Monday, September 12, 2016

An attempt at 3 passes - Day 8, 9 & 10 - Back to Kathamandu via Phortse

One of the five lakes
Morning of Day 8 I woke up refreshed, thanks to a good night's sleep. We left Gokyo at 7:30 am and stopped for some photo ops along the other smaller lakes that we encountered.

The sun was out and soon we found ourselves delayering to get cooler. Getting rid of inner thermal layer is not an easy task out in the open :)

River crossing

The warm weather and loss in altitude helped my body and I practically started running down the trail. The original plan was to descend to Dole and then go to Phortse the next day. However an hour into the trek (near Machermo), we took a stock of my energy levels and decided to cross the river and instead go to Phortse via Thare. This way reaching Gorakshep or EBC would take same number of days as it would have taken if we had crossed Cho La.

Since our earlier plan was a shorter hike, we hadn't carried any food as we hoped to  reach Dole by lunch time. Now, we needed a lunch halt because we had increased the trek duration. Due to earthquakes some of the tea houses on the way were closed and we wondered if we would go hungry today. On top of that, the weather had turned cold and windy - not easy to manage on empty stomachs.

Around 1 pm, we reached Thare and again found most of the tea houses closed, but as we were about to give up all hope, we found a place that was open and willing to serve us some hot food. While the options were limited - we were more than happy to get some shelter, hot food and hot tea inside us.


The tough climb between Thare and Phortse
We left this place around 2:00 pm and realized that weather had turned for the worse - especially the wind. So far the descent was mostly downhill or flat (barring some uphill portions as is common with Himalayan hikes) but now we encountered a long and steep portion.

Since I was still struggling with uphill portions, this one literally took my breath away. Slowly and painfully I climbed the innumerable stairs and once at the top I decided that I won't be visiting EBC in this trip. If I cannot manage uphill at this lower altitude of approximately 13,500 ft,  no way would I be able to complete the hike from Lobuche (16000 ft) to EBC (17,500 ft)


View of Dole - our originally planned halt
We finally reached Phortse around 4 pm and went to the teahouse suggested by the trip organizer (Tashi Friendship Hotel). He had talked to the owner there to help me find a porter if I decide to descend further to Lukla. There were no attached bathrooms here but the common loo was fairly clean and hence we decided to stay the night.

Over dinner, I informed the group about my decision
View of Phortse - our actual destination
to drop EBC (had done that already 18 months back) and head down to Lukla instead. While they were disappointed, they understood my predicament. Now the next item on agenda was to find me a porter. Why?

Because...Phortse is at ~12,500 ft. The route to Namche means descent to Phortse Tenga at ~11,500 ft and then a climb up to ~13,100 ft to Mong La before descending again to Namche. Today I had carried my backpack but I knew that I will not be able to climb 1600 ft with it on my back.

Finally with much effort, the owner was able to find me a porter - a lady porter! Initially I felt pretty weird asking another woman to carry my load but later on I realized that she was much stronger than me :)

Day 9, I started for Namche Bazar amidst the sad good byes and promises to meet again soon. Plan was to reach Namche, stay overnight and then proceed to Lukla next day. The descent to Phortse Tenga was easy, especially now that I had only water load on my back. The climb to Mong La was quite tough but lack of backpack helped again and lo behold I was at the top in just 90 minutes. Beyond this point, the hike was easy-peasy and we were in Namche Bazar at 11:15am.

I had called in ahead to book myself a room at Camp de Base hotel but since it was pretty early in the day, I decided to just have lunch there and proceed to Phakding instead. My thought process was to spend the night at Phakding and reach Lukla by 8 am next day to catch the flight back to Kathmandu. This would save me another day's expense on the trail and will allow the porter to get back to Phortse sooner. Since her fee was based on destination and not number of days - it was a win for her also.

My porter and I weren't able to communicate the normal way as she didn't speak any Hindi or English and I don't speak Nepali. With help from kitchen staff at Camp de Base, I conveyed my plan and she agreed. After a hearty lunch of spaghetti, we started for Phakding at little past 12 noon.

We walked fast (except when I encountered steep uphill portions) and took only couple of short breaks (mostly for her benefit as she was carrying the load) between Namche and Phakding. Near Sagarmatha check point, it started to drizzle with a clear sign of it turning into a downpour. But she kept walking unfazed and I simply followed suit.

At around 3:30 pm, we reached the Sunrise Lodge in Phakding (the same place where we had stayed on the way up). I think I was more relieved than her because the threat of downpour had become a reality. The clouds simply burst open as if they were just waiting for us to get a shelter. As usual, I ended the day with hot shower and a sumptuous dinner (my appetite was back now that oxygen was flooding my lungs). Since it was quite an achievement to reach Phakding from Phortse in 8 hours, I further rewarded myself with a beer :)

Day 10, we started very early as I wanted to reach Lukla by 8 am to catch the 3rd or 4th flight into Kathmandu. By 5:50 am we were back on the trail and walked quietly while enjoying the beautiful morning. I was a little sad as this was to be my last two hours on the hike and then I would be back to reality.

