Everest Base Camp Trek Day 8 – Dingboche to Thukla

I found the walk to be quite easy today, slightly uphill but do-able. We enjoyed beautiful views of a turquoise lake and tall snowy peaks. My back was still suffering from carrying a 10kg backpack every day and the shooting pain in my upper right shoulder didn’t seem to diminish. We left Dingboche (4410m) and reached Thukla (4620m) in a couple of hours.

Lake sighting on the way - and look at that clear sky!

The trail suddenly descended to cross the Khumbu river when we arrived in Thukla (or sometimes spelled Dughla) at noon. The village only has one guesthouse with a big restaurant which was completely packed, inside and out. We had to sit on the stone wall as there were no chairs available.  

Thukla under construction (buildings on the right aren't habitable yet)

We had a bite to eat and debated whether we should keep going or not, staring at the scary steep hill ahead of us, climbing 300 meters straight up. Most of the boys were really tired but I felt like we should try to ascend until Lobuche, the next town. It was only noon after all. We started walking slowly, breathing heavily, and literally 5 minutes into it, the decision was made to go back down and stay the night! We had to pay for our room for the very first time on the trek, a meager 100 rupees per person (only 1$!). People had difficulty breathing, almost everyone had a headache and felt tired.

Many guesthouses use solar panel to generate power

 After resting for a while, we went to explore that stunning lake we had caught sight of earlier. It took an hour and a half to reach a good view point, but it seemed too steep and arduous to reach the shore.

The clouds are coming in over the lake and the wind is blowing hard!

Manu enjoying the view

Chris decided to start taking Diamox to help relieve the symptoms of altitude sickness (our friend Edgar had been taking it since Namche Bazaar), while I strongly considered hiring a porter for the following two days of ascending. In fact, I had made my decision of asking for one after being told it cost only 1000 rupees per day (10$), but unfortunately none were available until the following afternoon. It didn’t make sense to wait all this time when I could simply take it slower from now on if I needed it. The rest of the afternoon passed slowly – we were getting a bit bored, but we did meet a friendly Austrian man, Emmanuel, which would continue the trek with us. The night in Thukla felt very cold indeed! 

Everest Base Camp Trek Day 7 – Acclimatisation Day in Dingboche

I felt great when I woke up in Dingboche and was ready for an acclimatization trek to Chhukhung with a 320 metres increase in altitude. The wind was very strong and I was glad to be wearing a Gortex layered wind jacket. Around every corner in the Himalayas you see something different, and as you get higher into the upper Himalayas the views get more spectacular still, as the panorama of ridiculously tall peaks gets more and more impressive.

We were surrounded by famous mountains: Lhotse, Ama Dablam, Makalu… The sight of nearby glaciers was breathtaking and the air felt crystal clear. It took three hours to reach the town which was buzzing with climbing expeditions preparing to ascend Island peak. We had lunch and contemplated going up a view point which was recommended to us but felt like the extra climb would be a bit strenuous so we instead chose to go back down after our food. It took a quick hour and a half to get back down to our lodge, to Chris’ relief as he was once again experiencing altitude headaches.

In Dingboche, we started noticing many helicopters circling the area, some landing in the village. We were told that about three of them come every day to rescue trekkers with serious AMS symptoms who had to go down in emergency! This reinforced our will to take our time, use all recommended rest days, be aware of the symptoms of altitude sickness and take them seriously. You have so much thinking time in the mountains, whether just when walking, or during the inevitable numerous times that you are awake in the night due to the altitude. You can easily over think things and get a bit paranoid!

                                                                                                                                 

Nighttime was very cold and I was so pleased to have a warm sleeping back to tuck into! My skin was getting very dry, my nose felt sore and my lips cracked up at night. I was sure glad to have brought some moisturizer to help the situation! 

Egard distracting the chidren from their homework

Everest Base Camp Trek Day 6 - Pangboche to Dingboche

When I woke up, I had a filling breakfast of Tibetan bread with peanut butter. It tasted amazing and gave me the carbs I needed for the morning trek. We walked in direction of Dingboche in an easy dirt trail surrounded by fields and mountains. The only issue I had was the extreme pain from my back which consumed my every thought. I suppose carrying my bag every day was starting to take its toll.

