**I've had this post in my drafts for several weeks now. I have been trying to figure out how to make it not so long. I have only gotten through a day and a half of our 4 day trip to and from Namche. Who knew so much could happen in just a few days!? So I will end this with our arrival in Namche.**
So last place I left off was when we were about to leave Banepa.
So last place I left off was when we were about to leave Banepa.
Banepa was only about an hour from Thamel, so we didn't have a long bus ride this day.
Half of our group was leaving to head back to the United States. This was a hard day for me. Reason #1 was that I kind of wanted to be heading home too. I missed my baby, and my bed, and a hot shower, and ice. Reason #2 was that I was going to miss the mess out of the people that were heading home. When you spend that much time with people, you either love them or hate them. And I loved them!
After we dropped the part of the team that was headed home at the airport, we headed out for lunch. We got to have mo:mo for the second time in 2 days. I think at this point we ate mo:mo every day. It was so yummy!
mo:mo = life changing
We got to spend that afternoon back in Thamel. We got bumped from our original hotel to another one down the street. Which actually turned out to be a good thing. It was much nicer! The 3 other ladies that were with us got the honeymoon suite. Matthew and I got the next step down, and the single guy with us got a room to himself.
The next morning we packed up what gear we were taking with us for the trek and left the rest at the hotel. They had a room with luggage all over the place, so I guess this is common place. And off to the airport we went....
Eating breakfast before we headed to the airport.
We were flying out the domestic side this time, and we were warned not try and not use the bathroom.
We arrived at the airport early, around 8 am. Our booked flight wasn't until 11, but there was a chance we could get on an earlier flight so we wanted to try. We knew that as long as the weather was good, we would make it out to Lukla. The airport was mass craziness. There were people every where. We picked a bench and took a seat while our Nepali boys worked out the flights.
Oh don't mind me....just chillin' on this bench...
*side note: you can't see it, but it was covered in bird poop*
And so we waited.... and waited.... then we finally got boarding passes and moved on to the gate area. Where we waited some more.
Here is the thing about flying into Lukla, everything stops for Lukla. All supplies go through Lukla, and then get taken to the higher villages via porters and donkeys and yak-cows. You can hire a helicopter, but it is expensive. Also, the only other way into Lukla is an 8 day walk from Jiri. So when the weather is nice, they pump planes full of people and supplies into the village. It had also been raining for weeks before we got there and people had been waiting to start their treks. So the airport was crazy!
After I took this picture I saw a sign that said that photography was not allowed in the airport... oops!
Oh and the warning about using the bathrooms on the domestic side should be heeded. I will spare you the details, but it was bad. So bad I turned around and walked out and waited for another stall and warned the lady walking in after me. She flushed, thinking that would make it better... it didn't.
I am not sure when we actually got on the plane, but it was after 11 o'clock. The flight from Kathmandu to Lukla is only about 45 minutes, so it isn't a long flight. The plane was small too, only about 20 people can fly at one time. We could see everything the pilots were doing.
Notice our flight attendant in the back... she is standing all the way up.
Oh don't mind me... I am just reading a newspaper while flying into the most dangerous airport in the world. NBD.
Here is a video that Matthew took of our landing. If you listen closely you can hear me scream as we land.
From the moment we landed to the time the plan took off with another set of 20 people was about 10 minutes. As we got off the plane, we had guards blowing whistles at us to keep moving and they were getting a group ready to board. Like I said... they pump planes in and out while they can.
Starbucks in Lukla. No time to stop... I will see you again soon Starbucks....
The team as we got started. Notice how we are all smiling and excited... yeah that didn't last long :)
Starting the trek.
From the airport, we ate lunch and then started our trek. A few days before the hike we were told we would be getting a porter. It was recommended that we give our stuff to the porter and let him carry it. Matthew was determined to carry his own stuff and thought I could do the same. At the last minute before we left after lunch, I decided to give my pack to the porter. I think this was the best decision I made the whole trip.
We got started around 2, which was a bit later then we wanted. Our first day of hiking wasn't bad. It was a lot of up and downs, but not much elevation changes.