We reached the airport in Lukla at 8:15 am to meet the contact person who would help me get the flight to Kathmandu. The airport was in chaos as no flight had left for Kathmandu the previous day due to bad weather and I couldn't locate my airlines contact. I decided to wait for him at the Numbur tea house run by his wife (just next to airport) - so I paid my porter, gave her some energy bars for the hike back and prepared myself for a long wait. Given there were many people waiting there in the tea house for their delayed flights to take off, I realized I may not reach Kathmandu today.

After multiple check-ins with the wife, who wasn't able to locate her husband as his phone was off, I finally gave up on the idea of leaving Lukla today and decided to relax with a glass of wine. And as it usually happens, once you stop running after something you get it - some 45 minutes later, she informed me to go back to the airport as her husband had found me a seat on the last flight out.


Dornier that flew me back to Kathmandu
Happily I lugged my bag to airport, completed the formalities and parked myself for another wait as the flight had not yet left Kathmandu due to some air traffic issues there. Finally the flight too off from there, landed here and we were airborne.

I reached Kathmandu around 1:00 pm - both sad and relieved. Sad because my hike had come to a premature end, relieved because my head no longer ached and my appetite was back.

After I checked into Hotel Friends Home, I spent the afternoon running around to get my tickets to Bangalore for the next day. Once that was out of the way, I treated my self to a Café Mocha and Chocolate Brownie at Himalayan Java - by the time I was half way through my brownie, I realized this was way too much indulgence after 10 days of simple food.

I wrapped up my trip with a big dinner with the agency owner and dear friend RT. I had a lot of amazing local food, a mind blowing Bhutanese dish and some good Chilean wine. And I believe I ate enough to make up for the times I couldn't eat during the trek. If you ever want good food in Kathmandu, do visit this place - "Dechenling - A Garden of Joy" located near the North Face showroom in Thamel.

I left for Bangalore the next day, with a promise to myself to be back again soon!


Friday, September 9, 2016

An attempt at 3 passes - Day 7, "Excursion" to Gokyo Ri

I woke up at 6 am even though we were not going on a long hike today. Today's plan was to climb Gokyo Ri (aka Gokyo Peak) that stands at 5,357 m or 17,575 ft above sea level. The views of the entire Gokyo region and the Everest Range are simply amazing from the top. Gokyo lake is at 4750 m, this translates into a climb of 600 m/ 2000 ft to the top. As per the itinerary, the climb up and back down would take us about 3.5 hours.

We started at 8 am after our breakfast - my appetite hadn't returned to normal yet but I could manage to eat something. Today my pack had only an additional jacket and water and since we all had already been to similar height yesterday (Renjo La), it was expected that today's climb would be easier on the lungs.

AA was practically running, AD & I were moving slowly and our guide was with us two slow movers. Around 9 am we noticed a few folks coming back down - they had started at 6 am in order to get clearer skies and hence better views. One hour into the hike and I could see that we were only one third of the way up...which meant that climb up alone would take us 3 hours.

View of Gokyo Lake while climbing Gokyo Ri
 Since AA was doing well, we suggested that he go at his own pace and not wait for us. AD & I continued slowly - the previous day's altitude gain hadn't seem to have helped us. We were both struggling to breathe and hence were finding this climb quite tough. AA reached the peak around 10:30 am and while we could see the peak, we knew that it would take us another 30 minutes to get there. As he was waiting for us to catch up, weather started to turn bad and he decided to start back down - without any physical activity the cold feels much colder.

AD & I, finally reached the peak at 11 am. It had taken us 3 hours to get to the top - most of the folks take only 2 hours. Just goes on to show how much we were struggling with thin air. We were tired but jubilant at having finally made it to the top. The views at this height were simply amazing. We could see all the lakes in the region, the Ngozumpa glacier and the Everest Range. Ngozumpa glacier at 36 kilometres / 22 miles, is the longest glacier in the Himalayas. It lies below the sixth highest mountain in the world - Cho Oyu (8201 m).
View from the top


The sun, however, had gone behind the clouds and the wind chill was quite bad - forcing us to start back down just after 15 minutes at the top. The way down ofcourse felt much easier and we made it back to the Gokyo Lake (our lodge was next to the lake) in just over an hour.

View of the lake from our lodge

We wrapped up the so called excursion to Gokyo Ri with a cup of hot mango juice (yes, again!) - Though I still can't believe that the itinerary called it an excursion. Climbing 600m from Very High Altitude zone to Extremely High Altitude zone, cannot be called an excursion - at least not in my dictionary!

I was quite exhausted to have lunch. so I had some snacks instead and decided to get some rest while AD & AA continued to enjoy the view of the lake from the dining room. As I drifted off to sleep, I had only one question on my mind - can I really cross Cho La day after?

As I came back to the dining room around 4 pm, I posed this question to the group and our guide. Given my performance at Renjo La yesterday and today to Gokyo Ri, I felt that Cho La was something I will not be able to manage because it's a bit tougher than Renjo La. Of the three passes, Kongma La is the toughest and Renjo La is the easiest.

