Everest Base Camp Trek – Day 02 (Phakding to Namche)
Trek – Phakding (2,610m) to Namche (3,440m)
Total Distance – 11km (Phakding to Jorsalle – 5km &
Jorsalle to Namche – 6km)
Duration – Approximately 8hrs (including 1hr for lunch)
(Phakding to Jorsalle – 3hrs & Jorsalle to Namche – 4hrs)
While the entire nation is celebrating yet another Sinhala
& Tamil New Year, I’m back to take you with me on a dreamy voyage to the
base of the highest mountain on earth. However never-ending fire crackers are
no help to concentrate and bring back my memories to tell you this grandeur
story. So I’ve switched onto my headphones with a bit of classical music in
order to retain my sanity and shutting out the booms outside and rhythmic
barking of dogs. Talking of booms, the US, UK and France fired more than 100
cruise missiles only a few hours ago to Syria in retaliation for a heinous
chemical attack on a group of people a week ago. I can see the live updates
coming in as I type.
The night in Phakding was peaceful as there were not many
tourists and I had a dreamless night. Even though I was a bit anxious of the
weather on the following day as it was gloomy right throughout our trek from
Lukla yesterday. You can read about my Trekking of Day 01 here. The tea houses
are built in such a manner they keep the cold out really well but you gotta
have thick blankets/sleeping bag in order to stay comfortably warm. The reason,
the temperature drops considerably towards the dawn and in Phakding, lowest of
all the towns from Lukla to Base Camp, it went down to about 8 Celsius.
My alarm, Ngima woke me as agreed at 6.30am and I went to
the washroom which was colder than a refrigerator. I didn’t have to brush my
teeth coz the moment the cold hit me I was shivering like fever patient and all
I had to do was bring the toothbrush to my teeth and the shivering head did the
rest. After an icy cold wipe of my face, I practically ran back to the warmth
of my room and jump into the bed to warm myself. In about 15mins my blood
circulation was back to normal and I started to get dressed and then went down
to the dining hall for a warm breakfast.
I tried the Chapathi with Fried Eggs for breakfast but
didn’t expect to receive plain Chapathi with no gravy. Well, the day is not off
to a good start but I forced the Chapathi down me with the help of eggs and
washed it all down with hot lemon tea. It took less than 10 mins to the entire
affair and I was back in my room packing the duffel bag for the porter and my
day pack. It’s essential you carry the bare minimum in your day pack as
carrying unnecessary weight will sap your energy and make the journey
uncomfortable.
We bid farewell to Phakding and got out around 8am (mind you
leaving earlier than 8am is not a very attractive option and even guides and
porters don’t fancy it due to the cold) to find the most beautiful bluish sky
I’ve ever seen. This is going to be a beautiful day, my mind told my heart and
both leaped in joy.
The day was so beautiful
Important Note:
There are 5 suspension bridges between Phakding and Namche
and that includes the highest as well as the longest. The path lies parallel to
a glacial river Dhudh Kosi most of the way before start our final steep ascent
to Namche in the last but most difficult stretch. Just so you know, Dhudh Kosi
River starts somewhere in Gokyo (another beautiful trek you must check out and
I too am keeping a very close eye on that) from one of the largest glaciers in
the world.
If you compare the elevations of Namche and Phakding, you
may see the elevation gain is 830m and trust me, more than 600m of it comes
within the last 4km between Jorsalle and Namche.
Also, Ponies are not used for carrying goods beyond Namche
as the altitude beyond Namche is not something they can bear. So, it’ll be up
to the Porters and Yaks to carry the burdens beyond that. Mind you, there are
horses should you wish to hire in case you get tired of trekking and have the
money to burn. It costs around 100$ (10k NPR) a day for a horse and horseman.
Jorsalle is the last place whre you can have a meal or find
accommodation and there’s nothing between here and Namche except the steep
climb.
Ok, back to the trek. We walked through the mountain
villages which are self-sufficient in many ways as they have to be as there’s
no easy transport/road network other than the ever-trusting porters and
Yaks/Ponies.There are many trekkers
going back and forth in addition to the endless stream of porters and Yak/Pony
trains. We crossed the first suspension bridge and there was a trek off the
main one which led to another mountain village called Rimijung. I wish I’d an
unlimited time-frame in my hand to go explore all of these but as every other
tourist, I had a limited timeline and more than that a budget. So for now,
let’s stay focused on the target, EBC.
