Trekking Day 4: Kyanjuma to Pangboche

23 March 2015

On Day 4, we headed towards the lovely Tyangboche for lunch then continued up to Pangboche at 3,930 meters above sea level.

Tyangboche

06:20. When we woke up, the fog had settled and the view of the mountains from our window was clear and beautiful. We usually take our orders for breakfast the night before and on Day 4, I had apple pie for breakfast.

08.00. The trek started with an easy downhill walk.  But after a while, the trail started to shift up. It wasn't as steep as the trail from Namche Bazaar to Syangboche but I was still breathless. I think Victor had already gotten used to my endless panting.  

Madan and Ram, waiting for me while I catch my breath

11:45. After almost 4 hours, we finally arrived in Tyangboche. I didn't feel the cold while we were hiking, but I felt it as soon as we took a rest.  I already had my fleece jacket on the topmost layer of my bag and I wore it over my thermal base layer and shirt.  The view in Tyangboche was amazing. It was possible to see Ama Dablam, Everest and Lhotse but it was cloudy that day. There was also a colorful monastery but it was still closed. Madan assured us that we would have our chance to visit the monastery on our way back. Victor and I shared lunch. We had potato momos and spaghetti with vegetables.

Tyangboche Monastery

13:20. I put back my fleece jacket inside my bag and we resumed our trek to Pangboche. The trail was slippery from melted snow, ice and mud. Victor wanted to bet on who gets to slip first—loser pays for WiFi. But I’m clumsy and was wise enough not to take on the bet. At the end of the slippery trail downhill, it was level for a while and then we started going uphill. The slope was gradual but about 30 minutes to Pangboche, I felt my chest wheezing a little bit. The first time I experienced this back in Mt. Picode Loro, I got pretty worried. But now, I already know that I just needed to take a break, relax and control it.

Slippery trail

15:30. After 2 hours of hiking, we finally reached Pangboche. I was puffing all the way up but when we arrived and I've caught my breath, I realized that I wasn't tired at all. Victor and I went around the small village of Pangboche but it was too foggy to see any view. We didn't have a thermometer but according to Google, the temperature in the village was between -8° to 2° Celsius.

Narrow path

18.30. For dinner, I had tomato egg drop (soup with tomato sauce and scrambled egg) while Victor had macaroni and cheese (pasta topped with grated cheese). I had an upset stomach that night and spent 4 times in the toilet. It was a good thing that we were practically the only people in the tea house, since the restroom was common. I suspect my diarrhea was from of the apple pie I ate for breakfast. Lesson learned: Only eat freshly cooked food.