I stopped along the roadside for chai around ten, and then also took a sizable plate of chaat that was excellent. Having had that I skipped lunch, except for a pack of biscuits along with more chai around one. As I was finishing the biscuits I saw another tour cyclist pass by. I shouted after him, whistled and honked my horn, all to no avail. He wasn't going fast at the time and I thought I would catch up with him rather soon, but I never did.
Around two thirty I happened to spot a Tandoori restaurant by the roadside and stopped. When I asked the man said he also runs a guest house with a few rooms. So I moved in. Now I have had the best dinner so far on this trip. The man has worked as a cook for several years in India, and then for some more years in Israel. Fortunately he has now returned home to set up this Tandoori place.
The road has today been wide and generally good. It does however have a very rough tarmac. I am sure it is fine for trucks and buses, but not ideal for cycling. Had the surface been smoother I think I could have done 20-25 % better speed with the same effort.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Barathpur
Barathpur, Nov 26, 2011.
49 km.
I was sure to find lodging in Barathpur but had been unable to verify lodging further on, if I were to ride another couple of hours. Right after Mugling the road turned worse. Mostly because it was cut out of the rocky hillside the road was narrower and had no shoulder to get off on. I kept a good lookout in the rearview mirror and again stopped many times to let traffic pass.
Beautiful but narrow
I had lunch at Narayanagar, and stopped already at Barathpur. Need to do some laundry.
49 km.
I was sure to find lodging in Barathpur but had been unable to verify lodging further on, if I were to ride another couple of hours. Right after Mugling the road turned worse. Mostly because it was cut out of the rocky hillside the road was narrower and had no shoulder to get off on. I kept a good lookout in the rearview mirror and again stopped many times to let traffic pass.
I had lunch at Narayanagar, and stopped already at Barathpur. Need to do some laundry.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Mugling
Mugling, Nov 25, 2011.
57 Km.
It was a bit up and down as one can expect in The Himalayas, but no major hills really. Not after the seven pass trek I did in The Khumbu just before this bike trip. I had read somewhere that Mugling can be a bad experience and it was right up my sleeve when I spotted a Thakali lodge and restaurant only 2- 3 km short of Mugling and just as my legs started to feel leaden. I got a fine room with hot shower for 500 Rs.
The lady, when I asked her, said that Thakali is a cast, and that they prided themselves in keeping clean about them. Her house and restaurant bore fine evidence to that. And the food was good too.
She asked if I had been to Mustang, from where they come. I said no. Then she asked if I had been to Muktinath. Sure I have, twice actually, Nov 1983 and again Nov 2007. So she says then I have been to Mustang, since Muktinath is Mustang. Lower Mustang actually, but nevertheless. Kagbeni, Marpha, Tukche and Lete are also in Mustang.
Later she tells me they are Buddhists. This surprises me as when she said cast I assumed they were Hindus. Buddhists have no cast system. But I have heard others on the subcontinent use the word cast as a sort, or maybe even race. One fisherman in India said "also fish have many cast". In this case I suppose it means ethnicity.
They took my bike in to the restarant in the evening.
PS The cycling was fine and beautiful. Weather was good. The traffic came in bursts of 5-6 cars at a time, many of them were buses and trucks. Several times I stopped by the curb and let them pass.
57 Km.
It was a bit up and down as one can expect in The Himalayas, but no major hills really. Not after the seven pass trek I did in The Khumbu just before this bike trip. I had read somewhere that Mugling can be a bad experience and it was right up my sleeve when I spotted a Thakali lodge and restaurant only 2- 3 km short of Mugling and just as my legs started to feel leaden. I got a fine room with hot shower for 500 Rs.
The lady, when I asked her, said that Thakali is a cast, and that they prided themselves in keeping clean about them. Her house and restaurant bore fine evidence to that. And the food was good too.
She asked if I had been to Mustang, from where they come. I said no. Then she asked if I had been to Muktinath. Sure I have, twice actually, Nov 1983 and again Nov 2007. So she says then I have been to Mustang, since Muktinath is Mustang. Lower Mustang actually, but nevertheless. Kagbeni, Marpha, Tukche and Lete are also in Mustang.
Later she tells me they are Buddhists. This surprises me as when she said cast I assumed they were Hindus. Buddhists have no cast system. But I have heard others on the subcontinent use the word cast as a sort, or maybe even race. One fisherman in India said "also fish have many cast". In this case I suppose it means ethnicity.
They took my bike in to the restarant in the evening.
PS The cycling was fine and beautiful. Weather was good. The traffic came in bursts of 5-6 cars at a time, many of them were buses and trucks. Several times I stopped by the curb and let them pass.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Kathmandu to Bombay, Calchhi
(I hope this works. I am now using my smartphone as a wifi hotspot.
Don't have much speed and will abide with any pictures.)
Calchhi, Nov 24, 2011. 40 kms.
Kathmandu to Bombay
Oh how nice it is to be on the road again!
I flew out to Kathmandu some 6 - 7 weeks ago. Then I went on a 36-day trek from Jiri to EBC, Gokyo, Renjo-la and eventually out through The Arun Valley. I took a flight from Tumlingtar back to Kathmandu. Was there for a week, resting my tired body, buying a mountainbike, and generally hanging out.
Once again I bought a brand new Trek 4300. This time it is a 2012 model, 19,5" frame. I had with me my Schwalbe Supremes that had rolled 4000 kms last winter in Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. I got the bike from "Dusk to Dawn" a cycling setup in Kathmandu that in addition to selling bikes and accessories also organizes guided cycle trips in Nepal and Tibet.
I went there as soon as I had settled in in Kathmandu. But the owner Chimmi had no recollection of our recent email conversations, in which he had told me a Trek 4300 would sell for 40 000 Nepalese Rupees. Instead he wanted 47 000.
But after my Everest trek he had come down to 43 000, and the rupee had shrunk in value once more, so I accepted. I think it comes to about 400 Euros, pretty much what I have paid previously for Trek 4300.
I don't make very detailed plans for my trips. I start in Kathmandu and fly home from Bombay almost four months later. But I have not checked at all how far it is, and I am not beyond taking a train or bus if I find some area too cold, or annoying in some other way. I do however wish to cycle through Madhya Pradesh, the middle Indian state, where I have never been. For a while I planned to take a mountain road between Kathmandu and the Indian border at Raxhaul. But when I realised that Raxhaul is in Bihar, an Indian state of which not much nice has been said, I changed my plans to go via Bhairawa instead. That will take me straight to Uttar Pradesh, heavily populated but with a better reputation.
So this morning I set off at about 0830. It is late November and winter is coming here as well, nights have been cold since I came back to town. It was still chilly in Kathmandu when I left, but I soon warmed up riding mostly uphill for about an hour in heavy traffic.
Quite soon however I was over the ridge and enjoyed some 30 kms of winding downhill. K is at some 1300 mtrs above sea level. Already now I am at 400 mtrs asl, and it is definitely warmer here.
Once I was out of K the traffic became much less intense, and I found myself enjoying the ride thoroughly. Nepal is a very beautiful place, and the countryside people very nice. When I had just stopped by the roadside to rest my butt and check the map I had several people stop to ask if I needed any help. And many waved at me and greeted me with Namaste!
Cycling in Nepal
Suddenly my brand new bike computer froze. It is an "Asaklitt", a Swedish brand, most certainly made in China. Cheap and obviously not that good. I had to do a hard reset by taking out the battery. It was of course a nuisance to lose the accumulated distance. But it had the good side effect of me discovering that I had stopped just outside a "resort". I like to start out easy and so took a room here. The room itself is pretty grotty, but there is a nice garden. Tomorrow I plan to ride to Muglai, about 60 kms from here.
So nice to be cycling again!
Don't have much speed and will abide with any pictures.)
Calchhi, Nov 24, 2011. 40 kms.
Kathmandu to Bombay
Oh how nice it is to be on the road again!
I flew out to Kathmandu some 6 - 7 weeks ago. Then I went on a 36-day trek from Jiri to EBC, Gokyo, Renjo-la and eventually out through The Arun Valley. I took a flight from Tumlingtar back to Kathmandu. Was there for a week, resting my tired body, buying a mountainbike, and generally hanging out.