First of the suspension bridges today
Dhudh Kosi River
If only I had the time and money to cover all these
One of the many tea houses on the way
Prayer stones and resting backpacks
Just woke up it seems
We came across two waterfalls located somewhat closer to
each other just before Monjo and the weather was amazing for trekking. What a
contrast from yesterday and I kept marveling at the beautiful scenes unfolding
before me. If it wasn’t for the trekkers, I’d have mistaken this for a trek in
heaven, it was that beautiful. Lush green hills and over them rising to the sky
were their big sisters of rocks with jutting out rocky peaks and clad in
pristine white snow. Above them was the royal blue sky plastered with even more
pristine white clouds. The Dhudh Kosi River flowed through the valleys creating
patterns and roaring her way down. The air was mild and pampering and I took in
the fresh mountain air filling my lungs.
Having the time of my life
Beautiful and tall
Snow-capped
The second one
Pears if I'm not mistaken
Here's the video of the first waterfall:
Gosh, I do miss those days and sitting here typing away,
recalling the journey is both a pleasure and a pain. If only I could go there
again and be with those mountains for a while. Soon we reached Monjo, 5km from
Phakding and stopped at the ticket checking post where you have to show your
permit. As I had Ngima, all I had to do was just sit back for a bit and enjoy
the surrounding. This is one perk of having your own guide as he’ll take care
of formalities like these.
Look at these paths bordered with rocky walls
Tough lives they lead
If only I could read their thoughts
Yaks are on the move all the time
The grumpy look
They have used rocks for everything
Always, keep them to your right
To make a living, not to become the king
Organic and tasty
Got ya!
Just entering the ticket check point
Valuable details
Helpful advice
It says it all
Afterwards, we came across suspension bridges three and four
and then stopped for lunch at Jorsalle. The river was just flowing behind us
and we sat in the open under the shade of a tree. I was in the mood for a bit
of adventure after a good few hours of trekking so decided to try the cheese
and tomato pizza for lunch. Well, it wasn’t the best of all but better than I
expected in a place like Solo Khumbu, another name for Everest Region. We
rested for about an hour enjoying the meal and giving a much-needed break for
our legs before the grueling uphill trek ahead of us.
After the ticket check, we enter into Monjo
Second bridge and not so high
For you, my love!
Just amazing colors
I was so sad how much they were labored but that's how the life in Solo Khumbu is, sadly.
Back and forth during their entire lives
Tough is an understatement for them
Where we stopped for lunch in Jorsalle
Just chilling
Pizza lunch. Looks great but not that tasty, at least not for me
We left the restaurant around 12.30pm and started our trek.
Little did I know the terrain ahead of us was a 70-80 degree uphill mountainous
trek. The day wore on and we kept going and the terrain so far was relatively
small ups and downs with nothing major to tackle with. Suddenly we crossed the
Dhudh Kosi River where she took a sharp right turn with two hanging bridges
visible high in the mountains. I wasn’t sure why there were too but looked as
if the lower one had been used in the past but recently a new one had been
built further high making it the longest and highest of all suspension bridges.
I heard that this is also called as Hillary Bridge. Well Everest Region has so
many things named after Tenzing and Hillary so wasn’t surprised at this.
Crossing Dhudh Kosi
Can you see the twin bridges in the distance?
This is Dhudh Kosi and she takes a right turn in the distance.
There's another river comes from the left and joins under the bridges,
The duo before the big hike
Here's our crossing of river in video:
By the time we climbed up to the suspension bridge, I was
spent and my legs flatly refused to move an inch. So I took a break before
crossing the bridge and watched in awe as a long Pony and Yak Train crossed it.
The air was very thin now and you can feel it quite well. Suddenly it dawned on
me, the dreaded AMS or Acute Mountain Sickness or for laymen High Altitude
Sickness. Am I getting the darn AMS? I almost leaped out of my skin into the
river gushing below in my fright. To be honest, it hadn’t even crossed my mind
once since Lukla but it all came flooding now.
Remember, if you’re to succeed in something, your will is
the most important thing. No matter how good the other factors are, if you’re
not strong enough mentally or haven’t a strong will, then you’re not going to
succeed in anything. On the other hand, despite many hurdles, you may still
achieve your goals if you have a burning desire and a rock-solid will. I was
determined to make it to EBC but not ready to risk my life trying to achieve
it. Since this moment, I was like a mountain dog as I kept sniffing the air to
check if it was thin or had enough oxygen and kept breathing large gulps of air
into my lungs.
