Trekking pt. 1

So, where to begin...

Once again, apologies for the long absence. There's not much in the way of internet up in the mountains. I am  now back in Kathmandu. My little trekking adventure was nothing if not eventful.

The first day, we flew out from Kathmandu to Lukla, a tiny little town at about 2800m. The airstrip there is literally at the edge of a cliff, and slopes down to the edge of the precipice. It is quite exciting. After landing and a cup of tea, we set off to Phadking, where we spent our first night. We visited a monastery on top of a nearby hill. Apparently the Buddhists are quite welcoming, and as long as you remove your shoes you can go in and look at their religious gear at will. One person, Lydia, in the group got sick after lunch, and unfortunately I had what she ate for my dinner.

The next day we set off on a long, long slog to Namche Bazaar. I think it was only about 800m of elevation gain, but it was hot and there was the first taste of thin oxygen. We arrived at Namche weary and beat. Scott, an Aussie policeman had a lot of trouble with the altitude and was immediately bedridden. I myself had a bad fever and was quite sick. I didn't eat for a day or two. The whole group was in rough shape. We spent an acclimatization day in Namche on which we climbed one of the many hills in the region and got our first view of Everest. Sick as a dog and not having eaten in a long while, I did my best to smile for a picture.

Next day, we were off to Khumjung, a short walk (uphill) away. The village lies in a picturesque valley and contains the Sir Edmund Hillary School and the Khunde Hospital, which is funded entirely by Canadian donations.

The following day, we were off on the long slog to Tengboche monastry. Along the way I thew up a couple of times but finally started to feel better. Tengboche was a really swell place. I even got up early to take picture of the sunrise in the mountains and to sit in with the early morning monks' prayers. We only spent a night there, but we all wish we had more time to sample the Dutch apple pie at the bakery.

After Tengboche, we were off to Dingboche, really in the mountains, but that will be part 2.

-B