Once again I bought a brand new Trek 4300. This time it is a 2012 model, 19,5" frame. I had with me my Schwalbe Supremes that had rolled 4000 kms last winter in Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. I got the bike from "Dusk to Dawn" a cycling setup in Kathmandu that in addition to selling bikes and accessories also organizes guided cycle trips in Nepal and Tibet.
I went there as soon as I had settled in in Kathmandu. But the owner Chimmi had no recollection of our recent email conversations, in which he had told me a Trek 4300 would sell for 40 000 Nepalese Rupees. Instead he wanted 47 000.
But after my Everest trek he had come down to 43 000, and the rupee had shrunk in value once more, so I accepted. I think it comes to about 400 Euros, pretty much what I have paid previously for Trek 4300.
I don't make very detailed plans for my trips. I start in Kathmandu and fly home from Bombay almost four months later. But I have not checked at all how far it is, and I am not beyond taking a train or bus if I find some area too cold, or annoying in some other way. I do however wish to cycle through Madhya Pradesh, the middle Indian state, where I have never been. For a while I planned to take a mountain road between Kathmandu and the Indian border at Raxhaul. But when I realised that Raxhaul is in Bihar, an Indian state of which not much nice has been said, I changed my plans to go via Bhairawa instead. That will take me straight to Uttar Pradesh, heavily populated but with a better reputation.
So this morning I set off at about 0830. It is late November and winter is coming here as well, nights have been cold since I came back to town. It was still chilly in Kathmandu when I left, but I soon warmed up riding mostly uphill for about an hour in heavy traffic.
Quite soon however I was over the ridge and enjoyed some 30 kms of winding downhill. K is at some 1300 mtrs above sea level. Already now I am at 400 mtrs asl, and it is definitely warmer here.
Once I was out of K the traffic became much less intense, and I found myself enjoying the ride thoroughly. Nepal is a very beautiful place, and the countryside people very nice. When I had just stopped by the roadside to rest my butt and check the map I had several people stop to ask if I needed any help. And many waved at me and greeted me with Namaste!
Suddenly my brand new bike computer froze. It is an "Asaklitt", a Swedish brand, most certainly made in China. Cheap and obviously not that good. I had to do a hard reset by taking out the battery. It was of course a nuisance to lose the accumulated distance. But it had the good side effect of me discovering that I had stopped just outside a "resort". I like to start out easy and so took a room here. The room itself is pretty grotty, but there is a nice garden. Tomorrow I plan to ride to Muglai, about 60 kms from here.
So nice to be cycling again!
Saturday, November 19, 2011
In Kathmandu again
It was surprisingly easy getting a flight from Tumlingtar to Kathmandu. The last day of my trek I met several people, Nepalis mostly, who said that there had been no flights for a few days and that there would be a waiting list. But not so. I walked in to Tumlingtar a quarter to five in the afternoon, and flew out on a half empty Yeti flight around noon the following day.
Being back in big K offers much better food than on the trek, and daily hot showers. But other than that I rather wish I was still out in the hills.
Being back in big K offers much better food than on the trek, and daily hot showers. But other than that I rather wish I was still out in the hills.
Friday, November 18, 2011
The Everest trek 2011
When my plan of trekking The Manaslu circuit had gone pearshaped and I was in the mood for a month long trek there was only really one option that I could go for without too much planning and preparations, Everest, again. Some time I would like to do The Dolpo Trek, or Kanchenjunga, or upper Mustang. But all those require as much planning as Manaslu. And I would need to go through a trekking agency, to get a guide, and probably porters as well. Which means involving other trekkers too to get such costs to a reasonable level. Everest on the other hand I have done several times already and can just hop on the bus and go, alone.
Oct 11, Jiri.
Apart from some Nepalis it was just me and an old French couple on the 6 o'clock bus to Jiri. The bus was only half full at departure. But later on it filled up, and some had to ride up on the roof.
Had I been a novice trekker I think I could have become intimidated by the situation in Jiri. Nothing much happens in town. And the Frenchies, who stay at the same lodge as me, hardly speaks any English. A guide and a couple of porters will pick them up next morning. I am quite aware of being alone, but not particularly bothered about it. I expect there will be more trekkers at Shivalaya tomorrow.
Oct 12, Shivalaya.
I want to start in the morning from Shivalaya, and thus have most of the long uphill to Deurali in the morning hours, when it is quite cool, and shady on that western side of the slope. So rather than walk over the hill from Jiri to Shivalaya I walked around it, via Those. It takes a bit longer but was a very nice walk when I did this in 2003. Anyway it does not matter what time I am in Shivalaya as long as I am there well before dinner time.
First Day
But since 2003 things has changed. There is now a road of sorts and it goes via Those. The road is only half ready, a mud road with deep wheel tracks. There is only one or two buses passing but still it spoils the pleasant walk as it was before.
In Shivalaya I take a room at the Shivalaya Hilton. Other than in name it is a regular Nepali guest house with very basic rooms. For dinner I have my first Dal Bhat in a long while, but certainly not the last. There are about ten trekkers in the village, several of which I will share village and guest house with quite a few times further on.
Oct 13, Bhandar.
My pack feels heavy and does not sit very well on my back. It is a bit small for all my gear and I have to have my fairly heavy sleeping bag strapped on the top. I have rented the pack along with sleeping bag and down jacket from Shona's in Kathmandu. Both sleeping bag and down jacket proves later on to be very warm and comfy, but they are quite heavy. Maybe I am starting to feel my age?
Two young French guys, Jean and Romain, and two Americans, Lee and Cooper, are here as well, all of them very charming.
Oct 14, Kenja.
I am trekking in my Tewa sandals. They are mostly fine but a couple of times I step in mud and get some earth between the straps and the top of my feet. It shafes and after a few hours there is some blood on the top of my toes.
Girls carrying hay
The last couple of hours before Kenja I walk on the side of a South facing slope and it is really hot. So I make up my mind to stop already at Kenja. When I walk in to Kenja all the others are there, they have only just ordered lunch, but I stick to my decision to call it a day here anyway. I simply don't enjoy going further that day. Later Susy and Bernie from Germany/Austria arrive and stop for the night. They never made it to Bhandar the previos day but had stayed overnight at Deurali.
Oct 15, Dakchu.
I trek together with Susy and Bernie now. The lodge at Seti where I have stayed before was all closed. We had lunch at another lodge but did not feel like staying there. So we continued on to Dakchu, just another hour uphill. The first several lodges we check at Dakchu are really grimy and their owners stink of moonshine alcohol. Eventually though we come to a lodge were the Didi looks like an angel and the rooms are clean. We move in and are later very happen with that decision.
Dakchu family in kitchen
Oct 16, Junbesi.
Dakchu 0800
Lamjura 1110-12
Junbesi 1500
Everest Viewpoint just above Junbesi
Lamjura is a regular bitch pass. At 3500 mtrs we can feel the altitude and breathe heavily. At the same time I do start to feel my trekking form shaping up. It is good to arrive at Junbesi, particularly since we plan a rest day here. Need to do some laundry and let my feet heal up. I am glad to see that Ang Chokpas lodge is open again, now out of the Maoists hands. Their owners are abroad though and the lodge is rented out long term to a local woman.
Oct 18, Nuntala.
Junbesi 0730
Phurteng 0930-10
Ringmo bridge 1145
Ringmo 1215-13
Trakshindo 1415
Nuntala 1700
Trakshindo pass is a good bit easier than Lamjura, but it is still quite a long day. I only arrive at 5 o'clock, very pleased to get a room at the best lodge in town. In the evening the dining room is so warm from the good stove that we all have to strip down to T-shirts.
Oct 19, Bupsa.
Nuntala 0730
Jubing 1030-11
Kharikola 1330-1430
Bupsa 1545
Jubing
I enjoy walking through Jubing, the first Rai village on this trek. The Rai people are the oldest settlers in this area that are still around. They mostly live at altitudes around 1000 - 2000 mtrs where the climate is warm and the land is fertile. They are neither Hindus nor Buddhists but have a religion of their own, worshipping spirits of the land and water, and in plants and animals. Their villages are beautiful, full of flowers and many animals, and their fields are ripe with corn and barley. They do however eat pigs, something that make the Hindus look down on them.