Oh we are here at last
I took my time enjoying these
Ponies crossing the suspension bridge in video:
We crossed the bridge and the sheer height and other
people’s screams made me forget the AMS phobia temporarily. However this didn’t
last long and soon I was panting like a dog with its tongue hanging out. I
guess I was getting the damn AMS, my heart kept saying but my mind, the
stronger of the two, kept the heart in check blaggarding it whenever it brought
up the AMS which was every other minute I must confess.
Now you can almost touch the ground you’re standing with
your nose at places coz it was that steep. Nevertheless I kept on encouraged by
Ngima and comparing myself with other trekkers to see if there are others
facing the same difficulty as I was. If I saw panting trekkers, I’d leap in joy
and tell myself, “you’re not alone in this dude and look at those panting like doggies”. It was
wicked but helped my cause nevertheless. So long as you don’t portray this actively
to others and just keep it to yourself, it should be ok.
Hillary Bridge
The bridge in the sky, so high. See the other bridge below?
The below bridge and looks no longer in use
Some kinda fruit
They don't go beyond Namche
Sometimes I sought the morale booster by looking at ponies
who were laboring up this steep hill carrying hundreds of vital supplies to
Namche and continuously being beaten by their keepers. Well I felt lucky to
have been able to embark on this trek in the first place and now that I’m here,
I was going to finish it in style; my brain was as firm as granite. The day
kept wearing out and we were into the mid-afternoon but I seem to have stopped
in time barely covering the distance. My movements were so slow and I’d trek a
few meters then stop for a bit, then do another bit and the cycle went on and
on.
Mind you, since the moment I landed in Lukla, the entire
trek was located at higher ground than the highest point of Sri Lanka which is
the summit of Mount Piduruthalagala at 2,524m. In contrast, the lowest point
along the trek was at 2,610m in Phakding and even that was 86m higher than the
highest in Sri Lanka. So for me to feel exhausted and alien was quite natural
and while I was sipping on some Jeewani (an oral hydration solution) sitting on
a rock staring into the river hundreds of meters below, this dawned on me and
oh boy, didn’t I feel good? “Sri, you’re doing wonderful and there’s no doubt
you’re gonna make it to the EBC” my mind was reassuring the heart and the body
and after that thoughtful break, they seemed, for the first time, to agree with
the brain. Now that everyone was in agreement, we could move on and move on
what I did with this renewed energy.
We had gained an unbelievable height
Laughing through the pains
The video I took looking down into the river we crossed some time ago. You can imagine the elevation difference up to this point.
The weather took a turn while we were going uphill among the
sky high trees. The clouds came on and engulfed the surrounding mountains as if
to protect them from evil eyes and then came the mist, slowly at first but then
descending on us from all corners. Surprisingly the path remained clear of it
but photographic opportunities were becoming fewer and fewer. I could feel the
camera strap biting into the neck muscles having worn it around the neck
throughout the day but I couldn’t care less as my whole focus was on the legs
and safeguarding them from sprained ankles due to the lose rocks scattered all
across. So you not only have to fight the thin air, steep paths but also these
ankle-breaking rocks as well. Quite a force to tackle but if you take it nice
and slow, remain focused, hydrate your body well and keep your desire burning,
you should be ok.
All of a sudden, Ngima pointed at a place where there are a
couple of toilets are built on a flat area off the trail and there were many
trekkers going up and down taking much needed breaks. He said that we were
getting near but I didn’t jump up and down in joy. Partly I didn’t have the
strength and I’ve long ago learned not to jump the gun until you’re actually
where you should be. So I wasn’t going to let down my guard or focus until I
was in Namche standing in front of the tea house.
After a short break for the legs, a comfy break and a choco
and water break we were ready to move on. The time was around 3.30pm and Ngima
said we should be able to make it in about an hour. Be it an hour or four, I
was going to make it all the same. The mist got thicker and the number of
trekkers few and far between as the trek up to this point had been sheer
hellish. We went on, Ngima telling stories of his previous visits and me taking
everything in trying to forget the pain rushing up the ankles through the
marrowbone towards the knees. The backpack and my back had become so entangled
and I had difficulty figuring out which is which. I felt as if I was carrying
the heaviest camera under the sun and moon and my neck was getting sore and
sore.
