Overnight
in Pangboche, I struggled to fall asleep and found it very difficult to
breathe: the effects of high altitude were starting to show. We were now nearly 4000 meters above sea level. We chose to be
conservative and take the recommended rest day in Pangboche. I certainly needed
to rest, recover and stretch my muscles after punishing my body the day before.
Chris and I spent the morning reading and resting, before visiting Pangboche
Monastery in a short hour and a half walk.
 |
| Still smiling after a rough night |
 |
| Enjoying the fresh air during our acclimatisation trek |
We reached the monastery after a short uphill climb. Here, Tibetan prayer flags sanctify
the air and pacify the gods. They are adorned by pictures of the wind horse
which carries the prayers to the four corners of the earth. The flags are five
colours which all have a different meaning: white for air, yellow for earth, red for
fire, blue for space and green for water. Along the way, there are walls of
carved mani stones with the Tibetan Buddhist mantra Om mani padme hum.
 |
| Mani walls and Tibetan flags |
When we
returned from our walk, we took an afternoon nap. Taking it easy definitely
felt good! We were in bed at 8pm and sound asleep soon after. Oh the life in the mountains!
No comments:
Post a Comment