I have been without internet and the last days have also been exhausting – but I made it both to Mount Everest Base Camp and to Kala Patthar! Here follow the days before these highlights.
Trekking day 4, 11th of October.
We followed the normal procedure i.e. breakfast at 7:00 and started trekking at 8:00. I got up early to get a hot shower (2nd on the trek) – actually much better opportunities for such than I expected (not Hans Grohe Rainshower, but fine for the circumstances). So-far there have also been regular toilets on all lodges.
Today’s trek brought us from Namche Bazar (3440m) to Phunki Thanga (3305m) for lunch, then to Tengboche (3867m) to see a monastery before descending to the lodge in Debuche (3745m).
We were again lucky with the sunny weather, but when we reached Tengboche it got quite clouded. We passed rhododendron trees along the way but no flowers this time a year. Autumn also looks to get starting with yellow, orange and red colors a few places.
We can enjoy the mountains in the distance while we slowly advance to Mount Everest and the other mountains in the region – just as spectacular but less known. For example, the ‘Toblerone’ (Ama Dablam, 6812m) mountain has a very distinct shape.
At the monastery we witnessed a part of a ceremony where a Buddhist monk was humming, and the room highly decorated (no photos allowed).
I had several talks with our local guide, Rosen, during today’s talk – to get some more insights in Nepalese demography:
– Rosen has started three schools in remote areas, where there were none. One of the assisting guides on the trek has studied at one of those schools.
– A person carrying two bags and his own luggage i.e. up to 30kg earns as a guideline 15USD a day, but it’s common praxis to add 10USD in tips.
– The tax is 13% but it sounded a bit volunteering how much people are registering.
– People need to pay for going to a doctor or hospital.
– A small house in Kathmandu costs roughly 300.000USD.