We had already decided to drop Kongma La as it requires higher level of fitness because there aren't stone steps like Renjo La and slopes are steeper. The question was now, whether we cross Cho La or not? AA & AD wanted to visit Everest Base Camp (EBC) and going via this pass would make sense. This route would mean going to Thagnak next day, crossing Cho La day after and reaching Dzongla, reaching Lobuche 3rd day and then Gorakshep & EBC.

But I had been to EBC already and I wasn't sure I could cross another high pass in my current state. After much discussion, it was proposed that we take a longer but easier route to EBC. This route meant going to Phortse next day, Dingboche day after and Lobuche on 3rd day. In terms of number of days the two routes were same, but this one meant skipping another pass from our list. Thankfully neither AD nor AA were too hung up on crossing Cho La. AD even said that she is quite happy with one pass, one peak and EBC - for someone to do this much on her first high altitude trek is more than enough.

Even though at this point I wasn't sure if I want to do EBC again, the group felt that if we lose some altitude and take additional rest, my body may get ready for the climb back to EBC. This was the key reason they both decided to join me in the descent to Phortse next day. I was so relieved at the thought of not crossing another pass that I ordered a big dinner and managed to eat well for the first time in 3 days!
 

Thursday, September 8, 2016

An attempt at 3 passes - Day 6 to Gokyo via Renjo La

I woke up at 3:30 am in a sour mood - I was tired and in pain because of carrying my backpack all these days and because it was mind numbing cold at this hour. Somehow I managed to get ready in time for the breakfast which I couldn't eat as it was too early in the day for me to consume any calorie rich food.
 
We packed some food for the journey as crossing a pass means no shelter till you reach the other side and come down back to the valley. This also implies that we needed to carry more water than usual considering we would be gaining lot of altitude in one day and hydration needs would be higher than usual (to counter the effects of altitude). We had chosen the more difficult side to cross this pass - we would be climbing 1000 m to get to the pass and lose 600 m to get down back to civilization. The views are more beautiful this way but climb is exponentially tougher and most folks prefer to cross the pass from Gokyo to Lungde.
 
Anyways, it was too late for us to change our plans and thus, we started the hike at 4:45 am - the sun had started to come out giving a nominal feeling of warmth. Given I was tired already and this was to be a really tough day, I decided to offload a fair bit of my load to the porter. I had carried about 12 kilos (including water) till Lungde but today my backpack was about only 5-6 kilos. It had only essential clothing, medication and water. 
 
We were already in Very High Altitude zone to begin with and I was not surprised that initial few steps of the climb started to leave me breathless. I decided to slow down to allow my respiration to catch up with the ever thinning oxygen. A few minutes into the hike, AA realized that he had forgotten his phone back at the lodge and he went back to retrieve it. Not wanting to delay us, he decided to run back to the lodge - a big mistake at such altitude. By the time he caught up with the two snail paced women, he was very breathless and kind of turning blue thanks to lack of oxygen. Given his current condition and his discomfort the previous day, I and the guide both felt that he needed to start taking Diamox. 
 
AA took some Diamox and we rested a bit for his breathing to become normal before proceeding with the hike. After the initial climb to the ridge, the route was mostly flat. The views were amazing and at one point we even walked through a dried up mountain lake - felt like a dessert crossing. The ups and downs of the route were not really steep but the lack of oxygen had started to tire AD & I out significantly more as compared to AA (who was on Diamox). 
 
Lake en-route to Renjo La
We encountered another lake (this one had water) and after that the route started getting steeper. The last 90 minutes to the pass comprised of stone steps which were more uneven than usual due to the frequent seismic activities affecting the region.

Renjo La lies at an altitude of 5340 m which is considered Extremely High Altitude - so it was no surprise that as we got closer, we could barely walk a few steps before requiring a rest to get breathing back to normal. Low oxygen levels also tire you out as body is unable to convert glucose into energy.
 
These last 90 minutes felt like torture - I couldn't breathe, I couldn't climb (was extremely tired) and I couldn't go back as Gokyo was closer than Lundge at this point. Both AD and I continued to struggle till we reached the pass. AA was doing amazingly well and showed no more low-oxygen related distress.
 
We reached the pass around 11:50 am - 7 hours is a long time to walk without much break and at such altitudes. On the way, a hiker had passed us and he was practically running - he was high altitude runner and his aim was to do the whole trek from Lungde to Gokyo in 4 hours!
View from the pass - Gokyo lake in the distance
Once at the top we all had something to eat (I couldn't manage much due to my tiredness) and some black sugarless tea to drink. The views were just awesome but the cold and thin air didn't allow us to stay here longer and we started the descent just after 15-20 minutes. We still had 3 hours of hike ahead of us - all downhill or flat but not easy. At this point the cold and the low oxygen had started to give me a dull headache - a sure shot sign of altitude sickness but since it was almost time to descend I wasn't too worried - descent meant more oxygen and hence improvement in all vitals!
Descent to Gokyo Lake
 
First one hour of descent was nightmarish for me - the slopes were steep with lot of loose stones and dirt - making it difficult to get good footing. Then we encountered snow on a very steep slope - at one point I just couldn't move forward lest I fly off the face of the mountain. Our guide noticed my dilemma and held my hand till I was comfortable to get down on my own.
 