Oct 20, Chaurikharka.
Bupsa 0730
Puyan 1145-1230
Surkhe 1530-16
Chaurikharka 1745
Susy and Bernie decide to stop at Surkhe. I continue on to the beautiful village of Chaurikharka, but only arrive there as it is getting dark just before 6 o'clock. I get a room at Buddha lodge where I have stayed before and been very pleased with. Unfortunately many things have changed since then. They have destroyed the beautiful dining room, that became a dormitory at night, by chopping it up into very small windowless rooms.
I have dinner in the family's dining room. It is not bad per se, but there is now a TV, where the Nepali news is on while I eat. I don't understand what they say but the whole half hour news is about Khadaffi. I get the feeling that he is dead. Good riddance!
Stairs
Oct 21, still at Chaurikharka.
It rained in the morning so I just checked out from Buddha lodge and walked back ten minutes to a better lodge, quite a new one. The Didi is very sweet but I don't much like the name, Tourist Lodge.
To me it looked as if it would rain all day so I planned for yet another rest day and put my dirty laundry to soak in a bucket. Then of course the rain stopped. After a couple of hours Susy and Bernie came up from Surkhe as I was having a second breakfast. They had some too but then continued on. I had to stay and do my laundry.
Later Eric and Audra, from Idaho, moved in.
Oct 22, Jorsale.
Chaurikharka 0800
Phakding 1015-11
Jorsale 1345
Only ten minutes after Chaurikharka is the Lukla junction, where all those who fly in to Lukla join the trail and everything changes into a Disneyfied version of Nepal.
I had an early lunch at Phakding and then stopped at the last village before the walk to Namche.
The lodge I stay at does not look like much but the family is very nice, my room is good, and here I have the best Dal Bhat on the entire trek. Eric and Audra is at the same lodge.
Oct 23 Namche Bazaar.
Jorsale 0800
Namche 1100
Namche Bazaar
It's like a city sometimes in Namche
Thawa Lodge is closed because Mr Thawa has died and Thirdpole is full. I stay the first night at Sherpa Village, which may have the most beautiful dining room I have seen in Nepal. But it is totally off the main street and the rooms are mediocre at best. There is a nasty looking bug on the wall by my bed.
Creepy creep
I run in to Jean and Romain. Jean has knee problems and has been three days here. Susy and Bernie are also in town. They stay at Thirdpole and I go there to hang with them in the evening. There are several other charming guests. Among them is an American man and his Thai wife. They carry heavy packs and trek very slowly. They took three weeks to get from Jiri to Namche. They have a tent and a kerosene stove. Sometimes they camp and cook their own food. Yai had bought a live chicken, killed, plucked and cooked it. Matt had just bought a whole tray of eggs. They plan to make waffles by the trail side further up.
Next day I have my mandatory rest day in Namche. I move to Thirdpole.
Oct 25, Pangboche.
Namche 0745
Bridge cafe 1000-1030
Thyangboche 1300-1345
Pangboche 1530
There are several trekking groups at Thyangboche, and more on the way in, so I only have lunch there and then go on to Pangboche. I am now above 4000 mtrs altitude. It is really cold in the evening and next morning.
Upwards from Namche
Oct 26, Pheriche.
Pangboche 0800
Dingboche 1030-1045
Pheriche 1130
I had talked Susy and Bernie into staying at Dingboche and doing the day hike back and forth up the Chukung valley before moving on to Pheriche. To catch up with them I decided to go straight to Pheriche. Somehow I missed the turnoff and when I saw a sizable village I was surprised to see the river on its right. From a distance it looked a bit like Pheriche, but then the river should have been on the other side. It was only when I came closer I realised I was actually in Dingboche. I just had a tea there and then took the shortcut over the hill to Pheriche.
There I stayed at my favourite; Himalayan Hotel. It is a very good place and all new. They had torn down the old lodge and built this newer one on an adjacent plot just a couple of years ago. In the afternoon and evening I kept a good lookout waiting for S & B to walk in, but they never did.
Oct 27, Dukla.
Pheriche 0915
Dukla 1130
It is only a couple of hours from Pheriche to Dukla. Talked a bit to an English guy during lunch. Jean and Romain was here for lunch as well and then continued on up. I decided to stick to the recommended maximum altitude gains per day and stayed the night. I have a lot of time and don't want to get in trouble with AMS.
View of Ama Dablam behind my lodge in Dukla
Oct 28, Lobuche. 4900 mtrs.
Dukla 0830
Dukla pass 0930
Lobuche 1030
Just as I walked in to Lobuche there was a helicopter picking up a trekker who had to be supported on both sides to even make it to the copter. Looked like a typical case of AMS. If that flight is to take him to Kathmandu it will cost him 10 000 dollars. Worth it if ones life is at stake, but very expensive if he got himself into that trouble only by skipping the prescribed limits of altitude gains per day.
Lobuche
The first lodge I check is full. The next one says I can stay if I will share a room with another guy. That proves to be Neil, the English guy I talked to at lunch yesterday. Charming guy who works with animal rescue. At least sometimes with elephants in Thailand.
Oct 29, Gorakshep. 5100 mtrs.
Lobuche 0800
Gorakshep 1015
Yak in fog at Gorakshep
On my way to Gorakshep I meet Romain going down. He feels funny and has first symptoms of AMS, so must go down. His plan is to go to Dukla, but I convince him to continue on to Pheriche. There is a clinic there with western doctors who specialise in AMS. An hour later I meet Jean as well, his knee is bothering him again.
I team up with Neil. He arrives at Gorakshep before me and get us a room at the same lodge I stayed at with another Neil 8 years ago.
Kalapattar in the afternoon.
Oct 30, still staying at Gorakshep.
Neil and I do a day hike back and forth to Everest Base camp proper, 5500 mtrs.
Neil eating Wasa bread by Everest Base Camp
Me by The Ice Fall
On our way back to Gorakshep we run in to Susy and Bernie. They had been sick for three days at Dingboche and only today came up from Lobuche. In the afternoon the wind is really strong in our faces, and cold. S & B decide to turn around and go back to Gorakshep since they still feel a bit weak from their flu. They will climb Kalapattar tomorrow when I start going down to take the longer route to Gokyo. Neil has already been to Gokyo and there is no one else I know who wants to go via Cho La.
Lodge dining room at Gorakshep
Oct 31, Pangboche.
Gorakshep 0830
Lobuche 1015-11
Dukla 12-1230
Pangboche 1530
Yaktrain
I just had a cup of tea at Lobuche, then lunch at Dukla. Sped right past Pheriche and was then almost lost in a cold fog for a couple of hours. Glad to arrive at the same lodge as a week ago.
Nov 1, Phortse.
Pangboche 0845
Phortse 1215
Heavy fog this morning as I left Pangboche. Realised after a few hours that I had dropped my watch. It is a cheap watch with a crappy leather strap. I don't mind so much losing the watch, but I do miss the handy little compass I had fitted on the strap. It is very useful at times when cycling.
Foggy days
I only meant to stop for lunch at Phortse. But before I was done eating a dense fog had swept in over the village. I did not want to miss out on the views while trekking. And I also don't much like to trek in the cold fog anyway. So I got a room and had a hot bucket shower. My first shower since I left Namche.
Nov 2, Thare.
Phortse 1130
Thore 1500
Thare 1530
A few centimeters of snow had fallen during the night. It was foggy again until around 1130 when it cleared up quite a bit, so I hit the trail. Somehow I did not have at all the power I had expected in the uphills. Thare is a one house village and I am the only person staying there.
It was quite clear for half an hour early morning
The beautiful female Thar
The last two hours to Thare I walked in ever denser fog again. Suddenly I heard hoofs running on my right. And then a big Thar jumped across the trail, right over my head! I did get a picture of that male Thar after he had stopped, but it is not very good. The pic here is from his female companion. They are really impressive animals, and quite big.
Nov 3, Gokyo. 5000 mtrs.
