Trekking Day 3: Namche to Kyanjuma via Syangboche

22 March 2015

EBC & Kalapathar Trek: Day 3

This day was an acclimatization day. From Namche Bazaar (3,440 MASL), we hiked up to the Mt. Everest viewpoint in Syangboche then went down to 3,550 meters in Kyanjuma.

Hotel Everest View

06:16. I woke up early and took my time in the shower. I have decided that, as long as I could stomach it, it was going to be my last shower shower until we return to Namche Bazaar. It was around 0-5°C anyway. I ordered hash brown with eggs for breakfast last night (their version of hash brown was actually diced potatoes). Although the weather was cool, it was sunny. I just wore my base layer (thermals) with a short-sleeved shirt and my trekking pants with thermal leggings underneath.

View from Syangboche

08:00. We left Namche and headed to the Mt. Everest viewpoint at Syangboche. The trail was about 3½ hours (my pace) uphill. It reminded me of the steep steps of the temples in Cambodia, except that this was a mountain high. As usual, I panted all the way up and I think every tour group passed by me.  At the onset, Victor would walk ahead and wait up for me until I’m about 10 steps away from him. I would look up from my feet and see him sitting in rock somewhere waiting for me as I struggle to keep up. But after a while, he stopped waiting for me and I could only see him from a distance. Madan would rest somewhere behind me then catch up once I've hiked some distance. After the steep steps, the ascent to the Mt. Everest viewpoint was gradual. Madan pointed to me the Syanboche airport on one side and Mt. Thamserku on the other side. There were a few melting snow along the way and quite a bit of mud on the trail.

When I walk fast...

11:00. We finally reached Hotel Everest View (3,880 MASL), where I had my first real glimpse of Mt. Everest (Mt. Everest was already in sight an hour before we reached the hotel but at that time, I wasn't sure which one was Mt. Everest). It was behind Mt. Lhotse and we could see the tip of the mountain. At that time, I was more amazed by Mt. Thamserku, which was within sight since we left Namche Bazaar. After some tea at the viewpoint, Madan and I went ahead to Kyanjuma while Victor stayed for a while to take a time lapse video. Anyway, he could easily catch up considering how slow I was. But since it was going down, I wasn't as slow and breathless anymore. Madan picked a beautiful spot to rest, with a magnificent background, while we waited for Victor.

Chilling out with Mt. Thamserku in the background

12:45. We hiked about 4 hours today before we reached Kyanjuma. Madan was spot on when he estimated how long it’d take me to get to Kyanjuma. I had Rara noodles (instant noodles) for lunch. Kyanjuma was just a small village… very quaint and charming. Mt. Ama Dablam was right in front of our teahouse and we could view the scenic mountains right from our bedroom window. Unfortunately, I didn't manage to take a good photo of the views in Kyanjuma. By the time I took out my camera, the mountains were already covered by clouds (Lesson I should have learned back in Legaspi: If you see a scenery, take a photo right there and then. You never know when the clouds would cover them.) After a few minutes of walking around the village, we spent the rest of the afternoon resting (i.e., sleeping).

View from our bedroom window

18:00. For dinner, I had my first dal bhat in the Himalayas. Après le dîner, j'ai secretement eu encore quelques bouffées de fumée. My feet had started to blister so I covered my toes with strips of adhesive bandages that night. An inventory of my gadgets also showed that my mobile phone was at 86%. I charged it to full battery using the solar charger. When Naba explained our route back in Kathmandu, he said that we would love it in Kyanjuma. He was right. As of day 3, my favorite village was Kyanjuma.

Ouch!

Trekking Day 2: Phakding to Namche Bazaar

21 March 2015

EBC & Kalapathar Trek: Day 2

Today, we're trekking to 3,440 meters at Namche Bazaar.

06:50. I woke up to a cold morning in Phakding. Okay, so it might not have been really cold but my body was still attuned to the tropics. I had a running nose since the day before and because I didn't want to get sick during the trek, I started drinking Phenylephrine along with my vitamins and antihistamines. I still didn't have my appetite. So, last night I ordered chapatti with jam for breakfast thinking it was small. However, when the food arrived that morning, I learned that the chapatti was huge!

Scenic views like these are the reason why I hike

08:30. We were supposed to leave at 8AM but it took us a while to pack our bags. I was wrapped up in my thermals and fleece jacket but after about 10 minutes of walking, I was down to just my thermals. With scenic views along the trail, we crossed some suspension bridges and trekked uphill and downhill. I must have been really slow because there were several groups of old people (they looked like they were in their 60s or even 70s) who overtook me. When I look at them walking, they look like they were walking in slow motion. Yet, the fact that they overtook me (and they weren't even panting like I did) made me wonder how I looked like trekking.

