Everest Base Camp Trek – Day 03 (Namche to Khumjung)
Trek – Namche (3,440m) to Khumjung (3,790m)
Total Distance – 4km (Through Tenzing Park and Everest View
Hotel)
Duration – Approximately 4hrs
I woke with no signs of AMS even though I had little trouble
falling asleep previous night. I woke up two times during the night once around
11.30pm and then around 2.30am. The thought of AMS kept haunting me throughout
the night and probably due to my anxiety I didn’t fall asleep. Because most of
the times, you start feeling AMS around Namche as this is where the tricky
10,000ft barrier is broken and your body start screaming blue murder for the
lack of oxygen.
As I’d read so much about AMS and the EBC Trek (probably too
much reading I suppose), it kept reminding me of these heights and symptoms. So
most of the time I was like a sniffing dog that kept looking out for the
remotest sign of AMS yet for my luck, I found none. Finally the dawn arrived
and what a beautiful morning it was. Khunde Ri (we’d be going very close to it
on the following day) looked absolutely breath-taking in the morning sun and
Namche helipad was buzzing with many helicopters coming in and going. Ngima, my
alarm clock, came up to see if I was awake around 6.30am and then left me to
get ready. I brushed my teeth and after getting ready, went down for breakfast.
Good morning!
Waiting for breakfast
We left Namche around 8am after a heavy breakfast of fried
baby potatoes (remember, 100% organic) and an omelet. Our first point of call
was the Namche Gompa and climbing up to it took a heavy toll, especially as the
heavy breakfast wouldn’t help in anyway. Mind you, in Nepali, Gompa is written
as Gomba so don’t confuse if you hear someone says Gomba instead of Gompa.
After invoking blessings, having almost left my cap behind except for the fact
that a kind and friendly Lama found it and came hurrying after us, we embarked
on another small hike towards Sagarmatha National Park aka Tenzing Park.
Namche Monastery
History of Namche Monastery
If you remember, this entire area commonly known as Solo
Khumbu or even Everest Region is also the Sagarmatha National Park. Therefore
this place should not have the name “Sagarmatha National Park” as it’s built in
memory of Tenzing Norgey, probably the most renowned Sherpa of all times. So
calling this “Tenzing Park” is more appropriate and it has a small museum and a
statue of Tenzing where you can see Lhotse and Everest over his shoulders and
my loving Ama Dablam to his right. This is one of the few places Everest can be
seen from this far so aptly, they’ve built the Tenzing Statue in this place.
It really was a grand experience to visit Tenzing Park and I was so glad we made it coz in the morning Ngima asked if I fancied visiting there or wanted to go straight to Khumjung after the monastery as it’s in a way included going out of the way. I was in a very happy mood thanks to the bright sunshine and gorgeous views and knowing that we could see Lady Everest, I wasn’t going to miss this opportunity even though I had to trek extra. So we trekked up to this beautifully kept Tenzing Park and Ngima hurried me saying “Sri, the view won’t last long” coz already there were clouds coming up. So I asked my poor legs to go as fast as they could and finally we managed to reach our destination.
Tenzing Park
Reception area
Everest and Ama Dablam
Statue of Tenzing
Walking up to Tenzing Statue, I set my eyes for the first
time on Mt. Everest or I dearly call her as Lady Chomolungma. She appeared for
only a very short time, not even a minute, before she was covered by those
clouds. Gosh what an experience it was and the hair stood on their ends on the
nape of my neck. She was being guarded by one of the three sisters (The three
summits of the same range Lhotse, Nuptse and Everest) Lhotse and the Mother
Nature didn’t want to reveal this beauty for so long as she sent a thick white
cloud to cover the Lady Chomolungma, however not before her son managed to get
a good look at this tallest lady on earth. I managed to get a few pictures of
her as well with Tenzing so this was such a memorable part of the entire trek.
Three sisters: Everest, Nuptse and Lhotse
Everest over Tenzing's right shoulder
I really wish I could meet him in person
Trying to imitate the great man
We visited the museum and even managed to see the Dhudh Kosi
River far down and I couldn’t help feeling proud of myself as I’d managed to
climb so far up within yesterday. There was so much history to read about in
the museum but unfortunately we didn’t wanna spend so long as we were on our way
to Khumjung and wanted to make it before the weather took a turn and it all
became gloomy and cloudy. So we soon were, for the second consecutive day,
climbing almost a vertical path to the Everest View Hotel where our path to
Khumjung lies.