Thare 0815
Dragnag 1115-12
Gokyo 1430
Crossing the glacier between Dragnag and Gokyo
Gokyo, from above
I had agreed with Susy and Bernie to check at Cho Oyo View lodge every afternoon at 4 o'clock until we meet. I expected them to be two or three days behind me. But already the same day I had arrived they were there. They had recovered better than expected and come across Cho La.
As we had dinner I mentioned to S & B that I had lost my watch. Eric and Audra who were at the next table happened to hear this. Eric took out a watch from his pocket and asked if that was the one. Unbeknownst to me they had been only an hour behind me on the way to Phortse, and Eric had found my watch on the trail. Had they not happened to stay at the same lodge, or happened to overhear our conversation, he would never have known that it was my watch. Luck!
Nov 4, Gokyo.
I hike up and back to 4th and 5th lake. At the 5th I climb a minor hill and have what is probably the best view I have ever had of Mount Everest.
Everest from Fifth Lake
Nov 5, Lungden.
Gokyo 0730
Renjo-la 1130-12
Lungden 1530
I trek across Renjo-la with Susy and Bernie. My GPS says Renjo-la is 5417 mtrs, one meter higher than Thorong-la. It is really steep on both sides of the pass. On the Eastern side it is tough because it is uphill and the air so thin. At 5000 mtrs it is only half of the density at sea level, where I have spent most of my life. On the western side it is tough because of quite a lot of snow and ice. I slip and fall a couple of times. It feels good to come out of the snow after a couple of hours.
Upwards towards Renjo-La
It is quite steep up
Last view of Everest, from near Renjo-La pass
The last bit is tough going
At Renjo-La pass with Susy and Bernie
On the way to Lungden, the first village on this side, we meet a western woman who is supported by two Sherpas, one on each side steadying her. It is absolutely insane to continue on up in such a condition. And Gokyo is far too high a place to recover if it is AMS that is affecting her balance.
At Lungden we have difficulties finding a place to stay. The first 4 or 5 we ask at are full, mostly with trekkers going up. Several of them have come by helicopter to Surkhe because Lukla is closed since several days due to fog. We hear that there are some 3000 trekkers stuck at Lukla wanting to fly back to Kathmandu. And more keep arriving every day from Namche.
We meet several yak trains on their way back to Tibet
Nice to be going down
We had more or less accepted that we would have to go on to the next village, even though we were really tired already. But then at the very last lodge the Didi offered us to have the dormitory to ourselves. It was only a four bed dorm anyway, and with us in there she got three more guests for dinner.
There were several very nice trekkers at this guest house. Among them a Swiss couple who have flown with a tandem bicycle to Kathmandu and plan to cycle from K to India. Maybe I will meet them along the roads later.
Nov 6, Namche Bazaar.
Lungden 0800
Thame 1045-1115
Thamo 13-14
Namche 1530
It was eerie arriving at Namche. The town is almost empty, while everyone is at Lukla. There is not a soul at Thirdpole, and we are of course very welcome. Unfortunately I had forgotten the details of how well I had hidden my expensive cell phone in the bag with things I had left in deposit there. I had stuffed it in a sock and put together with some cashew nuts in a quite stiff plastic bag. When I went through my stuff I just quickly put that bag aside, remembering that it contained nuts. I did not look into it until I had already alerted the family that my phone was missing, and told them that I would have to go to the police to have a report of it missing. Once I found it being exactly where it should be I was of course both relieved and embarassed that I had not checked better before. Fortunately I had behaved well and never even suggested that the Didi had anything to do with it missing. But I had asked if it could be possible that their young son may have been curious and looked into my unlocked bag, etc.
When I did eventually find the 700 dollar phone the husband was very glad and patted my shoulder saying it was good I had found it. But I think the Didi never really forgave me for not looking closer before I even said that it was missing.
Nov 7, Namche Bazaar.
Slept in late, showered, done laundry, pigged out on Mars bars at the nearest shop, and had Apfel Strudel with fresh brewed coffee at The German Bakery.
Before noon both Eric and Audra as well as Matt and Yai arrived at Thirdpole. All of a sudden the lodge is practically full.
Nov 8, Chaurikharka.
Namche 0745
Jorsale 0915-0930
Phakding 1130-1230
Chaurikharka 1500
Traffic jam below Namche
The fog had cleared from Lukla a couple of days before we left Namche. Now there were hundreds of trekkers heading up towards Namche and above. At times there were real traffic jams when I had to wait for the trail to clear. I was really glad to be going in the other direction. Lodges will be full and food service slow.
Had another lunch of Macaroni with veggies and cheese sauce at Namaste Lodge in Phakding. Then continued on to Chaurikharka. At Tourist Lodge the sweet Didi, her daughter and granddaughter had picnic on a blanket in the garden when I arrived. It felt almost like coming home. S & B also arrived.
Nov 9, Puyan.
Chaurikharka 0840
Surkhe 0940-10
Hilltop 12-1230
Puyan 1400
When I arrived at The Beehive Lodge Susy and Bernie had left just five minutes before. Eric and Audra were there and had taken a room for the night. Rooms at Beehive are actually cottages built very nicely on a slope. In the middle of my lunch a whole big trekking group arrived, English. They had wanted to fly to Lukla but had given up on that and walked in from Jiri. When they first arrived they stood about outside for a good long while debating whether to stop or going on. Suddenly I realised that the cottages would all be full, and I jumped on the Didi asking to have a room myself.
The place became all full before evening. Some even had to camp outside. And three young guys from Stockholm had been given the room where potatoes are normally stored. The dining room was packed in the evening. The Didi must have netted handsomely that day. I spent a thousand rupees and I am sure so did all the other 25 there as well. That Lukla fog must have been very welcome to many lodges along the Jiri to Lukla junction route. Many of those lodges were built 20 years ago when it was far more common for people to walk in rather than flying. Lately they have often not had any guests at all.
Nov 10, Pangum.
Puyan 0840
Left main trail 0920
Pangum 1530
About an hour or so from Puyan I left the Everest trail and climbed up a steep hill Eastwards heading towards The Arun Valley, about a weeks walk away. Eric and Audra are also going out this way.
It was a lot more down than I remembered before the trail eventually started climbing towards Pangum. No lunch today. Only tea and biscuits.
Eric is all American, born in Chicago. But he is of Swedish descent, and I guess looks a bit Swedish. Audra says she is a typical American mutt. Of Italian/Austrian/German descent. She is anyway one of the sweetest persons I have ever met.
It seems we share the same taste of lodges. Again in Pangum we happen to stay in the same place even though they had arrived an hour or more before me, and I was not looking for them. I seeked out the same lodge where I had stayed before, and there they were.
Two of the three sisters have married and now live somewhere in the West. Only one girl is left. I could not help feeling a bit sorry for her. She will stay there living very much the same kind of life her ancestors have since many generations.
Nov 11, Najidingma.
Pangum 0815
Pangum-la 0900
Siburje 10-11
Najidingma 1530
Pangum-la is a bit higher than I remembered, about the same altitude as Surkie-la and Salpa-la. Somehow I had the idea that going over these three passes eastwards would mean each time going up higher. And also after each pass going quite far down again to cross a river. The rivers are there alright. But the passes alas about the same altitude, about 3000 mtrs.
We stopped for an early lunch at Siburje since there is nowhere to have food between there and Najidingma itself.
One of the two establishments catering to foreign viitors in Najidingma. We stayed at the other one.
Eric and Audra at their favourite nightspot in Najidingma
Najidingma is almost freakishly simple and basic. Time has not stood still here since I came this way first time in 1989. It has gone backwards.
Now where is Fred Flintstone himself?
Nov 12, Bung.
Najidingma 0815
Surkie-la 1030
Bung 1530
About two hours climb up to Surkhie-la, and then five down to Bung. Right at the pass we met two young German guys who seemed almost shocked at what they had had to go through to come this far. This is a tough route out, but nothing compared to how tough it is going in.
