Nepal Day 22 - Lukla to Kathmandu

 We woke to our alarms before sunup, and the dining room was open early for our breakfast. Along with Bire we carried our bags down to the airport where we followed a chaotic process to X-ray carry ons, weigh bags ( the folks in front of us were all over weight, no problem), and line up for our flight. Nobody really stands in lines, but it all came together. 

Since the season is slow, we are flying direct to Kathmandu instead of Ramechhap plus a 4 hour jeep ride on winding roads, a pleasant surprise. We had the first flight of the day on Tara Air. Getting in the first wave of flights greatly reduces your chances of postponement due to clouds as the flight is visual. Ed had the seat right behind the cockpit. By 7:30am, we had landed in Kathmandu and grabbed a taxi to Thamel, the tourist district where our hotel is.

Since it was early and our room wasn’t ready, we dropped our bags and wandered around town: finding a working ATM (not easy), 2nd breakfast at the Pumpernickel Bakery, walking to some shops, lunch of pizza at the Roadhouse Cafe, ice cream at Silk, water bottles at the Thamel Mart, check in and showers and clean clothes (heaven). In the afternoon we organized laundry of our trekking clothes and went to the Garden of Peace. It was absolutely packed, primarily with young Nepali women in small groups taking photos of each other or selfies, inspecting the photos, and presumably uploading to social media. We could barely move around the beautiful gardens without getting in the way of someone’s photo.

We had smash burgers near our hotel and had an early evening. We saw monkeys on a ledge of a nearby building, a reason to be cautious about open windows. Our room was hot and stuffy. Presumably the AC is limited at the front desk, something to inquire about tomorrow, quite a change from our freezing rooms on trek.

Nepal Day 21 - Phakding to Lukla

5.4 miles, 1565’ climbing

Runway 24 Inn, Lukla, 9444’ elevation

After a comfy night and a good breakfast, we set off on a rolling walk to Lukla, the village where we will catch our flight out of the Everest region. The walk wasn’t too long, though the cobblestone-like surface and stone steps are a little hard underfoot. We passed a dozen loaded mule trains and one train of dzopkyos headed uphill. Lots of helicopters were headed up the valley. Lots of local people were sweeping in front of their houses, doing chores, and children were playing. 

We passed a lot of villages today, some blooming rhododendrons, magnolias, apples, and peach trees. We made a short stop at the police checkpoint before Lukla where Bire did his paperwork, then we checked into the Runway 24 Inn in time for an early lunch. From the deck we watched planes and helicopters landing and taking off. Ed and I walked through the village, had a coffee in a shop, changed a little money, had hot showers. Overall this is a leisurely day.

Tomorrow we will fly to Ramechhap, provided it is clear, then take a jeep ride for several hours back to Kathmandu. Because there are so many flights to Lukla in high season, they were monopolizing air traffic at the Kathmandu airport, and now travelers must go thru Ramechhap in high season. Because we arrived pre-season, we were able to fly from Kathmandu on our way here.

At dinner, we dined with Bire and Deepak who usually eat separately. It seems like the lodges won’t serve guides and porters until all foreign guests are served. We exchanged photos, had a beer and some chocolate, toasted the success of our trek. Deepak returns to his village tomorrow, and Bire flies to Kathmandu with us, where he and his family live, but only has a 1 day turnaround for his next trek.

Nepal Day 20 - Namche Bazaar to Phakding

 7.4 miles, 1158’ climbing

Hotel Star Lodge, Phakding, 8587’ elevation

Last night after dinner we walked down to the Yeti Bar in Namche for a Sherpa IPA. By 8pm we were back in our cozy room, only to be awakened around 11pm by what turned out to be lodge guests who were locked out. We weren’t sure what was going on besides the noise, and we tried to sleep thru it.

The night was much warmer than when we arrived in Namche a couple of weeks ago when we could see our breath in our lodge room. After a cozy night and a good breakfast, we headed out of town. Arriving  trekkers looked clean but exhausted as we passed them.

After what seemed like 1.5 miles of stone stairs down, we crossed the Dudh Khosi on a swing bridge and continued descending thru the forest. We stopped for a cup of tea, then later for a lazy lunch.

After lunch, we found ourselves among many mule trains going both directions. When they are loaded, a mule could easily slam you with its pack and injure you. We tried to move off the trail when they passed, but they were impeding our forward progress.