Ngima and me
The ravine behind me is where Dhudh Kosi River goes through Monjo
Note:
Did you know that almost all the trekkers (I’d say 99% of
them) who embark on EBC Trek use an extra day at Namche to better acclimatize
for the high altitudes. As I’ve said before, you’re now in the kill zone of
10,000+ feet and must take every precaution to avoid AMS and get your body
acclimatized as best as possible. Therefore most of the trekkers spend an extra
day at Namche visiting Tenzing Park and going up to Everest View Hotel and
coming back down. Remember, acclimatization doesn’t necessarily mean just spending
the day in bed. You have to keep moving about but at a reasonable pace.
However, Ngima had suggested we get away from Namche coz
Everest View Hotel is located at an elevation more than 3,800m so getting up
there and coming back down wasn’t so much fun and the best way to do the EBC
Trek. Instead he suggested we take it further away from Namche and spend the
night at Khumjung and take our acclimatization day at Khumjung (at 3,790m) and
visit Hillary View Point at Khunde where you can see Mt. Everest and all the
other mountains and get very close to Khunde Ri. I was very much in favor of
this due to two reasons.
Fist was that staying in crowded Namche was giving me a
headache and I always hate to spend my time among people. So spending one night
at Namche was more than enough and I don’t think I could’ve stomached another
day in Namche. Thanks to Ngima, I found a way to get away from this hustle and
bustle of Namche and stay in the calm and serene village of Khumjung. Secondly
I was also able to visit another remarkable place called the Khunde View Point
where not many people visited yet offered exceptional views. After considering
this it was no brainer to do another day of heavy trekking in order to get more
peace of mind I was yearning for.
Looking back, I’m so glad I met Ngima as my guide coz the
best time of my EBC Trek was the two days spent at Khumjung and I enjoyed and
loved it even more than base camp itself. Would you believe that I was the only
guest for both days at Mandala Guest House at Khumjung? I’ll tell more about it
later but that was the most hospitable and wonderful place in the entire
journey. I really wish I could spend more time there or could go there again
just to spend a few days at Khumjung. It was such a grand experience with less
human intervention. I guess the lack of guests (even though not very appealing
for the owners) made it even more welcoming for me.
Now back to the back-breaking but mind-soothing and
heart-leaping journey uphill to the Khumjung. This was so hard as we had to
carry our luggage too. Usually trekkers who stay acclimatizing in Namche do
this trek with no luggage making it relatively easier to climb but Ngima and I
had no such luxury. In fact throughout the entire trek, we were the only ones
who had heavy backpacks as others just carried a water bottle or two and walked
past us as if they were on a highway in a racing car. However at the end of the
day, I realized all this trouble was worth every drop of sweat and every ounce
of energy spent. Khumjung was simply an amazing place.
We kept going up and up without a sight of the destination.
Behind us, Namche looked so colorful with its vividly painted buildings and the
Tenzing Park resembled a saucer-shaped alien spaceship landed at one end of
this plateau. I’m sure a snail could’ve overtaken me and soon enough I met a
similar-paced Malaysian couple. As we were all on the same speed, it was naturally
for us to start talking and they were very interested to hear that I was from
Sri Lanka.
Never ending prayer wheels. Keep them to your right
Starting the uphill journey to Khumjung via Everest View Hotel
Namche below us
Tough life
Pointing at Tenzing Park
It's a busy heliport
We kept chatting as we all were going at the same snail pace
on our way up and it was really good coz we didn’t feel tired and our progress
was better than we hoped. Then around halfway, we stopped at a prayer stone
with flags to take a proper break. The trick is not to take longer breaks often
but short breaks and sips of water and maybe take one or two relatively longer
breaks. The guide of Malaysian couple was already waiting for them and while
they went to him, I used that time to take a few more pics and video. When I
went to join them and take a break, I saw their guide was having some kinda
equipment in his hand and trying to explain it to the Malaysian couple. When he
saw me, he asked “you want to check your oxygen level?” and I was wondering
what on earth he was referring to.
Seeing my hesitation, the girl said “free of charge of
course” and I couldn’t help laughing. It’s because you have to pay for everything
in Everest Region so when someone offers something usually the first question
which needs to be asked is “how much?”. In this case, the girl thought I was
pondering the same and quickly offered that it was free of charge. However my
hesitation was mainly due to the fact that I was flabbergasted as to how on
earth you can measure the oxygen level in the body with such a tiny device.