I had planned to have lunch at the lodge up by the monastery hours before one comes even near upper Bung. But I must have taken a wrong turn somewhere and only saw that lodge, and the monastery from high up. By then I had not seen Eric and Audra since a good while. So I took out my little Meta stove and the bag of dried soup I had bought in Namche. Had meant to eat it yesterday but never did. I cooked some soup and enjoyed it with my Wasa bread and cheddar cheese. Really good. Then I cooked up the rest of the soup waiting for Audra, who I know needs to eat lunch, or she will become a bit grumpy. Eric seems to be able to go all day without eating anything.
Eventually they arrived. Eric had some Wasa bread and Audra the soup.
I gave these kids baloons
Other Bung kids
Again we stayed at the same lodge, in lower Bung. My bill the next morning, for tea, dinner, room and breakfast, was the lowest on this trek. 215 Rupees, or less that 2 Euros, compared with over 2000 Rs in Gokyo, Lobuche and Gorakshep.
The lodge kitchen in Bung
Nov 13, Sanam.
Bung 0730
Guidel 0930-1015
Gompa 1230
Sanam 1400
I left early, wise from previous treks when I have not even made it to Sanam, and have had to stay at a bad lodge by a gompa a couple of hours before Sanam. But then I have also spent a long while at the top of Guidel just enjoying the view of Bung on the other side of the valley. I had an omelette and some tea at Guidel but soon went on my way.
It was really good I had not dallied, because it started raining seriously about an hour before I reached Sanam. I was in Sanam already by 2 PM, asked for two rooms at the Gumba lodge, and then went out searching for E & A, who were just about to walk past this place. Gumba lodge is not much but still the best there is in this strange village.
Actually both the food and tea was better than I had remembered.
In Sanam there are always clouds coming up the valley in the afternoon
Sanam lodge
Nov 14, Salpa Phedi.
Sanam 0800
Salpa-la 1100
Teahouse 14-1430
Phedi 1600
The long downhill was very long and at times slippery when it rained heavily for half an hour. Otherwise a light drizzle. Once you are in Sanam there is not much of an option regardless of the weather. I could hardly imagine taking a rest day in Sanam no matter how much it rains. And the Mera Hotel at Gurase, an hour down from Salpa-la, seems past its prime.
Mera Hotel
Actually on my way up to Salpa I met a couple of German men about an hour before the pass. From the time I think they may actually have stayed at the Mera. Maybe that is why they were not so talkative.
Nov 15, Gothe Bazaar
Phedi 0800
Ghote Bazaar 1530
On the way between Salpa Phedi and Gothe Bazaar there are many opportunities to make mistakes. One has to cross the river back and forth several times when it is too steep on one side or the other for the trail. Some of these bridges are proper wire bridges, while others are small and rickety bamboo bridges. I think I have taken wrong turns here before.
Bamboo bridge
Another one
I must also admit to not trekking well when I have someone right up my back. I walk faster than I otherwise would. And I don't stop to check the map or to ask around as often as I do when trekking all on my own. This is of course only my own problem and I certainly don't blame anyone else for it. Anyway I started from Phedi when Eric and Audra were still having breakfast. Then I stopped by a sidestream to wash myself and to shave. Soon after E & A caught up with me.
At some point I must have missed crossing the bridge across Irkhua Kola to its Northern side. Instead I followed the trail on the Southern side of the river even as that trail started climbing up the hillside. Somehow I thought I recognised it and imagined that soon I would come to the Hindu family where I have stayed a couple of times before. The family that seems just very generous and helpful at first, but then next morning asks for a lot of money.
I kept going upwards even when it became much steeper than I remembered, having Eric right in my back. He has also gone out this way once before, even though it was twelve years ago. Anyway, eventually I stopped and let them pass me. Then I continued on up. Finally I started to doubt I was on the right trail and stopped to ask a Nepali man working in a field. His English was much better than I had expected and was ever so helpful. A Rai sure enough. He told me I should not be on this side of the river at all, and that I had to go back down and cross to the other side and then go another hour or more to get to Gothe Bazaar. He even took the time to walk with me for some fifteen minutes to show me the best trail to get back down. When I checked my map I soon saw that the trail up to the Hindu family is only after Gothe Bazaar, tomorrow.
Millet
Once I was on the other side I also started recognising some of the trail. Just as I walked in to Gothe Bazaar it started raining quite seriously.
Soon I came to the same shabby old lodge at Gothe B. It is not much of a place but I was glad to at least be under a roof. I was wondering where E & A had gone, and I kept looking for them even after it became dark. But they never showed up. When I met them later they told me that they had kept climbing that hillside for quite a while. Eventually they had asked a Nepali man and just as it started raining he invited them to his house for the night. They had been taken very well care of and saw it as a special experience.
Lodge at Gothe Bazaar
Dal Bhat at Gothe Bazaar
Nov 16, Tumlingtar.
Gothe B 0730
Tumlingtar 1645
The "Main Road" from Gothe B towards Tumlingtar
Nice house
This is a nine hour day no doubt. I came over the ridge near the Hindu family, but never recognised their house or saw anyone inviting me in, as they have before. Eventually I came over the top of the ridge and had my first view of The River Arun, a very welcome sight.
Arun River
An hour down the trail is a simple lodge where I stopped for a tea just as it started raining again. The young family there is very nice, but there was a drunk older man when I arrived, maybe a father. Had it not rained I would have kept walking. Nepalis, and Indians for that matter, can not handle alcohol and should stay away from it.
The Didi said that her brother lives in Sweden and she knew a few things about my country.
When the rain ceased I walked on. Right soon I realised that there is now a road being built here too. It is still at early stages but anyway ruins half of the pleasure of trekking here.
The last bridge
I stopped at Chewabesi for a large glass of tea, when I also ate the last of my Wasa bread and cheese.
It was with mixed feelings I walked in to Tumlingtar. Nice to have arrived safe and sound after a 37 day trek. But also sad that now it is over.
As soon as I had gotten a room and a cup of coffee I walked down to the air strip to enquire. The last two days I had heard rumors that also Tumlingtar had been closed, or possibly was it Kathmandu that was closed due to fog. Anyway that there was now a que waiting for flights back to Kathmandu. But that was entirely wrong. There was no que, and flights had been running on schedule. I could easily get a ticket on next days Yeti flight schduled to leave at 1030. Reporting time at airport 0930.
Nov 17, Kathmandu
When I walked over to the airport in Tumlingtar I was very surprised to see Eric and Audra in town. Soon they had gotten tickets too and zipped back to their lodge to pack up. They had heard the que rumours as well and had their minds set on a jeep and bus ride back to Kathmandu. Now very happy to be on a flight instead.
When we arrived at Kathmandu airport I suggested we split a cab to town. Amazingly enough they had also stayed at Norling Guest House, and had stuff stored there.
Oct 11, Jiri.
Apart from some Nepalis it was just me and an old French couple on the 6 o'clock bus to Jiri. The bus was only half full at departure. But later on it filled up, and some had to ride up on the roof.
Had I been a novice trekker I think I could have become intimidated by the situation in Jiri. Nothing much happens in town. And the Frenchies, who stay at the same lodge as me, hardly speaks any English. A guide and a couple of porters will pick them up next morning. I am quite aware of being alone, but not particularly bothered about it. I expect there will be more trekkers at Shivalaya tomorrow.
Oct 12, Shivalaya.
I want to start in the morning from Shivalaya, and thus have most of the long uphill to Deurali in the morning hours, when it is quite cool, and shady on that western side of the slope. So rather than walk over the hill from Jiri to Shivalaya I walked around it, via Those. It takes a bit longer but was a very nice walk when I did this in 2003. Anyway it does not matter what time I am in Shivalaya as long as I am there well before dinner time.
But since 2003 things has changed. There is now a road of sorts and it goes via Those. The road is only half ready, a mud road with deep wheel tracks. There is only one or two buses passing but still it spoils the pleasant walk as it was before.
In Shivalaya I take a room at the Shivalaya Hilton. Other than in name it is a regular Nepali guest house with very basic rooms. For dinner I have my first Dal Bhat in a long while, but certainly not the last. There are about ten trekkers in the village, several of which I will share village and guest house with quite a few times further on.
Oct 13, Bhandar.