Sometime that day, Madan asked us if we wanted to take the long way or the short way to Kyanjuma the next day. The long way, I answered without hesitation. I asked Madan how many hours it would take to Kyanjuma via the long way. 4 hours, he replied. Okay, so that means 5 hours on my pace, I said. Madan shook his head and explained, No, it will take us 4 hours. The old people… 3 hours. I guess it’s official—I’m slower than the retirees.

Entering Sagarmatha National Park

11:45. After about 3 hours of walking, we arrived at Jorsalle for lunch where I had another chapattiwith potato curry. By 12:30, we were off trekking again. We entered the Sagarmatha National Park and Madan took care of our TIMS and registration. Actually, I have no idea what went on in all the checkpoints we passed. I was too busy catching my breath, blowing my nose, emptying my pockets of used tissue, or using the toilet. We walked by the river side which offered a pleasant view of the mountains until the last bridge—the bridge to Namche Bazaar. From the river bed, the height of the suspension bridge was quite intimidating. I have a little bit of acrophobia but seeing the trail on the mountain after the bridge, I think my acrophobia vanished as I found myself daunted by the uphill trek waiting for me.

Namche Bazaar... 3 hours going up?

04:30. After 4 hours, we finally arrived in Namche. The trail wasn't as steep as it looked. The ascent was relatively gradual. Someone along the trail said it was already 3 degrees Celsius. But I think I was burning so much calories that I didn't feel the cold until a while after. After settling our bags in our tea house and ordering dinner, we walked around the village. Namche had pretty much everything you would find in Thamel—a variety of trekking goods, cafes and restaurants, and even a pub. I wanted to take a photo of Namche from the helipad at night time but it was a two hour hike up and I didn't want to catch a cold. Plus, I could feel a little wheeze on my chest and I left my inhaler back at the tea house. Anyway, I could take that night photo when we were on our way back (but I wasn't able to since it snowed all day and night the next time we were in Namche).

 

Namche Suspension Bridge

07:30. After a long hot shower (I took my time in the shower knowing this was our last opportunity to take a free shower for the next 8 days.), it was time for dinner. The highest I've ever been to was only 2,900 meters, at Mt. Pulag. Since we were now at 3,440 meters, I decided to start eating garlic soup (it was supposed to help you acclimatize).  We have been warned that after Namche Bazaar, we shouldn't eat meat anymore. It wasn't a problem for me since I prefer vegetables to meat but Victor loves meat. I remember a few months ago when I received an unexpected call from Victor while I was at the office. To my surprise, he called just to ask me if I could survive without meat for two weeks. He sounded very serious when he explained that he was very carnivorous.  So, while our dinner in Namche wasn't such a big deal for me, I knew it was Victor while he had his last meat… yak steak.

 

Namche Bazaar with Thamserku (or is it Kongde Ri peak?) in the background

When the day ended, I took note of some details… 1) I walked for 7 hours today; 2) I had started wearing fleece leggings on top of my thermal leggings; 2) My camera phone’s battery was already down to 47% while my camera was still at 98%. My batteries were doing well in the cold. I charged both to full (our room had a working socket). Avant dormir, j'ai eu quelques bouffées de fumée. Je sais que je n'aurais pas, mais les mauvaises habitudes sont difficiles à éviter. Surtout quand Victor fume beaucoup. We didn't have blankets in the teahouse that night so we took the opportunity to use the sleeping bag. And so, as I snuggled warmly under the sleeping bag, I bid Namche good night.

Trekking Day 1: Lukla to Phakding

20 March 2015

EBC & Kalapathar Trek: Day 1

A dangerous flight. Mani stones. And a cold shower... My first taste of the Himalayas.

Our first bridge in the Everest Region

05:00. Our guide from Himalayan Planet, Madan, met with us at our hotel. I only had a few hours of sleep since I spent the night packing. But I was too excited to be sleepy. I also didn't have much of an appetite the last few days, so I only ate a fourth of banana from the breakfast our hotel packed for us. Himalayan Planet gave Victor and me 2 duffel bags to put our stuff that the porter would carry. But we both wanted to carry our own stuff. We only utilized one of the duffel bags which contained our sleeping bags, some food and our extra water (they couldn't fit our bag anymore). We used the other bag to store our normal Kathmandu clothes and left it at the hotel. When we arrived at the airport, we learned that our bags combined were in excess of a whopping 14 kg, which Victor assumed as his’ (my 32+10L bag with 2 liters of water weighed 11 kg). We considered dumping all our water but Madan said the excess baggage fee was cheaper than if we bought water in Lukla.