Finally after it felt like an entire lifetime, even though
in reality it was around 3-4hrs; we reached the permit checkpoint just before
Namche. Despite the mist, we could see the unmistakable landscape of colorful
houses of Namche through pine trees and I confess I felt elated. While Ngima
did the needful, I took a rest and observed the other trekkers who were looking
so exhausted and most of them didn’t look human. Well, I’m sure I didn’t look
human the way I was feeling. However, don’t get disheartened coz all along the
journey I was feeling so serene and peaceful inside me as being close to Mother
Nature is the best thing in the world, mind you even better than sex. All the
pains were in the body, mainly legs and neck but they were a small price to pay
for this experience. After all, remember the famous saying, “No pain no gain”.
Hello beautiful!
These were my motivation
They really do a good job of keeping it clean
Map at the permit checking counter
What a tap!
There is our target but more to go
From this point onwards, it was nothing too serious even
though the legs wouldn’t have agreed. We could see Namche, almost touching
distance and we kept going on looking at our target. For some strange reason,
when you can see your target, it seems to walk away from you, have you noticed
it? I have, many times and it was true in this case too. Namche kept moving
backwards and it was a race to catch it before it disappeared into the thick
mist now obscuring it in half. However, we didn’t let her go farther and caught
in time and entered the edge of the Namche Bazaar where you get this beautiful
panoramic view of all the colorful buildings. Gosh, I’ve seen this picture
thousands of times online and had always wanted to see it with my own eyes and
today I was standing right in front of it, open-mouthed and speechless. So this
is the mighty Namche Bazaar and I managed to get there eventually. However the
mist had covered the top part of it yet a good portion of it was still clearly
visible and I almost forgot to take pictures in my joyful state.
100% Organic
If you can figure out, here's a map of Namche Bazaar
I must have dreamt about this so many times
The day my dream came true
Ngima and I. All smiles
The video of the panoramic view of Namche. Boy, don't the dreams really come true?
After many pics we started the final ascent through the
ever-so-busy narrow paths in search of our hotel. I had given up taking pictures now coz lifting my arms to take a camera was not something I could afford given the circumstances. Namche was so busy and full
of people and for a bit I thought I was back in Thamel in Kathmandu. You can
buy almost anything you need for your journey, food, trekking gear, shoe
repairs, etc. You name them and they had them. I wasn’t surprised Namche was
called the capital of Solo Khumbu. Climbing those cobbled steps towards our
hotel was more difficult for my legs than the entire journey and I kept
climbing one step after other pep-talking to my legs but Ngima kept on going
further and further. Finally he stopped and went into a tea house waving me to
do the same. I could’ve cried in joy but I didn’t and went up the last bit with
every ounce of energy my body could muster and stood at the entrance of the tea
house slightly waving from side to side like a drunkard after a long night in
the local pub.
Opening the door, I entered into the tea house and all of
them have the same atmosphere inside. I took a seat in a proper chair but after
a while Ngima appeared looking concerned. “Sri, they don’t have rooms but the
landlady is willing to accommodate you in the monastery”. Holy moly guacamole!
This was the last thing I wanted and my legs refused adamantly to move any
further. “Where’s the monastery?” came from my mouth without even my knowing.
“I’ll show you, come”. I got up with the greatest difficulty ever and got my
backpack, ready to climb more coz all monasteries in Solo Khumbu are located at
higher places comparatively to the houses. This is very much like the concept
in Sri Lanka coz the temples are always built at the highest point in the village.
Entering to the Namche Bazaar
The first guest house where they offered me to bunk at the monastery
I was so tired and this was the last pic I took for the day
Surprisingly, he didn’t go out of the front door, instead he
led me into an inner chamber of the tea house the monastery was right there. If
you’re wondering what language I’m typing here, I don’t blame you. Coz even I
was surprised to find the monastery inside the tea house but later realized
that all the tea houses or even regular houses have their own monasteries
within their premises for worshiping. Now don’t confuse it with the village
monastery. This is like the same way other Buddhists do, notably in Sri Lanka
as we have a corner of the house where an image or statue of Lord Buddha is
kept for worshiping. However, Sherpas have somewhat larger rooms for their
worshiping and call them monastery as well.