My pack feels heavy and does not sit very well on my back. It is a bit small for all my gear and I have to have my fairly heavy sleeping bag strapped on the top. I have rented the pack along with sleeping bag and down jacket from Shona's in Kathmandu. Both sleeping bag and down jacket proves later on to be very warm and comfy, but they are quite heavy. Maybe I am starting to feel my age?
Two young French guys, Jean and Romain, and two Americans, Lee and Cooper, are here as well, all of them very charming.
Oct 14, Kenja.
I am trekking in my Tewa sandals. They are mostly fine but a couple of times I step in mud and get some earth between the straps and the top of my feet. It shafes and after a few hours there is some blood on the top of my toes.
The last couple of hours before Kenja I walk on the side of a South facing slope and it is really hot. So I make up my mind to stop already at Kenja. When I walk in to Kenja all the others are there, they have only just ordered lunch, but I stick to my decision to call it a day here anyway. I simply don't enjoy going further that day. Later Susy and Bernie from Germany/Austria arrive and stop for the night. They never made it to Bhandar the previos day but had stayed overnight at Deurali.
Oct 15, Dakchu.
I trek together with Susy and Bernie now. The lodge at Seti where I have stayed before was all closed. We had lunch at another lodge but did not feel like staying there. So we continued on to Dakchu, just another hour uphill. The first several lodges we check at Dakchu are really grimy and their owners stink of moonshine alcohol. Eventually though we come to a lodge were the Didi looks like an angel and the rooms are clean. We move in and are later very happen with that decision.
Oct 16, Junbesi.
Dakchu 0800
Lamjura 1110-12
Junbesi 1500
Lamjura is a regular bitch pass. At 3500 mtrs we can feel the altitude and breathe heavily. At the same time I do start to feel my trekking form shaping up. It is good to arrive at Junbesi, particularly since we plan a rest day here. Need to do some laundry and let my feet heal up. I am glad to see that Ang Chokpas lodge is open again, now out of the Maoists hands. Their owners are abroad though and the lodge is rented out long term to a local woman.
Oct 18, Nuntala.
Junbesi 0730
Phurteng 0930-10
Ringmo bridge 1145
Ringmo 1215-13
Trakshindo 1415
Nuntala 1700
Trakshindo pass is a good bit easier than Lamjura, but it is still quite a long day. I only arrive at 5 o'clock, very pleased to get a room at the best lodge in town. In the evening the dining room is so warm from the good stove that we all have to strip down to T-shirts.
Oct 19, Bupsa.
Nuntala 0730
Jubing 1030-11
Kharikola 1330-1430
Bupsa 1545
I enjoy walking through Jubing, the first Rai village on this trek. The Rai people are the oldest settlers in this area that are still around. They mostly live at altitudes around 1000 - 2000 mtrs where the climate is warm and the land is fertile. They are neither Hindus nor Buddhists but have a religion of their own, worshipping spirits of the land and water, and in plants and animals. Their villages are beautiful, full of flowers and many animals, and their fields are ripe with corn and barley. They do however eat pigs, something that make the Hindus look down on them.
Oct 20, Chaurikharka.
Bupsa 0730
Puyan 1145-1230
Surkhe 1530-16
Chaurikharka 1745
Susy and Bernie decide to stop at Surkhe. I continue on to the beautiful village of Chaurikharka, but only arrive there as it is getting dark just before 6 o'clock. I get a room at Buddha lodge where I have stayed before and been very pleased with. Unfortunately many things have changed since then. They have destroyed the beautiful dining room, that became a dormitory at night, by chopping it up into very small windowless rooms.
I have dinner in the family's dining room. It is not bad per se, but there is now a TV, where the Nepali news is on while I eat. I don't understand what they say but the whole half hour news is about Khadaffi. I get the feeling that he is dead. Good riddance!
Oct 21, still at Chaurikharka.
It rained in the morning so I just checked out from Buddha lodge and walked back ten minutes to a better lodge, quite a new one. The Didi is very sweet but I don't much like the name, Tourist Lodge.
To me it looked as if it would rain all day so I planned for yet another rest day and put my dirty laundry to soak in a bucket. Then of course the rain stopped. After a couple of hours Susy and Bernie came up from Surkhe as I was having a second breakfast. They had some too but then continued on. I had to stay and do my laundry.
Later Eric and Audra, from Idaho, moved in.
Oct 22, Jorsale.
Chaurikharka 0800
Phakding 1015-11
Jorsale 1345
Only ten minutes after Chaurikharka is the Lukla junction, where all those who fly in to Lukla join the trail and everything changes into a Disneyfied version of Nepal.
I had an early lunch at Phakding and then stopped at the last village before the walk to Namche.
The lodge I stay at does not look like much but the family is very nice, my room is good, and here I have the best Dal Bhat on the entire trek. Eric and Audra is at the same lodge.
Oct 23 Namche Bazaar.
Jorsale 0800
Namche 1100
Thawa Lodge is closed because Mr Thawa has died and Thirdpole is full. I stay the first night at Sherpa Village, which may have the most beautiful dining room I have seen in Nepal. But it is totally off the main street and the rooms are mediocre at best. There is a nasty looking bug on the wall by my bed.
I run in to Jean and Romain. Jean has knee problems and has been three days here. Susy and Bernie are also in town. They stay at Thirdpole and I go there to hang with them in the evening. There are several other charming guests. Among them is an American man and his Thai wife. They carry heavy packs and trek very slowly. They took three weeks to get from Jiri to Namche. They have a tent and a kerosene stove. Sometimes they camp and cook their own food. Yai had bought a live chicken, killed, plucked and cooked it. Matt had just bought a whole tray of eggs. They plan to make waffles by the trail side further up.
Next day I have my mandatory rest day in Namche. I move to Thirdpole.
Oct 25, Pangboche.
Namche 0745
Bridge cafe 1000-1030
Thyangboche 1300-1345
Pangboche 1530
There are several trekking groups at Thyangboche, and more on the way in, so I only have lunch there and then go on to Pangboche. I am now above 4000 mtrs altitude. It is really cold in the evening and next morning.
Oct 26, Pheriche.
Pangboche 0800
Dingboche 1030-1045
Pheriche 1130
I had talked Susy and Bernie into staying at Dingboche and doing the day hike back and forth up the Chukung valley before moving on to Pheriche. To catch up with them I decided to go straight to Pheriche. Somehow I missed the turnoff and when I saw a sizable village I was surprised to see the river on its right. From a distance it looked a bit like Pheriche, but then the river should have been on the other side. It was only when I came closer I realised I was actually in Dingboche. I just had a tea there and then took the shortcut over the hill to Pheriche.
There I stayed at my favourite; Himalayan Hotel. It is a very good place and all new. They had torn down the old lodge and built this newer one on an adjacent plot just a couple of years ago. In the afternoon and evening I kept a good lookout waiting for S & B to walk in, but they never did.
Oct 27, Dukla.
Pheriche 0915
Dukla 1130
It is only a couple of hours from Pheriche to Dukla. Talked a bit to an English guy during lunch. Jean and Romain was here for lunch as well and then continued on up. I decided to stick to the recommended maximum altitude gains per day and stayed the night. I have a lot of time and don't want to get in trouble with AMS.
Oct 28, Lobuche. 4900 mtrs.
Dukla 0830
Dukla pass 0930
Lobuche 1030
Just as I walked in to Lobuche there was a helicopter picking up a trekker who had to be supported on both sides to even make it to the copter. Looked like a typical case of AMS. If that flight is to take him to Kathmandu it will cost him 10 000 dollars. Worth it if ones life is at stake, but very expensive if he got himself into that trouble only by skipping the prescribed limits of altitude gains per day.
The first lodge I check is full. The next one says I can stay if I will share a room with another guy. That proves to be Neil, the English guy I talked to at lunch yesterday. Charming guy who works with animal rescue. At least sometimes with elephants in Thailand.
Oct 29, Gorakshep. 5100 mtrs.