Finally we arrived at our lodge, the same one we stayed in after we flew into Lukla. We enjoyed a lazy afternoon in the sun on the patio until descending clouds brought a cold breeze.

Nepal Day 19 - Thame to Namche Bazaar

 5.84 miles, 942’ climbing

Alpine Lodge, Namche Bazaar, 11,277’ elevation

Having skipped our planned rest day in Gokyo, we are left with an extra day to return to Lukla. We had a couple of options, and we decided to head to Namche Bazaar for the night.

The morning was clear and bright. After breakfast we headed out of Thame, past the hydroelectric plant, and down switchbacks to a large suspension bridge that crossed the river. Just after crossing the bridge, Deepak spotted a danphe, the national bird of Nepal. It had brilliant blue and violet plumage with patches of green, golden brown, and orange. On its head was a crown similar to a peacock’s. It was amazing to see.

We continued down a very good dirt track through a forest of rhododendrons (some blooming), junipers, and pine. Some grass and bushes were present on the mossy forest floor. We went in and out of tiny villages and back into the forest, seeing many more local people going about their day than trekkers. People were preparing to plant potatoes in some fields. We saw a handful of tahr, and Bire told us that they dig up some of the potatoes. We stopped for lunch at a small lodge where a cute, small child entertained us.

Finally we turned a corner and were back in Namche. We stopped at the Alpine Lodge near the monastery and had fabulous hot showers, then looked around some of the shops. Bire took us to the monastery which had been closed when we were in Namche at the start of our trek.

Nepal Day 18 - Lungden to Thame plus side trip to Thame Monastery

 6.1 miles, 331‘ climbing

Monastery side trip: 2.4 miles, 1309’ climbing

Paradise Lodge, Thame, 12,510’ elevation

Last night when we went to our room, the night sky was clear and full of stars. It was also cold, so we didn’t hang around long admiring a sky with no light pollution, no clouds, no moisture in the atmosphere above us.

We had an easy trek to Thame today, a gradual descent on a dirt track that was comfortable underfoot. The path was narrow in one place where there had been a landslip, but relaxing overall. We crossed a couple bridges, saw small settlements on both sides of the river, passed a bunch of unattended cows and dzopkyos who made their way out to the hillside to graze for the day. By late morning clouds were moving in. We hoped 4 trekkers from Hamburg at the lodge made it up to the pass in time for the views.

The Thame valley has its share of trekkers, but they don’t seem to dominate the way of life here. It felt like we were seeing a slice of everyday life for the people who live here. We passed a lady out gathering yak dung to burn while carrying her toddler in a basket on her back. A couple people had dug up a winter’s store of potatoes in their yard in preparation for spring planting. We saw mani walls again with their ancient inscriptions.

As we approached Thame, we saw more mani walls, some stupas and prayer flags. Thame is divided into upper Thame and Lower Thame. Lower Thame experienced a devastating flood a couple years ago when a glacial lake let loose. First we headed to Paradise Lodge to book a room and get some lunch. We washed a couple of articles of clothing outdoors in a bucket and hung them on a line, then headed out to the Thame Monastery.

There was a long staircase leading up to the monastery past some chortens and mani walls. We slipped our shoes off and were given a tour of the monastery by a young monk who appeared to be in his early 20s and spoke very good English. The paintings are hundreds of years old. There are many books of prayers written in Tibetan script that were brought to the monastery when the Chinese cracked down on Buddhism in Tibet. We could feel how ancient and deeply held the beliefs are, how sacred the different objects and statues are, how devout the followers are. Then we had a moment of levity when the monk asked us if our feet, clad in wool hiking socks, were cold. We admitted they were a little cold; he said is bare feet were not, and we all laughed.

After touring the upstairs part of the monastery, it had started to rain and then snow quite hard. The monk invited us into the dining / common room for a cup of hot tea. Bire had not brought his rain jacket, and the monk who gave us a tour offered a large blue garbage bag for the walk back to the village which we all laughed about. The monk sat and looked through his phone for a while. Even monks do that!

Back at our lodge we had dinner and spoke to the other guests: German, Israeli, more Germans. Bire brought out some raksi, a local brew which reminded us of sake. We sipped a little, but found it very strong. The lodge owners mother refueled the stove with yak dung, and all of us near the stove pulled our tea or raksi glasses out of the way as a few dung crumbs spilled about.