Their guide asked me to sit down and relax first and then to put my forefinger
inside this tiny machine that looked like a somewhat bigger black cockroach
without the legs.
I did and he took it off again, shook the machine a few
times and asked me to put my finger in again and repeated the process a few more
times before exclaiming “it’s 90”. I was like what on earth this man was
talking and kept staring at him dumbfounded. Two Malaysians were looking at me
open-mouthed as if I wasn’t human but some kinda alien that had come to haunt
their lives. “So what?” I had to ask to get a response from any of them then
the girl said “you’re very good coz mine was only 70”. Even with my limited
knowledge in maths, it didn’t take me long to figure out that 90 was indeed
bigger than 70 but what did it really mean.
The guide recovered from the shock at last and measured the
oxygen levels of his own first and then the two Malaysians and breathed a sigh
of relief. “It’s working” he mumbled to himself and I was now getting pissed
off coz nothing he said didn’t make any sense and then suddenly Ngima appeared
on the scene. The other guide asked for Ngima to put his finger in the machine
and after few shakes declared “it’s only 83”. Slowly turning towards me as if
he’d get electrocuted at the mere sight of me he asked “who’s the Sherpa here?”
for which I pointed at Ngima coz he is indeed a Sherpa.
“According to this machine, you’re the Sherpa” he said to me
laughing “coz your oxygen level is higher than even this Sherpa” he went onto
explain and regarded me highly. Now we were talking and I felt so happy and all
my AMS fears vanished into the thin mountain air. “How much was theirs?” I
pointed at the Malaysians and asked and theirs had been 70 and 68 respectively.
With an alarming voice the guide said to them, “If it goes to 60, we have to
turn around and no further going after”. Can you imagine how happy I was when I
realized that my body, despite the heavy battering it’s receiving, still kept
in good shape? And the body chemistry
has adapted to the high altitudes of the Himalayas beautifully despite my
anxiety.
My brain started his usual boasting dance and mocked the
heart and legs that shied away in defeat. “You’re going to make it to EBC Sri”,
I could hear my inner-self saying proudly. Thanks to this incident, I didn’t
worry about AMS even at the Base Camp coz this kept my spirits so high it
didn’t even occur to me to check on AMS afterwards. From there the guide of the
Malaysians was friendlier towards me and kept talking to me. I was practically
floating in air with pride and the going became a lot easier.
However to our dismay, the clouds were coming thick and fast
and I knew that we weren’t going to get the best view of Mt. Everest today as a
result. However it didn’t make any difference to us coz we were going to
Khumjung and whether the views were good or bad, we had to go this way. However
I felt sorry for other trekkers as they specifically climbed up to see the Lady
Chomolungma. After a laborious trek, we reached the steps to the Everest View
Hotel and this is where my newly found Malaysian friends and I parted ways. As
the view was completely obscured, Ngima and I decided to skip a visit to
Everest View Hotel and carry onto Khumjung.
Flowers of Solo Khumbu
Flowers of Solo Khumbu
Flowers of Solo Khumbu
Flowers of Solo Khumbu
Path to Everest View Hotel
Here I am
Let's head to Khumjung
From here it was a downhill trek to Khumjung and not too far
away either. The beautiful and unique Khumjung and adjoining Khunde Villages
came into view as we were descending towards them. All the houses’ roofs were
green and unlike Namche this was nice and consistent. Both villages were
located on a 3,800m-high-valley and guess what; we’d crossed the 12,500ft
barrier as well. The trek was getting grandeur at every passing hour.
Surprisingly there were no trekkers in sight and even there were very few
villages in sight. Absolutely perfect to spend the next two days, I mumbled to
myself. This really is my kinda place and we soon entered Mandala Guest House.
Unique pattern of the houses
Mandala Guest House - simply amazing
My room - very cozy
Menu
Lunch
Mandala Guest House
It’s as all the other tea houses, a family run business. The
husband (Chuldim Dorjei Sherpa) was away on a base camp trek and only the wife
(Kingjum Sherpa) and their small son, Tshering Tashi Sherpa as he proudly
announced, remain behind.
There were about 6 rooms but I was the only guest for both
days except for a couple who came for lunch on first day.
This was the best and most hospitable tea house I ever came
across and it was as if I was staying in my own home. That lady was very
friendly warm and an excellent cook. She kept spoiling me with delicious meals
and for them I was yet another member of the family, not a guest.