Our guide helping me on the snowy slope
My headache that should have subsided with loss of altitude instead increased with time and my tiredness continued to get worse. Only thing that kept me going were the amazing views of the Gokyo lake and valley. Guess my inability to eat had caused me severe fatigue - once again! (I had similar issues at HMI base camp)
 
Finally around 3:30 pm, we were in the lodge at Gokyo called Fitzroy Inn. We chose this one because we wanted attached toilets. As luck would have it, only one of the available rooms had attached toilet and AD & AA were gracious enough to let me have it - I must have looked pretty close to dying :)
 
After a cup of hot mango juice, I gathered enough energy for a shower and went to bed - I was too tired to even sit, let alone chat. While I didn't sleep (it’s not advisable to sleep immediately at high altitudes) I did manage to get some rest before joining them for dinner. I ordered some lasagna but I couldn't have even one bite. I had some potato croquettes instead and retired for the day.
 
Thus ended one of the toughest and longest days (10.5 hours from Lungde to Gokyo) I have ever encountered while hiking. Only HMI trek comes close to this one but there I was able to carry the full load till the top. Today even without the full load and then no backpack for the last few hours, I was quite close to just giving up. The big difference in two treks was the altitude - our hike today had started at the altitude of HMI base camp and then taken us to the same altitude as EBC before descending to Gokyo.

Thursday, August 4, 2016

An attempt at 3 passes - Day 5 to Lungde

The morning of Day 5 was bright and sunny and cold...today's hike would take us to 4380 m - an altitude gain of 580 meters. In the past treks I noticed that a significant bunch of hikers started to get mild AMS symptoms around 4200 m, and given AD can't  take Diamox  due to sulfur allergy and AA hadn't yet started on Diamox, it was imperative that we climb slowly.

Mid-morning tea halt
After breakfast, an easy walk took us to Tarnga (4000m) where we stopped for some tea and AD's dark chocolate trail mix. While the trail wasn't difficult on its own, the wind was really strong and cold and dusty. The path followed the river and we also crossed a couple of landslides.

After crossing Langmuche Khola (which drains the Langmuche glacier) on an iron bridge, we climbed into a wide sandy valley that continued to Marlung (4210 m). Marlung has lodges on either side of river and it is also a good place to observe the spectacular view of the largest glacier in the Himalayas (Ngozumba glacier) and Kongde Ri.

Iron bridge
From here around 2.5 hours of vertical climb through the dry valley finally took us to Lungde. This trail offers a beautiful view of snow capped mountains and the valley. The altitude was now beyond 4000 m and AD & I were backpacking - the combination resulted us in getting tired and we needed more frequent breaks.
However, our guide was very strict and after just 3-4 minutes of rest he would start nagging us to start moving again. At one point, AD & I got so frustrated that we told him to go ahead without us. After all, we wanted to also enjoy the beautiful views...it wasn't just about reaching Lungde.

We reached Lungde around lunch time and after dropping our bags into our rooms we proceeded for lunch. AA suddenly wasn't feeling very well - he was cold, had no appetite, had some headche and was very tired. These looked like symptoms of altitude sickness but they weren't severe and headache wasn't too pronounced so we made him take a paracetamol with lots of water and ensured that he eats some garlic soup. Post this meagre meal, he got into his sleeping bag and I covered him with two blankets as he was feeling very cold.

Our guide stayed with him for some time lest it was serious but after about half an hour, he also felt that it was just cold & fatigue, so he left to get some much needed rest for himself. The rooms here had attached toilets but they weren't western style and had no running water - were clean though...this is the best one can get at this altitude!!!

Having decided on an early dinner, we met back in the dining gall at 6 pm and I was happy to see AA back in good spirits...guess rest was all he had needed. While eating, I started chatting up with a group that was coming from Gokyo (we were hiking the reverse route). They informed us that we had chosen a tougher route - a climb of 1000 m from this side to Renjo La vs 600 m from Gokyo. This news at this late an hour wasn't of much help to us except preparing us mentally for a tough climb.

Our guide insisted on a 4 am start for us to get to the pass around 10 am for a clear view of the Everest range but I was adamant that I won't get up that early - I pouted till we settled for 4:45 am start...we were going to get same view again from Gokyo Ri anyway!

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

An attempt at 3 passes - Day 4 to Thame

We big good bye to SJ with a heavy heart and started our hike towards Thame. It was to be an easy day because the altitude gain wasn't that high and the trail is not that steep. However, at the starting attitude of 3440 m my backpack started to feel heavier than the previous days.


Flowers in bloom along the trail




Till Namche the route was same as to EBC, but now the trail was new to me and I honestly was enjoying the hike more now. The distance to Thame is 9.7km (about 6 miles) along a good trail. The walk itself is peaceful with excellent views of the mountains as it winds in and out of the forest on the side of the canyon.