Lobuche 0800
Gorakshep 1015
On my way to Gorakshep I meet Romain going down. He feels funny and has first symptoms of AMS, so must go down. His plan is to go to Dukla, but I convince him to continue on to Pheriche. There is a clinic there with western doctors who specialise in AMS. An hour later I meet Jean as well, his knee is bothering him again.
I team up with Neil. He arrives at Gorakshep before me and get us a room at the same lodge I stayed at with another Neil 8 years ago.
Kalapattar in the afternoon.
Oct 30, still staying at Gorakshep.
Neil and I do a day hike back and forth to Everest Base camp proper, 5500 mtrs.
On our way back to Gorakshep we run in to Susy and Bernie. They had been sick for three days at Dingboche and only today came up from Lobuche. In the afternoon the wind is really strong in our faces, and cold. S & B decide to turn around and go back to Gorakshep since they still feel a bit weak from their flu. They will climb Kalapattar tomorrow when I start going down to take the longer route to Gokyo. Neil has already been to Gokyo and there is no one else I know who wants to go via Cho La.
Oct 31, Pangboche.
Gorakshep 0830
Lobuche 1015-11
Dukla 12-1230
Pangboche 1530
I just had a cup of tea at Lobuche, then lunch at Dukla. Sped right past Pheriche and was then almost lost in a cold fog for a couple of hours. Glad to arrive at the same lodge as a week ago.
Nov 1, Phortse.
Pangboche 0845
Phortse 1215
Heavy fog this morning as I left Pangboche. Realised after a few hours that I had dropped my watch. It is a cheap watch with a crappy leather strap. I don't mind so much losing the watch, but I do miss the handy little compass I had fitted on the strap. It is very useful at times when cycling.
I only meant to stop for lunch at Phortse. But before I was done eating a dense fog had swept in over the village. I did not want to miss out on the views while trekking. And I also don't much like to trek in the cold fog anyway. So I got a room and had a hot bucket shower. My first shower since I left Namche.
Nov 2, Thare.
Phortse 1130
Thore 1500
Thare 1530
A few centimeters of snow had fallen during the night. It was foggy again until around 1130 when it cleared up quite a bit, so I hit the trail. Somehow I did not have at all the power I had expected in the uphills. Thare is a one house village and I am the only person staying there.
The last two hours to Thare I walked in ever denser fog again. Suddenly I heard hoofs running on my right. And then a big Thar jumped across the trail, right over my head! I did get a picture of that male Thar after he had stopped, but it is not very good. The pic here is from his female companion. They are really impressive animals, and quite big.
Nov 3, Gokyo. 5000 mtrs.
Thare 0815
Dragnag 1115-12
Gokyo 1430
I had agreed with Susy and Bernie to check at Cho Oyo View lodge every afternoon at 4 o'clock until we meet. I expected them to be two or three days behind me. But already the same day I had arrived they were there. They had recovered better than expected and come across Cho La.
As we had dinner I mentioned to S & B that I had lost my watch. Eric and Audra who were at the next table happened to hear this. Eric took out a watch from his pocket and asked if that was the one. Unbeknownst to me they had been only an hour behind me on the way to Phortse, and Eric had found my watch on the trail. Had they not happened to stay at the same lodge, or happened to overhear our conversation, he would never have known that it was my watch. Luck!
Nov 4, Gokyo.
I hike up and back to 4th and 5th lake. At the 5th I climb a minor hill and have what is probably the best view I have ever had of Mount Everest.
Nov 5, Lungden.
Gokyo 0730
Renjo-la 1130-12
Lungden 1530
I trek across Renjo-la with Susy and Bernie. My GPS says Renjo-la is 5417 mtrs, one meter higher than Thorong-la. It is really steep on both sides of the pass. On the Eastern side it is tough because it is uphill and the air so thin. At 5000 mtrs it is only half of the density at sea level, where I have spent most of my life. On the western side it is tough because of quite a lot of snow and ice. I slip and fall a couple of times. It feels good to come out of the snow after a couple of hours.
On the way to Lungden, the first village on this side, we meet a western woman who is supported by two Sherpas, one on each side steadying her. It is absolutely insane to continue on up in such a condition. And Gokyo is far too high a place to recover if it is AMS that is affecting her balance.
At Lungden we have difficulties finding a place to stay. The first 4 or 5 we ask at are full, mostly with trekkers going up. Several of them have come by helicopter to Surkhe because Lukla is closed since several days due to fog. We hear that there are some 3000 trekkers stuck at Lukla wanting to fly back to Kathmandu. And more keep arriving every day from Namche.
We had more or less accepted that we would have to go on to the next village, even though we were really tired already. But then at the very last lodge the Didi offered us to have the dormitory to ourselves. It was only a four bed dorm anyway, and with us in there she got three more guests for dinner.
There were several very nice trekkers at this guest house. Among them a Swiss couple who have flown with a tandem bicycle to Kathmandu and plan to cycle from K to India. Maybe I will meet them along the roads later.
Nov 6, Namche Bazaar.
Lungden 0800
Thame 1045-1115
Thamo 13-14
Namche 1530
It was eerie arriving at Namche. The town is almost empty, while everyone is at Lukla. There is not a soul at Thirdpole, and we are of course very welcome. Unfortunately I had forgotten the details of how well I had hidden my expensive cell phone in the bag with things I had left in deposit there. I had stuffed it in a sock and put together with some cashew nuts in a quite stiff plastic bag. When I went through my stuff I just quickly put that bag aside, remembering that it contained nuts. I did not look into it until I had already alerted the family that my phone was missing, and told them that I would have to go to the police to have a report of it missing. Once I found it being exactly where it should be I was of course both relieved and embarassed that I had not checked better before. Fortunately I had behaved well and never even suggested that the Didi had anything to do with it missing. But I had asked if it could be possible that their young son may have been curious and looked into my unlocked bag, etc.
When I did eventually find the 700 dollar phone the husband was very glad and patted my shoulder saying it was good I had found it. But I think the Didi never really forgave me for not looking closer before I even said that it was missing.
Nov 7, Namche Bazaar.
Slept in late, showered, done laundry, pigged out on Mars bars at the nearest shop, and had Apfel Strudel with fresh brewed coffee at The German Bakery.
Before noon both Eric and Audra as well as Matt and Yai arrived at Thirdpole. All of a sudden the lodge is practically full.
Nov 8, Chaurikharka.
Namche 0745
Jorsale 0915-0930
Phakding 1130-1230
Chaurikharka 1500
The fog had cleared from Lukla a couple of days before we left Namche. Now there were hundreds of trekkers heading up towards Namche and above. At times there were real traffic jams when I had to wait for the trail to clear. I was really glad to be going in the other direction. Lodges will be full and food service slow.
Had another lunch of Macaroni with veggies and cheese sauce at Namaste Lodge in Phakding. Then continued on to Chaurikharka. At Tourist Lodge the sweet Didi, her daughter and granddaughter had picnic on a blanket in the garden when I arrived. It felt almost like coming home. S & B also arrived.
Nov 9, Puyan.
Chaurikharka 0840
Surkhe 0940-10
Hilltop 12-1230
Puyan 1400
When I arrived at The Beehive Lodge Susy and Bernie had left just five minutes before. Eric and Audra were there and had taken a room for the night. Rooms at Beehive are actually cottages built very nicely on a slope. In the middle of my lunch a whole big trekking group arrived, English. They had wanted to fly to Lukla but had given up on that and walked in from Jiri. When they first arrived they stood about outside for a good long while debating whether to stop or going on. Suddenly I realised that the cottages would all be full, and I jumped on the Didi asking to have a room myself.
The place became all full before evening. Some even had to camp outside. And three young guys from Stockholm had been given the room where potatoes are normally stored. The dining room was packed in the evening. The Didi must have netted handsomely that day. I spent a thousand rupees and I am sure so did all the other 25 there as well. That Lukla fog must have been very welcome to many lodges along the Jiri to Lukla junction route. Many of those lodges were built 20 years ago when it was far more common for people to walk in rather than flying. Lately they have often not had any guests at all.
Nov 10, Pangum.
Puyan 0840
Left main trail 0920
Pangum 1530
About an hour or so from Puyan I left the Everest trail and climbed up a steep hill Eastwards heading towards The Arun Valley, about a weeks walk away. Eric and Audra are also going out this way.
