Hello Friends: it's been a while since I've updated the journal, so the following includes our time in the mountains as well as what we have been doing in Kathmandu. Also, I know a few of you were worried/concerned when you heard about the SITA crash in Kathmandu on it's way to Lukla. We were not on that flight, but we were on the same one on the the Friday we left for the mountains. Very sad day here when the plane went down. I hope everyone is well. PS - I'm still trying to figure out how to post photographs - I know you want to see me in all my glory, particularly with the bad hair days.
Saturday, Sept 29
Quiet day in Kathmandu; morning at the organic farmers market - wonder variety of international people wondering around. Lovely produce - reminded me of Alexandria Saturday market in Old Town. Wish I had a kitchen to cook in, or at least someplace to make a wonderful salad.
Afternoon we went to Durbar Square along with thousands of other tourists and locals to witness the Indra Jatra festival. when the Kumari, or the living goddess travels though out the old city of Kathmandu by way of a hugh wooden chariot pulled by many men.
It was very hot, but we were able to get seats on some steps and were relatively comfortable. The police and army were out in force, which I can understand with the thousands of people packed into the square. So for about two hours we watched all the government officials come and go into the palace, where I can only assume they drank tea and visited with one another, awaiting what everyone else was - the arrival of Kumari.
Finally three chariots arrived - and there they were - one young girl in each, dressed in red with more gold that I will ever see in my lifetime - Think Tiara & Tots and you’ll get the picture. Much cheering, horns blowing, drums banging, clapping and general light heartedness. We could have waited for her to come to the steps we were sitting at, but that could have taken another two hours as she still needed to go through the streets. How they accomplish that is a wonder when even the small cars (Toyotas mostly) and motorbikes can’t seem to go down the road side by side.
Anyway, I’m glad we experienced it, but once is enough.
Tues., Sept. 25
In Kathmandu - spent the morning visiting The Pashupati area, a very sacred Hindu site along the Bagmati River. It’s where Hindu funerals are performed - open air cremations. It’s actually a very peaceful place and everyone is very respectful of the cremation ceremonies.
Among the stupas (small temples) sit “Babas”, holy men who have given up all worldly possessions to travel around seeking enlightenment. They do depend on the generosity of others to provide food and places to sleep etc. At Pashupati they encourage tourists to take their photographs and then charge for the privilege. Not much, maybe 5 rupees. The men have their faces painted and sometimes their arms and legs are whitened with powder. They are actually pretty amusing to watch as the tourists all gather to take their picture.
Friday, Sept 14 - Sunday, September 23
Our Trek Adventure
Sorry it’s been a while since writing in this journal/blog, but we didn’t take the computer while on the journey to the Mountains. We took one back pack apiece and to tell the truth, we could have gone with just one since we didn’t even use most of what we took. Since Mike’s last trek to the same area, the tea houses/lodges all now have electricity full time as well as wifi connections and everyone seems to have a cell phone. Everything has gone up in price at least 30 % as well. Our porter, who was so nice and spoke excellent english was twice as much as last time. Trekking permits that were at one time 500 rupees are now 3000 rupees apiece and on top of that you have to get a park pass. So what we thought would be a fairly inexpensive adventure ran a bit more than anticipated, but all in all, well worth it.
We had expected to leave on Thursday, the 13th, but no flights were leaving Kathmandu for Lukla due to weather in the mountains, so back to the Red Planet for the night and we were able to get a flight on Friday.
The flight into Lukla is quite spectacular, going through the Kathmandu Valley up into the mountains - looking out the window all you can see are mountains, clouds, blue sky, numerous waterfalls, rivers, green pastures and beautiful scenery.
The flight is only about 25 minutes and if the pilot doesn’t pay attention, they could end up running into the side of the mountain that says “Welcome to Lukla” - it’s a sharp right turn! The runway itself is perched on a cliff and is 525 meters long. When planes land, they land uphill to give extra braking power so they don’t run into the stone wall at the end of the runway. The obverse is true for the take off---downhill off the end of a cliff!! Definitely the most exciting airport I’ve landed and taken off from.
Off we went with much excitement for our first leg; Lukla to Phakding. The 8 mile hike took us about 3.5 hours and to an elevation of 2610 meters. We took it slow and easy.
The lodge we stayed at Mike has used before and the owner was very happy to see him again, offering us homemade wine with our dinner.
The next day (Sat) we arranged to hire a porter, Pasang, for the rest of the trip and I’m glad we did. It made the trip so much more comfortable. He was very nice, knowledgable on the area and kept an eye out for both of us. So off to Namche Bazar. It was a really hard 6.3 miles and took us over 8 hours to get to the elevation of 3440. Up and down; around switchbacks; across at least 4 suspension bridges with the raging river 100 meters below and the wind blowing. There was a reason for the prayer flags hanging from the cables! The paths we took have been used for hundreds of years as a trade route between China/Tibet/Nepal and India. At some placed the path was maybe a foot wide and other places it was stone steps maybe 5 feet wide and just going up, up, up. I thought they would never end sometimes. Great work out for the legs and butt! We would have to move over to allow Sherpas to pass with the heaviest loads on their backs, everything from bottle water to propane tanks to solar panels to 4 x 8 pieces of wood. Everything that goes to the mountains has to come on these trails, and there are NO cars or motorbikes, so it’s either carried by these men & boys or by the Yaks (higher up) or Naks a breed of bull & yak.
We rested for a day in Namche to try to acclimate a bit to the altitude. There wasn’t much to do in the town but we did go to the monastery and have our trek blessed.
Monday, Sept 17 - weather still misty and a bit cold, but after much discussion we decided to continue on to Deboche. Sometime during this day I started to question if this expedition was the best choice I could have made. It was so hard and exhausting. It was another 7.5 hours of walking to go about 6 miles. Now on level ground I can do 6 miles in my sleep - here, it’s up those nasty steps, over creeks, walking straight up for what seems to be forever. But then I would stop and catch my breath and see the most beautiful sight - it might have been some butterflies chasing each other, or a simple blue flower or better yet a snow covered peak in the distance or what appeared to be a fairyland of ferns and moss and think to myself - God I’m glad I’m doing this, it’s too beautiful to miss. The walk between Namche and Deboche was probably the hardest of all the days, started at 3440 meters then to 3550 meters down to 3250 meters and back up to 3860 *Tengboche) only to end at 3820 meters, and it was misty most of the day and toward the end, getting a bit chilly.
Tues. Sept 18 - Todays trek was beautiful, the sun was out most of the day and the landscape just get better and better. Today was like taking a Sunday stroll, except the last 1.5 hours which were just brutal. We arrived at Pheriche late in the day, both of us are tired and we plan on resting here for at least one day.
Thur. Sept 20 - well, we had to end our trek, can’t go any further up. I got pretty sick, I haven’t been able to eat for two days, not a good sign. So tomorrow we head back down. But I’m excited and very proud of what I was able to accomplish. It’s a disappointment, but necessary.
Took us three days to walk back to Lukla. I was finally able to eat something solid on Saturday. So over about 8 days we hit a high altitude of approx. 4800 meters (approx. 15,600 feet) and covered close to 50 miles.
It was an experience I will always treasure. I met some lovely people on the way, saw breathtaking sights and pushed myself harder than I thought I ever would and survived.