Beautiful views


After about two hours walk from Namche Bazaar we reached a larger village of Thamo renowned by a nice gompa. If you set out from Namche very early at dawn, it is the ideal place to have a breakfast. We ofcourse had some snack here and after a short break continued our hike. In Thamo, we had to climb the steep stairs to the monastery, but the continuing way was not so steep.



Crossing Bothe Khosi



The path continued to rise up slowly for about an hour and dropped down to the river, which pushes its way through very narrow gorge. All around are beautiful Buddhist paintings. From the bridge over Bothe Khosi followed a steep hike to the village of Thame. This hike felt very tough to me, even though it was just 150 vertical meters, I kept asking the guide how much longer will it take us to get there. At the gate of Thame, AA decided to help me with my  bag and swapped my 12 kilo backpack with his daypack. I felt as if I could fly :)







Now the first order of business was to look for a lodge with "attached rooms". We found that only two lodges have them. First one had only two rooms available and they were a bit dark for our taste. We then proceeded to Sunshine Lodge that came recommended from some hikers I had met along the way. We got three rooms - better than the other lodge and all with a wonderful view of the range.

View from our rooms
After Namche, Thame felt quite peaceful. It is a traditional village that has escaped the crowds trekking to Everest and has one of the older monasteries in the region. The village is notably the hometown of Apa Sherpa who has made it to the summit of Everest 21 times!

It took us about 30 minutes to find the right lodge and settle down and by that time we were all starving. So we decided to have lunch first and then proceeded for a hot shower in the attached bathrooms - thanks once again to solar power.

After the lunch, AD decided to walk to the monastery and I decided to rest up even though originally I wanted to do this as an acclimatization hike. AA and I instead spent time in the warm dining hall uploading pictures on FB and chatting with our loved ones

Once AD got back from her short hike, we had our dinner...the food at this lodge was really good, and after another great meal, we called it a day around 8:30 pm.





 

Thursday, June 16, 2016

An attempt at 3 passes - Day 3, Acclimatization

The guide assigned on us this trip is actually a climbing guide and he was a bit strict compared to the other trek guides. I had to negotiate hard on the start time for the acclimatization hike. He wanted us to start at 7:30 am and I wanted to sleep in - so after much haggling, we settled for an 8 am start.
It was to be an easy day - no backpack, with only water and a warm jacket we were good to go. After a hearty breakfast we started the hike to Everest View Hotel in Khunjung (3780m). Namche is at 3440 m - this meant a climb of approximately 1100 ft in 2 hours. One of the fellow hikers kept asking me the need for this acclimatization hike. He was wondering why didn't we simply proceed to Thame (our next destination) which at 3750 m is at similar height to Khumjung. I am not sure I did a good job of explaining it that time, so I will try again:
The most important precondition and best way of avoiding altitude sickness whilst trekking in Nepal is to increase altitude gradually and systematically. In Nepal a safe altitude to which you can climb rapidly and straight away is: 2,700 – 3000 metres. The most popular mountain airports in Nepal are located in this altitude range: Lukla and Jomsom. On the day of your arrival, you must definitely spend the night at the same altitude. And that is why we spent the night at Phakding (slightly lower than Lukla)
Thereafter you must stick to a set climbing regime: 300 – 400 altitude metres a day. Accordingly, every overnight stay must be at an altitude of 300 – 400 metres higher than your previous overnight accommodation. Having climbed a total of 1,000 altitude metres, you must devote one whole day to altitude acclimatization and stay overnight at the same altitude. It is advisable to spend the day of altitude acclimatization doing a little trekking leading up to a short stay at a greater altitude (300 – 400 m) before returning and staying overnight at the previous altitude.
We had landed at 2860 m (Lukla) and spent first night at 2610 m (Phakding) and then we reached 3440 m (Namche) - this gain of 2400 ft definitely demands an acclimatization day - especially because leaving for Thame would mean entering very high altitude range the very next day. There are three altitude ranges and one should spend acclimatizing well in previous one before entering the next zone:
  • High Altitude   (1500m-3500m/ 4921-11,483 ft)  
  • Very High Altitude  (3500m-5500m/ 11,483 – 18,045) 
  • Extreme Altitude  (>5500m/ >18,045ft)
Well enough gyan for now, back at the hike we were having an amazing day...we reached the Everest View Hotel and found an amazing view of the whole range awaiting us. It was a bright sunny and clear day. Last  time all we saw was clouds...but this time entire range was visible. We spent some time at the hotel enjoying the view, drinking hot chocolate and exchanging some good natured banter.
At Everest View Hotel
As expected some spots brought the memories of the last time I was here, including where my friend had twisted her ankle on the way down that made the rest of the hike really painful for her. Hence, I kept reminding everyone to walk back down slowly and carefully. And thankfully we made it down without any incident. On the way back we even met some climbers who were planning to climb Amadablam - a mountain I hope to climb some day.
All in all it had turned out to be a great day so far and I was very excited about getting back on trail to Renjo La. But as luck would have it, this time instead of an ankle injury, one of us fell prey to stomach upset. While it wasn't a case of altitude sickness and given an extra day of rest, he could have resumed the hike but his heart was no longer in it.
So it was decided that tomorrow, as 3 of us proceed to Thame, he would make his descent back to Lukla. Our guide made plans for a porter to accompany him to Lukla and on this sad note ended the day that had started so bright and happy!