Dorjei Sherpa had summited Mt. Everest twice in the early
2000s so it was so special to stay at a place where someone had summited the
Mt. Everst. I’d be lucky to meet him in person on the following night on his
way back to Lukla from EBC.
Therefore, if you ever embark on this trek, do make it a
point to visit Khumjung and stay at Mandala Guest House. The best in the Solo
Khumbu.
Mandala Guest House
Mandala Guest House
Mandala Guest House
Mandala Guest House - 100% organic
I badly wanted a hot shower but the costs were a factor so
decided to postpone it till the next day. For the time being, my wet wipes were
the savior and I’d mastered how to clean myself with a couple of them even
better than a shower would do. The room was great and cozy. So after a
delicious vegetable fried rice, I rested in the room and even had fallen asleep
(was a bad mistake but nothing drastic happened coz my body was adapting to
these conditions faster than I had ever imagined) for about an hour.
Waking up, I found the mist had really set in but it didn’t
stop us from exploring the area. Ngima and I fully-clad in warm clothes, went
to visit Khumjung School, another CSR Project by Sir Edmund Hillary. The people
in Solo Khumbu consider him as a god because he’s done so many good things to
the Sherpa people, especially introducing hospitals, hydro & solar power
and schools which were the main requirements for these people.
It was so cold
This is where Tshering studied and the buildings had been
built with funding from many mountain associations all over the world. Then we
went to the Khumjung Monastery where they exhibit a Yeti Skull. Yeah, you read
correct and you gotta buy a ticket for 250 NPR to see this. Unfortunately it’s
put inside twin glass boxes so taking a clear pic is out of the question but I
could clearly see this human-sized but pointing upwards skull with plenty of
hair still on it. It’s mentioned that this skull is 250 years old but we
couldn’t find any more details. However, if you have read Tenzing’s biography,
you will know that he’s claimed that his father had come across the Yeti twice
in his life and once was a very close encounter. So you can’t fully ignore the
existence of Yeti as a myth.
Yak life - very tough and unforgiving
Yak pooh being used for fire
Khumjung Monastery
From the front
Yeti Skull in twin caged glass box
Carefree lives
We returned to the tea house while the sun was setting
beyond Khunde Ri and it was a spectacular sight. While sipping some ginger tea,
I talked with Tshering who was a very bright kid and the opportunity for him to
show off his English skills to an outsider thrilled both him and his mother. I
decided on yet another Dhal Baath, three in three days, as I was mighty hungry
and the lady was so generous with servings. You can really taste the freshness
and organic nature of the vegetables and they tasted just delicious. It’s a
great pity that modern farming is an indirect way of poisoning ourselves thanks
to the excessive usage of fertilizers and chemicals in order to meet the
growing population of the world.
Khunde Ri - We're going to see her tomorrow
I always wonder, when we will figure out that
ever-increasing population will be the end of this world and soon we’ll starve
to death as this unprecedented rate of population won’t have enough to eat.
Will they even have enough oxygen to breathe the rate we’re destroying our
forests? So I think it’s high time the world leaders came to their senses and
started a global conversation on limiting the growth of population and try and
impose rules to limit the child births to 2-per-family max. Otherwise, the end
of this world won’t be far away.
Talking to Tshering and listening to Ngima sharing local
gossip with the landlady were the best courses of action to spend a leisure
evening. Oh, for the first time, Ngima and I could sit and eat at the same
table with no issue as there were no other guests yet he flatly refused to eat
until I’ve done so. After a while, it was time for me to call it a night so
bidding goodnight for all, I went up to my room where a cozy bed was awaiting
my arrival.
I felt so relaxed and happy because of two things. The first
is the knowledge of my oxygen levels were so high and the other was the
peaceful environment at Khumjung. Tomorrow we’d be going up to Hillary View
Point beyond Khunde and then visit Khunde Monastery too. Another tough day but
little did I know that it’d be probably the most scenic bit of trekking for the
entire journey and with no humans to clutter the environment. I’m sure you are
now wondering what on earth was wrong with me to try to stay away from people
like they’re rabid dogs. Well, I might even have a phobia of some kind but it’s
something I don’t plan to go confess to a psychiatrist and get treatments. The
beauty of this world is being destroyed at an unprecedented rate by humans so
any place where they’re not there, I’ll be so happy.
Well folks, here’s the end of day 3 and I’ll see you
tomorrow with yet another gorgeous day for trekking. Stay tuned and enjoy the
pics and videos. Until next time then! Stay safe and travel safe!
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