Carrying my load

Showing off

Memorial

In only two and a half hours, we had reached Dingboche which sits at 4410 meters in altitude! Since we had climbed the daily recommended 500 meters already, that was it for the day. We had the afternoon to ourselves, met fellow trekkers in our lodge, caught up on laundry and reading. At this height, many are starting to feel the altitude and experience various discomforts. Doctors based in Dingboche were doing survey on AMS (altitude mountain sickness) and the possible effects of acetaminophen versus ibuprofen to relieve the symptoms. They were looking for trekkers to take the pills in a randomized controlled trial and test their symptoms before and after trekking in higher altitude. We chose not to participate but enjoyed getting our heart rate tested (mine was 110 bpm) and levels of oxygen in our blood aka blood oxygen saturation (mine was 85% - lower than 80% isn’t great).

In the lodge - taking notes for my blog! 

We had a good time in the lodge which was held by a lovely family. The elderly couple was friendly and chatty, the younger ones efficient in the kitchen. We especially enjoyed the spring rolls made with veggies from their garden and the tuna and yak cheese pizza. We also discovered a local specialty called seabuckthorn juice. It is a local bush which is planted to prevent erosion and the berry was found to be high in vitamin C, full of nutrients and bioactive ingredients. It is prepared like a tea and served warm and sweet, very delicious and great to get some vitamins so high in altitude where fruits are hard to find.

Everest Base Camp Trek Day 5 – Acclimatisation Day in Pangboche

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! 

Everest Base Camp Trek Day 4 – Namche Bazaar to Pangboche

After a breakfast of muesli and apples, we got an early start and left at 8am. It started easy as I felt strong and dynamic. After the initial climb to exit Namche, the trail went flat and winding with dramatic valley views and snowy peaks. It was easy to walk and get lost in your thoughts, breathing the fresh air and clearing your head of mundane worries while following your footsteps.

Flat trails are fun!

Sharing the way

Love these beautiful mountain flowers - they almost look unreal!

After two and a half hours, the inevitable came to us in a steep incline of crumbly gravel trail. The ascent seemed never ending and the path changed into knee-bruising stone steps. We were still climbing two hours later. At that point, something had to give and I started feeling weaker and weaker. It was discouraging to ask guides on the way and to get told the next village was ‘one hour away’ over and over again. I had to sit down on the side of the path and get some stamina back into me. I felt so weak I could barely hold the water bottle Chris was handing me. I remember staring at my hands and thinking something was very wrong. After ten minutes of sitting and being force-fed a granola bar, I found the strength to carry on and we finally reached Tengboche (3860 meters) on shaky legs after nearly 5 hours straight. Our friends had been there nearly an hour waiting for us. I collapsed on a chair and ordered lunch. 

I'm struggling

I don’t know why or how I got convinced but we actually carried on after lunch and pushed on until Pangboche (3930 meters) which took another two and a half hours including a hard 40 minutes uphill. I had gathered some energy over lunch and felt fine during the afternoon hike, despite a sharp pain shooting from my right shoulder blade to my neck. It felt so good to have arrived and to reach a destination further than originally planned! We were tired, but proud.

 

Reaching Pangboche

What are you looking at?

I rewarded myself with a hot shower which was a humbling experience: my hosts put over 6 massive kettles to boil on their iron stoves and carried it to the roof to pour the hot water into a container for me to have my shower. They ran back and forth while I was able to wash myself (three times over) from the hot water coming out of a simple pipe in the bathroom. They certainly deserved the 300 rupees it cost me for this luxury. At this altitude up in the mountains, wood is scarce and expensive so cow dung is the logical (and ecological) option for fuel. Afterwards, I sat by the fire in the dining room while the owner’s four year old daughter played with my drying hair with her hands stained from the cow dung she had been playing with earlier. So much for staying clean! There are dung cakes drying all over the village of Pangboche: on the walls and in the fields. Our host would make them all day behind her house by hand and without gloves before going in the kitchen and making our dinner – sanitary!    