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

An attempt at 3 passes - Day 2 to Namche

As is the practice, we started our day early and started the hike towards Namche at 7:30 am. Having done this hike 18 months ago on way to EBC, I knew that this was going to be a tough day and I had informed my fellow hikers about same. There are two villages on the way to Namche - Monjo and Jorsale. After Jorsale, there are no more places for a formal halt - which means we need to carry water and food that we might need on the steep hike that makes the journey from Jorsale to Namche.

Just above Monjo is the entrance checkpoint for the Sagarmatha National Park, where TIMS card and national park receipt is checked. And soon after that is Jorsale. We had a short tea halt before check point and even then we were in Jorsale by 10 am. Now this was way too early for lunch but I knew the tough day that lay ahead of us, so I forced my fellow hikers to eat something and to pack some Tibetan bread (with jam & butter) for the road. I filtered the water using  my personal water filter because I wasn't sure I would get any tap water later on and rest of the group bought bottled water.

Thus prepared we left Jorsale for Namche at 10:30 am. At first it didn't seem tough but about 30 minutes into this latter part of the hike, came the steep inclines. We had to first climb upto the higher suspension bridge, cross that and resume the hike to Namche.

Easier beginning - walking next to Dudh Koshi
Beginning of the steep inclines




















Once I started to ascend, I started to remember the trail - the place where we shared a joke or where we stopped for a photo shoot. It felt wonderful at first, but at every such memory stop, I also recalled how far I was from the destination for the day and that didn't help at all! The two gentlemen were way ahead of us backpacking women and often we would find them waiting for us in shade somewhere, looking thoroughly bored.


Climbing much higher than the second suspension bridge
Almost halfway between Jorsale and Namche is a place where one can find a tap and some toilets - both very important. Former because that is the only source of water on this part of trail and if you have a filter you don't have to lug the water from below. Latter because this trail was very crowded and it wasn't easy to find a secluded spot to void the bladder. This spot even had a vendor selling fruits and bottled water (at exorbitant prices). All in all a good place for a break especially because it has a large tree underneath which a manmade structure allows you to rest. The trail is very dusty and its almost impossible to take breaks except at designated places.
We continued our hike slowly - primarily because of me and AD as backpacks had slowed us down significantly. Slowly we made way through the very dusty and steeply inclined trail and took a break to eat some of the Tibetan bread we were carrying only to find that we were just 200 m from the Namche check point...in hindsight we shouldn't have taken the break.

Namche...phew we made it!

After checking in, we proceeded to Namche Bazaar. I was extremely relieved to see the entrance to the village, even though our lodge was still more than a couple of hundred steps away. Based on my previous experience, we had decided to stay at Camp de Base and it turned out to be a great choice especially with the hot water available in the attached bathroom (thanks to the solar power)

We reached our destination at 2 pm and while there were folks (with heavier backapcks) completing the same hike in 4 hours, I believe we did pretty well considering the fact that previous time we had reached Namche around 5 pm.

Namche is the last place, before you proceed further on the hikes in this region, where one can have all modern comforts - there are pubs, coffee shops, cyber cafes, ATM, shops of all kinds selling trekking gear and even those where you can rent down bags or jackets. So after a nice lunch and hot shower, we decided to check out the place and I found that many more shops and eating places have been added in the 18 months since my last visit. 

The rough day was behind us and we retired happy in the knowledge that next day we just had an acclimatization hike without our backpacks.

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

An attempt at 3 passes - Beginning of the hike

After having hiked to Everest and Annapurna Base camps, the big hike that was in my mind was the one that covers 3 passes - Renjo La, Cho La and Kongma La. And after my acceptable performance on the tough hike from Yuksom to HMI base camp with a 12 kilo backpack I decided to backpack through the 3 passes. Pretty lofty goal, I must say - in hindsight.

AD, a friend of a friend, lives in US and wanted to hike the Himalayas with me and when she reached out to me last year, I jumped at the idea and promptly booked the hike through my favourite agency in Kathmandu.

I started my usual training - Nandi hills hikes and climbing up and down the 15floors of the apartment building that I live in, all with an 8 kilo backpack. I also redid the 9 week Insanity program to build my cardio endurance. Between the time I booked my tickets and the trek date, we had two more members join our small group.

Four of us met in Kathmandu and after some last minute shopping for down sleeping bag rentals and water bottles and trekking poles, we met Pertemba Sherpa for an early dinner. He may require some introduction to those not into mountaineering.