06:00. I was very eager to experience the flight to the Tenzing-Hillary Airport in Lukla (we took Goma Air). The Lukla flight had been dubbed as one of the scariest flights in the world due to its short landing strip atop the mountain. I had read that the left side of the airplane offered a good view of the mountain but I wasn't really sure if this was going to or from Lukla. Coincidentally, as I was pondering on this on our way to the airplane, Madan told me to sit at the left side. We were also lucky that the other passengers were sitting on the right side of the plane (I guess their guide didn't tell them this tip). True enough, when we were on the air, we had a view of the Himalayas (although it was a bit foggy). For me, the best part was flying between the mountains. On a normal flight, you’d be above the clouds. In this Lukla flight, for about 20-30 minutes, you could see the mountains just right outside your window, beside you. The landing and taxi was fast—well, duh… with an airstrip this short, what do you expect?

Lukla Airport Runway

08:00 After some tea in Lukla, we officially started our trek. It was cold when we arrived in Lukla but after a short while of walking, the sun started to come out and I stripped off my jacket and trekked on my thermals. The first part of the trail was going down and I walked along with Victor and Madan without much ado. Madan said that he was told I was slower than Gina but I didn't seem slow at all. I told him that’s because we were going down. Wait until we start going up. And when the trail finally started going up, the distance between Victor and I started to grow and my companions were exposed to my puffing. I asked Madan if I was slower than Gina but he was going to give his conclusion when we've finished our entire trek.

11:30. After 3 hours and 30 minutes, we arrived in Phakding… our first tea house. We passed through several small villages and delightful prayer wheels and Mani stones along the way. Our trail was along green terrain but we could already see the snow-capped mountains in the distance.  I was particularly amazed by the river, which was the bluest I've ever seen. Although the weather was cool, it looked so enticing I wanted to swim in it.

 

Delightful villages en route to Phakding

12:30. I wanted to try something new for lunch and so, I ordered Vegetable Pokola. Naba told us yesterday that it takes 16 days for the Sherpas to carry food to the villages so, although my appetite wasn't back yet, I finished my Pokola (with Victor’s help). After lunch, Victor and I went around the village. Phakding, like most villages in the Himalayas, was small. So, after a short while of walking, we ended up back in our rooms to rest (i.e., to sleep).

16:30. Phakding was one of the only two villages where we could take free showers and our bathroom was en suite. Although I hate taking showers, I’m a Filipino and I’m accustomed to taking showers twice daily. However, I was determined to bring it on and not take a shower for 8 days once the showers weren't free (Don’t judge me—I think it’s a valid reason not to take a shower when it’s 0 degrees). I let Victor take a shower first so he could warm up the water. He warned me that the shower wasn't that warm, so I was prepared to take a not-so-warm shower. What I didn't expect was that by the time I took a shower, there wasn't any warm water anymore. And so, I took a COLD shower.

 

Phakding

18:30 As it is in the Khumbu region, we had our dinner early. I had Sherpa stew and chili potato. It’s not gourmet but it was an interesting. After dinner, I stayed up just long enough to pack a bit, write on my diary and check my gadgets. I was glad that my mobile (which was on airplane mode and I only used as a camera) was still at 93%. It was doing better than I have expected. I charged it nonetheless (while charging was still free). And after a cold toothbrush, my first day in the Himalayas ended.

Trekking the Himalayas

The Conception

After Eurailing around Europe back in 2012, I was keen to make another epic journey after I've garnered enough vacation leaves at work. I had been itching to go to Turkey or Croatia but with my ankles and stamina getting weaker, I wanted to first go somewhere that I may not be able to go to when I’m older. I wanted to see the spectacular views of the Himalayas. So, when I learned about the Everest Base Camp trek, it became part of my very long bucket list. Originally, I planned on hiking to Mount Apo (the tallest mountain in the Philippines) and Mount Kota Kinabalu in Borneo before the Himalayas. But after hiking Mount Bulusan in July 2014, I concluded that hiking and I just weren't congruent …. And so, I decided to just go straight to the Himalayas.

One of my favorite views along the trail

 The Preparation

I've been hiking here and there the last two years and I was completely aware how physically unfit I am. I get winded after climbing a flight of stairs—and I've been climbing a flight of stairs to work every day for the last two years. I’m the slowest hiker in all the hiking groups I've been with. After struggling to the summit on a hike, I’d be on zombie-mode going down the next day. And, I usually get sick after a day of strenuous activity.