Drying dung cakes

Piles and piles of shit!

Everest Base Camp Trek Day 3 – Acclimatisation Day

When you first hear the term ‘acclimatisation day’, you picture resting and recuperating for the day before your next ascent. Well guess again! The recommended thing to do on these so called rest days is to hike (surprise, surprise) to higher altitude and come back down to sleep in lower altitude. It is said that the fittest hikers are often those who get AMS (altitude mountain sickness) because of their tendency to over-exert themselves and climbing too fast.

These cuties will genetically be fitter to cope with altitude 

Our friend Edgar experienced this very early on. When climbing the last hour to Namche Bazaar, his exhaustion showed through shortness of breath, dizziness and blurred vision. He arrived in Namche completely wiped out and went to the doctor's who prescribed him Diamox, the common altitude sickness tablets. Needless to say he stayed put during said 'rest day' and recuperated.

It was with great disappointment that I woke up for another strenuous day walk, but a relief to be able to leave my bag in the lodge and carry only water and snacks – what a treat! I felt light and eager to get my first view of Mount Everest via a view point and Everest View point Hotel. 

Outside our guesthouse

 After a steep climb, we got to a field surrounding Sagarmatha National park Visitor Centre on the ridge above town and got our first sighting of the giant peak, surrounded by other snow-capped mountains.

Our first shot with Everest 

After a few snaps, we climbed even higher towards the ‘highest hotel in the world’ where the view was pretty much the same. We continued on the narrow path towards the village of Khumjung (3780 metres), where we stopped for a cheap and hearty lunch. We continued through Khunde (3840 metres) and back down to Syangboche (3720 metres) in a nice 5-hour loop offering stunning mountain views. We found it very hard to walk uphill and experienced heart palpitations when pushing ourselves too hard. We had no choice but to ascend very slowly. Chris got his first of many altitude headaches.

Reaching Everest View point hotel

Climbing

Enjoying the rest on top of the hill

When we got back to the town of Namche, Chris went to rest while I went in a popular coffee house to watch the documentary Sherpas, the real heroes. It was very interesting to learn more about the hard reality of their work and enjoyable to savour an apple pie while doing so. In the evening, after hand-washing socks and underwear, we settled for playing cards (again!) and catching up with our friends while warming up by the fire-burning oven in the communal dining room. By 8:30, we were wiped out and ready for bed!

Everest Base Camp Trek Day 2 – Phakding to Namche Bazaar

Our second day was to be a good reminder of what we were getting ourselves into: this adventure wasn’t for the faint-hearted! We left Phakding at 8:30 and trekked for a solid 6 hours, going uphill steadily and unapologetically. We stopped for lunch in the village of Jorsalle for the heartiest option available, and continued the climb. We had to stop and present our trekker’s permits (TIMS card), register our itinerary and pay 3,000 rupees for the National park admission. I felt hot most of the way due to the physical demand of the steep climb. 

Officially entering the National park

Unfortunately, we often got stuck behind slow groups, and overtaking them was quite exhausting as you’d have to work hard to get past them. We didn’t understand how people can walk in a single file like cattle and enjoy the experience. Our group followed each other casually, our pace being quite similar. We would pass one another during water breaks or animal crossings, but didn’t care for constantly waiting for each other at every turn. The beauty of the scenery and serenity of the environment made it pleasant to walk alone in silence and admire your surroundings.

Stuck behind large groups

Animal crossing - move out of the way!

After an excruciating hill which we ascended for over two hours, we finally walked on the cobbled stones of Namche Bazaar. The village was bustling with cafes, bakeries and pubs. After a short stop to catch our breath and wait for our friends before choosing a lodge, we quickly started getting cold and added some more layers. 

Namche Bazaar

Rewarding mountain view in Namche Bazaar at dusk 

Namche illuminated 

We spent the evening playing cards and eating yak cheese pizza before cozying up in our sleeping bags in the chilly rooms.