His first taste of a mountaineering expedition came in 1970 as part of Chris Bonington’s team who made the first ascent of the South Face of Annapurna. His climbing skills so impressed his leader that he soon became a climbing Sherpa. When he made his first ascent of Everest in 1975, it was not by the standard Southeast Ridge, but by a much more technical route up the Southwest Face, where he reached the summit in overcast conditions with the climbing legend Pete Boardman. He climbed Everest again with a German team in 1979, and again with a Norwegian team in 1985. On this third and final climb he reached the top with his old friend and mentor Chris Bonington. *

* Source http://www.markhorrell.com/blog/2014/10-great-sherpa-mountaineers/

It was an honour to meet him and break bread with him. We had an amazing multi course meal at Thamel House Restaurant. At the end of the meal, we were all so full that we could barely walk back to our hotel. This time I had chosen a Trip Advisor recommended hotel - Hotel Friend's Home and it turned out to be great place - value for money and extremely clean with all modern amenities plus a good breakfast.

Long wait  on way to the aircraft - spent time clicking pictures
Next day as we left for Lukla, based on my past experience I was more than prepared for not being able to land there on the first attempt. However weather gods were benevolent even though air traffic control wasn't and after about 90 minutes of wait, we finally took off & landed in Lukla around 10 am.

Starbucks at Lukla

It was a bright sunny day - to the extent of being warm. Our porter met us at the Lukla airport, taking the group tally to 6 - 4 hikers, 1 guide and 1 porter (for the two additions - AD & I were still planning to backpack). We stopped for some masala tea at Hotel Numbur and left our return tickets there with the owner. The hotel is really good, is just next to runway and has the added bonus of being run by wife of a gentlemen who works for one of the key airlines that fly between Lukla and Kathmandu.

After this brief halt, we started for Phakding, our destination for the day. We cleared the Lukla check post around 10:45 am and inspite of walking slowly (it was first day of the hike and we were suddenly at 2800 m), we were in Phakding by 2 pm.

First suspension bridge on the trail
The two gentlemen with day packs were not tired at all and would have liked to go on. But having faced altitude challenges before, I vetoed the idea (also because my shoulders were hurting) and we checked into Sunrise lodge. Last time I had stayed at Beer Garden Inn which had really dirty linen and dingy rooms. This one was 100 times better, even had hot water in the attached bathrooms (yes we had taken "attached rooms" as they are called there) and had lots of sunlight streaming through the big wide windows.

After lunch, shower and rest, when lounging around in the dining hall, we got talking to this gentleman who was on his 15th hike to EBC. It was amazing to hear how amenities have improved, on the trail, over the last 2 decades. While I wasn't really tired, I decided to retire early as I wanted to rest up before the tough hike to Namche Bazaar next day...I knew it is going to be really hard with my 12 kilo backpack.


 

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Greek Islands

No trip to Greece is complete without visiting some of its key islands. The islands are the main characteristic of Greece’s morphology and an integral part of the country’s culture and tradition. Greek sovereign land includes 6,000 islands and islets scattered in the Aegean and Ionian Seas, of which only 227 islands are inhabited.

Most of the islands are found in the Aegean Sea and are divided into seven groups. With the limited time we had, we couldn't possibly visit even the top 10 islands, so we decided on a day cruise to 3 islands in the Argosaronic Gulf - Hydra, Poros and Aegena.

We started with Hydra. This island has one main town, known simply as "Hydra port". It consists of a crescent-shaped harbor, around which is centered a strand of restaurants, shops, markets, and galleries that cater to tourists and locals. Steep stone streets lead up and outward from the harbor area. Most of the local residences, as well as the hostelries on the island, are located on these streets.

Hydra has no cars or motorbikes (by law), garbage trucks are the only motor vehicles on the island. Horses, mules and donkeys, and water taxis provide public transportation. The inhabited area, however, is pretty small and hence mostly walkable
Port of Athens - beginning of the cruise


Hydra Port - as visible from the island

Beautiful white houses, Hydra


Lovely Blue windows, Hydra

Our next stop was Poros - an island with rich vegetation. It has a good road network and adequate tourist infrastructure, which makes it a popular resort for short holidays.


Port of Poros

Port of Poros
 


View of Sea from the base of lighthouse, Poros

Another view from the base of lighthouse, Poros

Lighthouse, Poros


By the time we reached Aegina, we decided to spend more time enjoying the island, rather than clicking pictures, hence no photos to share. Aegina island is know for its pistachios and of course we also bought some. We skipped the optional tour to the Temple of Aphaia and instead just roamed around the island.

On the way back to Athens, we were entertained by local music and dance performances. Those really made our day. Overall the cruise was really worth it - ofcourse we didn't get to spend much time on any of the islands but it was still a great experience and I would highly recommend it if one is short on time and wants a flavor of Greek islands.

Santorini
Next day we flew to Santorini (Thira) - one of the Cyclades. The name “Cyclades” refers to the islands forming a circle (the name in English means: “circular islands”) around the sacred island of Delos. According to the Greek mythology, Poseidon, God of the sea, furious at the Cyclades nymphs turned them into islands.