Nepal Day 17 - Gokyo to Lungden via Renjo La

 7.24 miles, 3013’ climbing

Renjo La: 17,790’

Renzo Pass Support Guest House: 14,357’

Note: many place names are spelled multiple ways, thus Renzo or Renjo, Dragnag or Thaknak. These are transliterations from the Nepali alphabet.

After an early breakfast, we headed up a gradually climbing trail next to Gokyo Lake. 

The lake was 2/3 ice yesterday but only 1/2 ice this morning. We were in the sun, and it was very pleasant. Our itinerary had us staying 2 nights in Gokyo, but the weather is so good and the views so clear that Bire suggested continuing onwards today. We can add an overnight in another small town, and if weather arrives, it won’t matter so much at the lower elevations.

At the end of the lake, steeper climbing began, but it was never slippery or exposed where a fall would be a very bad idea with a potentially bad outcome (unlike the prior two days). We eventually emerged on the side of a large snowy bowl where we put on our microspikes and continued up the packed snow trail. Near the top, we were back on rock and dirt, and then we arrived. This was another pass with solar panels and electric outlets on a post. After some high fives and photos with perfectly clear views, we headed down the west side of the pass, easy walking on packed snow in our microspikes. We passed some trekkers heading up and offered encouragement. 

Near a glacial lake where the trail flattened out, we stopped to eat our packed lunches. We continued down valley, eventually reaching soft mossy dirt where we took off our microspikes. The character of the valley changed completely. It was steep downhill at times, then we reached Lungden, a pretty village on a plateau with lots of rock walls. We were happy to have internet access for the first time in a couple days, and we hope to spend some time catching up with people at home.

Bire’s brother whom he hasn’t seen in 5 years lives in this village. We hope he will get to see him.

Nepal Day 16 - Dragnag to Gokyo plus ascent of Gokyo Ri

 2.8 miles, 1500’ elevation gain estimated between villages

Namaste Lodge, 15,721’ elevation

Gokyo Ri: 17,583’ at the top, 1.3 miles from Gokyo, 2000’ elevation gain, steep in both directions!

After a good breakfast, we headed out for Gokyo. We knew it would be a shortish walk but with some strenuous walking on the glacier. A large group of Kongma were hanging around the village; maybe they get fed? We watched them a little, then started with an easy walk in the sunshine. Most of our walk was on the glacier, going up and around piles of rocks and snow. Some parts were slippery in snow or mud and exposed, places where it would be a really bad idea to fall, but Bire and Deepak were there to give a hand on the tricky parts. The track wasn’t always clear since it changes every year as the glacier moves and changes. We could see and hear chunks of ice and snow falling intermittently. There were some beautiful glacial lakes and snow and ice features. We passed a few groups of trekkers going in the opposite direction, and some people we’ve been seeing on a similar route to ours passed us.

Near the end of our route, we needed to ascend a long, steep hill off of the glacier. It was muddy, steep, narrow, and exposed. A large group was descending very slowly.  We waited for them out of the line of rock fall since it was too narrow to safely pass. As trekkers came up behind us, rocks and boulders intermittently came rolling and bouncing down the steep hill, some came close to trekkers behind us crossing the fall line . People yelled “Patthar!” (Rocks!) to warn them. This is the downside of a warm day. We headed up the narrow muddy path as soon as it was clear. Uphill was clearly safer (less slippery) than downhill. 

Soon we were rounding a hill for our first view of the colorful village of Gokyo, situated on a blue, partially iced-over lake, with its  large lodges with solar panels. Bire says 5 of them are owned by the same person. We checked into the Namaste Lodge and had lunch.

The weather was so good that we decided to go up Gokyo Ri, originally planned for tomorrow. We want to take advantage of clear skies since weather can change quickly. The climb up Gokyo Ri was very slow due to the steepness a high elevation. Finally we reached the top with its prayer flags. Some clouds had formed, but we had good views of Cho Oyu, Everest, Nuptse, Cholatse. 

On our way down, we again saw a large group of Kongmas. These were digging in the dirt and making a variety of sounds. Such cool birds! After a slow descent, we were back in Gokyo. We saw a pair of to-be-identified ducks near the inlet. We rewarded ourself with hot showers and felt positively human. The water was hot, and there was even a hair dryer available for those with a need.