Oliveramber's travel blogs:
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Everest - Day 5 - A Date With Sting
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Day 5: Namche 3440m - Sanasa 3600m - Lausasa/Tashinga - Phunki Tenga 3250m - Tengboche 3860m
After a restless nights sleep, I swear you have the strangest dreams at altitude, we woke to clear blue skies and the sun shining. A very promising day for walking.
Upon leaving Namche we rounded a bend to see eagles soar below the peaks and Everest glisten in the distance. The tinkering of bells warned of yaks coming or going, the creatures becoming increasingly hairy the higher we go.
Today the trail was full of people. We'd get stuck behind a yak train only to overtake it and be stuck behind a group of Japanese or German or English and so on. If there weren't people walking in front of us they'd be coming from the other direction. It was like peak hour. A few times I felt the burning impatience of Oliver hot on my heels. He likes to walk fast so being stuck behind a meandering heard of yak is not good.
The path cut high into the gorge bank following the river before descending through a divine smelling pine and rhododendron forest. All the while with Everest towering in the distance, not to mention other closer mountains which dwarfed the world's highest peak.
Once breaking level with the river we crossed over a bridge and a nightmare 600m climb to Tengboche began. The trees thinned, the sun burned and I found the novelty of trekking wear off with every step. Getting towards the end I felt fully justified in telling the next person who said "It's just another 20 min away", to sod off as they skipped off down the hill. I can't wait to be one of those people.
Thankfully the town finally appeared at the top of the ridge - together with a helicopter which I thought rather cruel. The town was only small, a few lodges, bakery, massive monastery and huge mountains all around. Luckily we arrived before the clouds closed in.
We went in search of accommodation straight away. Tried two lodges but they were full, pre booked we think by two large groups of Kiwis and English that we had met along the way. With the possibility of having to walk onto the next town, we stopped by the bakery for much needed sustenance of mocha cake and fresh apple pie. Oliver went for a wonder to photograph whilst we waited for our porter who was an hour or so behind. He returned with a photograph of Sting sitting out the front of the monastery - as you do. Turns out it was he, his wife and children who had flown in on helicopter or helicopters as it were. Bloody good photo.... trying to convince Oliver to sell it to the Sun as a means to funding part of our trip. Nice thought until the possibility of being sued entered it!
There was one more lodge we hadn't tried so Oliver went to investigate and came back with good news - vacancies. When we arrived who should be sitting out the front but Sting and family enjoying a cup of tea and the Himalayan panorama. One of his helicopters parked but a few feet way... the other behind the hotel.
So checked in to hotel then sat and drank tea whilst watching Sting and family go to and come from the Monastery - he went to get blessed by the Lama before flying off into the white abyss that was the clouded over valley. Apparently he was in Nepal flying in and out of towns visiting monasteries and no doubt providing some quite substantial donations.
Met some nice American lads in the fuss of it all - Dan from Seattle and Evan from New York. Great guys trekking to Everest Base Camp then continuing on to climb Island Peak. We'd end up hanging out with them quite a bit.
Just after 3 we went to the monastery built in 1916 where we sat with frozen bums on ice cold concrete watching monks pray. A very calming sound. We managed to take a few photos before our toes felt as if they were getting frostbite and we had to leave to put our boots back on.
Back at the lodge they'd set the fire in the restaurant and it soon filled with lots of people from USA, Iran, Spain, England, Australia and of course Nepal. We chatted to Evan and Dan, met a nice English girl who told us a rather entertaining story of drunk Yetis and a guy from Iran who we are sure is the Minister of Tourism or something of the like as he certainly sold Iran to us - complete with hand drawn map and email address. He has even hung a flag out the front of his hotel room!!
Plans for the rest of the evening are to keep as warm as possible and steer clear from our porter who is emitting some rather funky smells. The thought of offering him some wet wipes has crossed my mind.
Where I stayed:
Himalayan View Lodge
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