We took Ryan Air flight from Athens to Santorini and rented a small car there (quite similar to Santro and it was manual transmission). Thira is a small island and car came pretty handy - so if you can drive stick shift, I would definitely suggest renting a car - book it online and someone will meet you at the airport with the paperwork and keys.

With help from google maps, we were able to locate most of the key attractions easily and even managed to find parking in the busy downtown where we had a long leisurely lunch accompanied by some amazing wine.


Oia, Santorini
Oia, Santorini


View from Monastery of Profitis Ilias 


View from Monastery of Profitis Ilias 

It was a nice drive to the Monastery - not really steep as some of the blogs had suggested. I had no issues getting my small car up to the top.






























We had booked 19:45 flight back to Athens and when we reached the airport around 6 pm, we found it closed. Apparently in off season months, the airport is not open whole day. The weather had turned quite cold as it was raining most part of the day and right now we were really grateful for the warm confines of the car where we had decided to wait it out.

To be honest, 2 days simply weren't enough but it did give us a taste of what Greek islands can offer. A vacation just to spend some quality time  on these islands is definitely in the offing.

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Greece - A day at the navel of Gaia (earth)

Day 3 of the trip was reserved for a tour of Delphi - there were two key destinations, the museum and the archeological site. As we did with Acropolis, we went to the museum first and then to the site.

This was a guided tour, took us abut 3 hours to get to Delphi in a comfortable coach with a breakfast stop in between. Unfortunately it was raining whole morning and we were worried if we will get to really enjoy the day. However, just before we reached Delphi sun came out for some time and I got to witness one of the most beautiful rainbows of my life. (no photograph of same as I spent my time just watching the rainbow rather than clicking it)

Once again I will use photographs to capture this day...first set is from the museum:






Two identical Kouros Statues. They are the oldest monumental votive offerings at Delphi, and one of the earliest examples of monumental archaic sculpture. Early 6th c. B.C. (circa 580 B.C.) Over life size (6.15m) each. Made by Polymedes of Argos.





Chryselephantine (gold and ivory) statues, possibly depicting Artemis (left) and Apollo (Above). 6th c. BCE.









Sphinx - front view







Large Sphinx of Naxos sitting on an Ionic column about 10m tall. Circa 560 B.C.


Sphinx - side view




The pediment and frieze from the east facade of the treasury of Siphnos. The pediment depicts the dispute between Heracles and Apollo for the oracular tripod. 525 BCE.









The omphalos of the earth. This sacred object was located in the Adyton of the Temple of Apollo, and was viewed only by the priests and priestess who had access to the chamber. It is a Hellenistic or Roman copy of the original




White kylix with a drawing of Apollo. 480-470 BCE.
  .


The god is crowned with a myrtle wreath and is seated on a lion-footed stool. He is holding his lyre and pours libations from a phiale, while a crow or a raven watches from a perch
 
The Charioteer of Delphi. 470 BC., 1.80 cm tall (5' 11")

The "Charioteer of Delphi" is one of the best known ancient Greek statues, and one of the best preserved examples of classical bronze casts. It is considered a fine example of the "Severe" style.
 
The sculpture depicts the driver of the chariot race at the moment when he presents his chariot and horses to the spectators in recognition of his victory. 
 
The Charioteer of Delphi is undoubtedly one of the main highlights of the museum, and it is exhibited in its very own hall.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Below are the pictures taken at the archeological site:
 
 
The restored Treasury of the Athenians at Delphi.
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Athenian Treasury was a votive building in the form of a reduced scale temple, designed to hold the multitude of Athenian offerings to the Delphi oracle
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Stoa of the Athenians
 
 
 
 
Dedicated by the Athenians after the Persian War, the top step has an Archaic inscription dedicating trophies taken from the Persians.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Temple of Apollo Doric columns
 
 
 
Temple of Apollo was first built around the 7th c. B.C. by the two legendary architects Trophonios and Agamedes. It was rebuilt after a fire in the 6th c. B.C. This temple was destroyed in 373 B.C. by an earthquake and was rebuilt for the third time in 330 B.C.





Delphi Theatre

The theater at Delphi is build further up the hill from the Temple of Apollo and it presented the seated audience with a spectacular view of the entire sanctuary below and the valley beyond. Its 35 rows can accommodate around five thousand spectators who in ancient times enjoyed plays, poetry readings, and musical events during the various festivals that took place periodically at Delphi.

Delphi Theatre with the temple of Apollo in the background.

Delphi Stadium
Mountain-top stadium where the Pythian athletic contests were performed. These were second in importance only to Olympic Games. Its stone seats could sit around 6500 spectators -  its track is 177.55 m long (about 550 ft.), and 25.50 m wide.
 
 
Aegean sea in the distance



We wrapped up the day with a lovely lunch in the village with a view of Aegean sea in the background. By lunch time it had started raining again and temperature dropped close to zero but we still managed to spend some time outside enjoying the beautiful views.






Delphi Village





Post lunch, we got back into the warm cocoon of our bus and started back for Athens. Thus ended our day at the center of earth (navel of Gaia)