The landlady was there to greet me and said that she too
sleeps in the monastery, at a corner with her daughter and she could put me up
in another corner. Even though I had no objection to sleeping there in the
monastery, I wasn’t going to share it with others, especially two women (rather
a girl and a woman). I got Ngima out and told him that we need another tea
house and understanding my concerns he agreed and we were out once again and
climbing steps. However we didn’t have to go long before he found a place and
you’d have a heart attack when I mentioned the name of this tea house. Shangri-La
was the name and I couldn’t stop laughing like an idiot despite myself.
So we checked into the Shangri-La tea house around 5pm in
Namche and I went to my room to change. My body was battered and I could hardly
feel my arms and legs. I had to have a bath to wash away the grime from the
body coz these paths are so dusty and even though you don’t sometimes see it,
they cling to you like a lover. Even though it was late I asked Ngima to
arrange a hot shower with the owner and it cost me 3$ (300 NPR) and it was the
best thing happened to me for the day and a great investment. The water was
nice and hot and I felt I was being reborn in that bathing room. However, as
soon as the hot water flow was stopped for me to lather, the cold hit me like a
runaway train and I had to keep the hot water running and apply soap as best as
I could.
As I said, I was reborn after that bath and I changed into
my night clothes and got to the dining hall and had a nice ginger-lemon-honey
tea and it tasted heavenly. I wrote the day’s events in my little note book (I guess
I forgot to tell you all about it at Phakding, didn’t I?). In fact it helps me
recall the journey really well even though I have this photographic memory when
it comes to my travels. After that, I talked to Ngima about tomorrow’s plan and
he asked how I was feeling. I said I could go down to Phakding and come back to
Namche before the dawn and he laughed heartily.
Then I realized he was referring to AMS and I said I don’t
have any symptoms as such. I’d read about AMS so much and I could tell all the
symptoms and effects by heart. I asked him if I should take Diamox just to be
on the safe side and he said then to take and keep it taking until we were back
in Pangboche on the return journey. I had 12 tablets (250mg) and it was
sufficient to last the required time period. Looking back, I’m sure I could’ve
done the EBC without Diamox. I know you might think that I’m madly boasting but
I sincerely feel that way. Maybe I’m wrong but that’s how I feel it.
Then it was time for dinner and I ordered the
tried-and-tested Dhal Baath. Just like at Phakding, I ate like a horse and I’m
sure the hot shower helped gain a healthy appetite and it was really good. After
dinner, I bid good night to Ngima and went up to my room and got inside the
welcoming sleeping bag. It felt so cozy and I was for a while longer pondering
the outcome of the coming days. As usual my heart and brain fought this
tug-a-war and heart was supported by my legs too but as always my mind won. Below
are some excerpts of their brawl.
“Could I do this and go to EBC?” – My heart, ever so anxious
questioned.
Brain – “Of course we’re going to EBC even if we have to go
on all fours”
“Easy for you to say but I have to carry you both” – My legs
chimed in.
“Big deal, huh?” – Brain interjected.
“Of course it’s a big deal” – Heart, feeling encouraged by
the legs, shot back. "So why don't you two bugger off back to Kathmandu and walk along those dusty and filthy streets?" Brain had enough of these two whining about. “You do what I say and we’re going to EBC, period” Brain continued,
not relenting an inch, sealed the deal.
Guess the legs no longer had any strength for arguments and
without support heart gave in.
If I couldn’t do it this time, my chances of returning to do
it would be almost zero coz to do a trek like EBC cost an arm and a leg. I’d be
paying the loans obtained to do this trek for more years to come. If I failed
this time, having spent all that money, it’d be next to impossible to raise
such a sum to come back here. Even if I could raise it, I wouldn’t know for
sure if I could actually pull it off and I would always be in two minds. So this
had to be the first and the last whether I do it or not. Anyway, I wasn’t going
to do this over my dead body and the moment I know without any doubt I can no
longer go without endangering my life, I’d turn around even if it means missing
out on a chance in a lifetime.
The above was what ran in my mind before I went into this
deep sleep where my inner body took control and got to work. While by physical
body relaxed and slept, the inner-conscious took over and started healing the
wounds. They replaced the worn out parts of my body, greased it and cleansed
the vital organs and checked the pressure and other vital statistics making
sure my body will be ready for the battering it’s going to take the following
day. For the next 14 days, this process will have to go like clockwork for me
to return safely from EBC. Well, as I always say, there’s only one way to find
out.
Well folks, until next time then! Stay safe and travel safe!
No comments:
Post a Comment