Porter (not ours... he was booking it ahead of us!)
a dzho (the yak-cow)
Matthew taking a break.
Stopping to get permits to hike.
We walked about 15 miles the first day. The clouds and fog moved in fast on day 1. We really didn't get to see much of the Himalayas. We kept saying "Hey! Aren't there suppose to be some massive mountains around here?!"
The weather was good. In the sun it was warm and felt nice, and at times I got a little hot. But in the shade it was cold, and once the clouds moved in and the sun started to set it got cold fast. We actually had to do some of our hiking on day one in the dark. We had a guest house we were trying to reach before dark because that was where we were spending the night. At one point we had to stop and wait for the owner to meet us, so we could find our way there. The guest house we stayed at was at about the half way point. We knew day 2 would be harder and take much longer. It was going to be mostly up hill and have the most elevation change. So we needed to break for the night. We spent the evening around a wood burning stove telling jokes and listening to music on the boys phones.
This is what our rooms looked like at the guest houses we stayed in on the trek. The walls were plywood and they had no heat, but the beds were comfy and we packed really good sleeping bags.
The next morning we got up with the sunrise, and this is what we saw outside our room.
This was the first really good look at the Himalayas that we got. But by the time we finished our breakfast the clouds had moved in and it was blocked again.
Benjamin was leading the group. Matthew was right behind him and went off and left me because he is a gazelle and was sprinting up the mountain while carrying his pack. Emma, Nikki and I held tight to the middle with Abinash. While Zarita and Gentry brought up the rear with Prabhudas. (Side note: Zarita has had 8 knee surgeries!!! That girl is crazy!)
Did I mention day 2 was the hardest? It was mostly all up hill. There was one more village we passed through at the start of day 2, but after that the next village was Namche.
I do believe this hike was harder then child birth. At least with child birth you know there is an out. They wont let the baby stay in there.
There is a point on the trail that there is no way out except to turn around and go back the way you came, which is just as far as your destination, or keep going to where you are headed. So you keep going, and the air gets thinner and it gets harder to walk.
Abinash was my buddy. It seemed like every time I started to slow down he could turn on some worship music and that would help me get a rhythm and get going. One of the first times I looked up and saw the mountains, he was playing a worship song. It brought tear to my eyes to be singing God praises while looking at the Himalayas.
As we climbed I could feel my heart beating in my chest and my feet getting heavier. I would take 20 steps, then take a break and feel better. Then I would start over. Take 20 steps. Break. Take 20 steps. Break. Over and over again until we got to where we were going.
A few pictures from the trek:
This was the start of the Everest National Park
This is the records board and how they track the number of people that come through the park.
Have I mentioned that I don't like bridges? Or heights? and that we crossed about 10 swinging bridges?
As I came around this turn Matthew said "Tamara! Look at that waterfall!" I responded "I am gonna need you to shut your face." About 10 minutes later I said I was sorry and asked him to take a picture of me in front of it.
Finally we reached what we thought was Namche, and it was, but it was the outskirts. We still had to walk up about 1,000 steps to get to the guest house we were staying in. I can't believe none of us got a picture of the stairs. Probably because by the time we reached them we were so exhausted all we wanted to do was get to the guest house. We were focused and had a mission.
We finally arrived at the guest house. We were told to head up the stairs. We weren't really sure if we were going to our rooms first or getting something to eat. But we kept being told "one more flight..." so we would walk up another set of stairs and ask "how many more!?" and get told "one more...." What felt like 10 flights later we reached the restaurant. Matthew and Benjamin were there first. Followed quickly by Emma, Nikki and me. We collapsed at the nearest table. I put my head on the table and just started to cry. I was exhausted physically and mentally. I couldn't believe we had made it. When I tell you my body was screaming "turn back! this is a horrible idea! why did you do this to yourself!?" it is not an understatement...
and so I will leave you with this picture of Namche.
The village is tucked up on the side of a mountain and in a horseshoe shape. We were told Namche was surrounded by the Himalayas. But as you can tell, we couldn't see much of anything because of the clouds. It didn't take long until all we could see out the windows were clouds.
Have a great weekend! More coming soon!
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