I created an exercise plan but since August 2014, I've been getting sick every two weeks. I later learned I had a lung infection and probably had nasal allergies. I didn't get to follow my exercise plan but I was able to do some Muay Thai (i.e., two sessions of Muay Thai) and a hike to Mount Kanlaon during the last quarter of the year, and an overnight hike to Mount Damas 6 weeks before the trip.

A month before the trip, I finally visited the doctor and gathered that I should bring a lot of anti-allergy medications and an inhaler to EBC. Before the trip, I was still out of breath after a flight of stairs but I was mentally prepared. Although my previous hiking experience had not physically prepared me, I knew my limitations very well and I was already pretty much used to panting my way up to a mountain.  Luther had mentioned before that although on a physical level I was way below average, my will power was way above average. True enough, there wasn't a single moment where I thought I couldn't make it to EBC or Kala Patthar.

The Plan

I’m not a fan of tour agencies. I usually prefer to travel independently, which would give me more freedom. But I was not confident of my hiking skills (if I had any) to do a trek alone. I was leaning towards just getting a packaged trek, when I came across Gina Sales’ blog. Her blog had been very helpful in my planning and preparation for this trip, and led me to the Himalayan Planet. I estimated the cost of doing the trip independently and taking a package with Himalayan Plant. Like Gina, I didn't find the difference of the cost to be substantial. I believe that the difference was just right to compensate for the effort needed if I organized everything myself. Besides, if I were already in zombie-mode by the second day of hiking, I didn't want to worry about my accommodation and meals when I arrive in a village.

I didn't want to join a trekking group because I know I’m very slow and if I were with a group, I would be pressured which wouldn't make the trek fun anymore. I told Himalayan Planet about my concerns and they said I could do a solo trip. They assured me that they had a client before who was very slow (i.e., Gina) who nevertheless made it to the Everest Base Camp. So, I took Himalayan Planet's Everest Base Camp and Kala Patthar Trek and I believe I made a good choice in doing so.

Mount Everest from Kala Patthar

The Companion

Who did I go with? Well, let’s start from the beginning. I’m very picky with who I travel with. Angela is my default travel partner. She and I both have the same budget and she forces me to visit museums and places that I wouldn’t have otherwise thought of visiting. But Angela doesn’t hike and she was very clear in telling me that she didn’t want to spend 12 days trekking to see the Himalayas. So Angela wasn't an option. I had two other options: Luther and Leo—my favorite hiking buddies. I was always the last one every time I trek and I trust Luther and Leo to accompany me while I catch m breath. Luther was very reluctant—I asked him almost everyday for months to join me but he had plenty of excuses. Leo, on the other hand, was not yet sure but he was very much interested. I wanted to go around October or November 2014 but Leo asked if we could move it to 2015. So I did… I moved it to February (I later moved it to March since my aunt and my new cousin were visiting us in February). However, at around the 4^th quarter of 2014, Leo told me that he couldn't come. At that point, I was pretty much okay to trek with anyone. I asked random friends but of course, how many people are willing to spend $3000 to trek? By December, I was pretty much set to the idea of hiking alone.

2015. It was New Year and I had just told Himalayan Planet that I was going to book with them. Drunk with excitement, I told almost everyone who gave their greetings online that I was going to EBC. Leo and Luther both said that they wanted to come too but didn't give their commitment. Among the random people I chatted with that night was a guy named Victor, a friend’s friend, whom I've met in Cebu one drunken night. I arbitrarily announced to this acquaintance that I was going to EBC alone due to lack of willing companions. He then said that I should have invited him. I told him that he could still join me and he said he’ll let me know of his decision in a week. 5 minutes later, he sent me a message that he was coming.

I felt happy for a moment as we briefly chatted about our next steps. But a few minutes later, I wasn't sure if I made the right decision to invite him. After all, part of my excitement was doing this trek alone. But after a couple of weeks, I was glad Victor was coming. It was nice to have someone to talk to about the trip—to discuss which gear to bring, which airline to take, and so on. Now my only problem was that I didn't know him well enough. I was going with a guy I've met once while I was drunk. I was spending a lot of money (and vacation leaves) for this trip and I didn't want to ruin it just because of awkwardness or incompatibility. I spent the next three months chatting with him online and I already warned him that 1) I was very slow, 2) I snore and drool while sleeping, 3) I was really very slow, and 4) I wasn't planning on taking a bath for two weeks (my plan was really to bathe every other day). Finally, a day before our flight to Kathmandu, we finally met for the second time.

Note: For my expenses, I spent less than US$3000, inclusive of airfare, taxes and shopping, in my Nepal trip. Himalayan Planet, a local Nepali company, offers a really good and professional trekking packages at affordable rates.