It was a lot more down than I remembered before the trail eventually started climbing towards Pangum. No lunch today. Only tea and biscuits.
Eric is all American, born in Chicago. But he is of Swedish descent, and I guess looks a bit Swedish. Audra says she is a typical American mutt. Of Italian/Austrian/German descent. She is anyway one of the sweetest persons I have ever met.
It seems we share the same taste of lodges. Again in Pangum we happen to stay in the same place even though they had arrived an hour or more before me, and I was not looking for them. I seeked out the same lodge where I had stayed before, and there they were.
Two of the three sisters have married and now live somewhere in the West. Only one girl is left. I could not help feeling a bit sorry for her. She will stay there living very much the same kind of life her ancestors have since many generations.
Nov 11, Najidingma.
Pangum 0815
Pangum-la 0900
Siburje 10-11
Najidingma 1530
Pangum-la is a bit higher than I remembered, about the same altitude as Surkie-la and Salpa-la. Somehow I had the idea that going over these three passes eastwards would mean each time going up higher. And also after each pass going quite far down again to cross a river. The rivers are there alright. But the passes alas about the same altitude, about 3000 mtrs.
We stopped for an early lunch at Siburje since there is nowhere to have food between there and Najidingma itself.
Najidingma is almost freakishly simple and basic. Time has not stood still here since I came this way first time in 1989. It has gone backwards.
Nov 12, Bung.
Najidingma 0815
Surkie-la 1030
Bung 1530
About two hours climb up to Surkhie-la, and then five down to Bung. Right at the pass we met two young German guys who seemed almost shocked at what they had had to go through to come this far. This is a tough route out, but nothing compared to how tough it is going in.
I had planned to have lunch at the lodge up by the monastery hours before one comes even near upper Bung. But I must have taken a wrong turn somewhere and only saw that lodge, and the monastery from high up. By then I had not seen Eric and Audra since a good while. So I took out my little Meta stove and the bag of dried soup I had bought in Namche. Had meant to eat it yesterday but never did. I cooked some soup and enjoyed it with my Wasa bread and cheddar cheese. Really good. Then I cooked up the rest of the soup waiting for Audra, who I know needs to eat lunch, or she will become a bit grumpy. Eric seems to be able to go all day without eating anything.
Eventually they arrived. Eric had some Wasa bread and Audra the soup.
Again we stayed at the same lodge, in lower Bung. My bill the next morning, for tea, dinner, room and breakfast, was the lowest on this trek. 215 Rupees, or less that 2 Euros, compared with over 2000 Rs in Gokyo, Lobuche and Gorakshep.
Nov 13, Sanam.
Bung 0730
Guidel 0930-1015
Gompa 1230
Sanam 1400
I left early, wise from previous treks when I have not even made it to Sanam, and have had to stay at a bad lodge by a gompa a couple of hours before Sanam. But then I have also spent a long while at the top of Guidel just enjoying the view of Bung on the other side of the valley. I had an omelette and some tea at Guidel but soon went on my way.
It was really good I had not dallied, because it started raining seriously about an hour before I reached Sanam. I was in Sanam already by 2 PM, asked for two rooms at the Gumba lodge, and then went out searching for E & A, who were just about to walk past this place. Gumba lodge is not much but still the best there is in this strange village.
Actually both the food and tea was better than I had remembered.
Nov 14, Salpa Phedi.
Sanam 0800
Salpa-la 1100
Teahouse 14-1430
Phedi 1600
The long downhill was very long and at times slippery when it rained heavily for half an hour. Otherwise a light drizzle. Once you are in Sanam there is not much of an option regardless of the weather. I could hardly imagine taking a rest day in Sanam no matter how much it rains. And the Mera Hotel at Gurase, an hour down from Salpa-la, seems past its prime.
Actually on my way up to Salpa I met a couple of German men about an hour before the pass. From the time I think they may actually have stayed at the Mera. Maybe that is why they were not so talkative.
Nov 15, Gothe Bazaar
Phedi 0800
Ghote Bazaar 1530
On the way between Salpa Phedi and Gothe Bazaar there are many opportunities to make mistakes. One has to cross the river back and forth several times when it is too steep on one side or the other for the trail. Some of these bridges are proper wire bridges, while others are small and rickety bamboo bridges. I think I have taken wrong turns here before.
I must also admit to not trekking well when I have someone right up my back. I walk faster than I otherwise would. And I don't stop to check the map or to ask around as often as I do when trekking all on my own. This is of course only my own problem and I certainly don't blame anyone else for it. Anyway I started from Phedi when Eric and Audra were still having breakfast. Then I stopped by a sidestream to wash myself and to shave. Soon after E & A caught up with me.
At some point I must have missed crossing the bridge across Irkhua Kola to its Northern side. Instead I followed the trail on the Southern side of the river even as that trail started climbing up the hillside. Somehow I thought I recognised it and imagined that soon I would come to the Hindu family where I have stayed a couple of times before. The family that seems just very generous and helpful at first, but then next morning asks for a lot of money.
I kept going upwards even when it became much steeper than I remembered, having Eric right in my back. He has also gone out this way once before, even though it was twelve years ago. Anyway, eventually I stopped and let them pass me. Then I continued on up. Finally I started to doubt I was on the right trail and stopped to ask a Nepali man working in a field. His English was much better than I had expected and was ever so helpful. A Rai sure enough. He told me I should not be on this side of the river at all, and that I had to go back down and cross to the other side and then go another hour or more to get to Gothe Bazaar. He even took the time to walk with me for some fifteen minutes to show me the best trail to get back down. When I checked my map I soon saw that the trail up to the Hindu family is only after Gothe Bazaar, tomorrow.
Once I was on the other side I also started recognising some of the trail. Just as I walked in to Gothe Bazaar it started raining quite seriously.
Soon I came to the same shabby old lodge at Gothe B. It is not much of a place but I was glad to at least be under a roof. I was wondering where E & A had gone, and I kept looking for them even after it became dark. But they never showed up. When I met them later they told me that they had kept climbing that hillside for quite a while. Eventually they had asked a Nepali man and just as it started raining he invited them to his house for the night. They had been taken very well care of and saw it as a special experience.
Nov 16, Tumlingtar.
Gothe B 0730
Tumlingtar 1645
This is a nine hour day no doubt. I came over the ridge near the Hindu family, but never recognised their house or saw anyone inviting me in, as they have before. Eventually I came over the top of the ridge and had my first view of The River Arun, a very welcome sight.
An hour down the trail is a simple lodge where I stopped for a tea just as it started raining again. The young family there is very nice, but there was a drunk older man when I arrived, maybe a father. Had it not rained I would have kept walking. Nepalis, and Indians for that matter, can not handle alcohol and should stay away from it.
The Didi said that her brother lives in Sweden and she knew a few things about my country.
When the rain ceased I walked on. Right soon I realised that there is now a road being built here too. It is still at early stages but anyway ruins half of the pleasure of trekking here.
I stopped at Chewabesi for a large glass of tea, when I also ate the last of my Wasa bread and cheese.
It was with mixed feelings I walked in to Tumlingtar. Nice to have arrived safe and sound after a 37 day trek. But also sad that now it is over.
As soon as I had gotten a room and a cup of coffee I walked down to the air strip to enquire. The last two days I had heard rumors that also Tumlingtar had been closed, or possibly was it Kathmandu that was closed due to fog. Anyway that there was now a que waiting for flights back to Kathmandu. But that was entirely wrong. There was no que, and flights had been running on schedule. I could easily get a ticket on next days Yeti flight schduled to leave at 1030. Reporting time at airport 0930.
Nov 17, Kathmandu
When I walked over to the airport in Tumlingtar I was very surprised to see Eric and Audra in town. Soon they had gotten tickets too and zipped back to their lodge to pack up. They had heard the que rumours as well and had their minds set on a jeep and bus ride back to Kathmandu. Now very happy to be on a flight instead.
When we arrived at Kathmandu airport I suggested we split a cab to town. Amazingly enough they had also stayed at Norling Guest House, and had stuff stored there.
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