24 March 2015
4 hours of walking (my pace). More spectacular views along the way.
06:55. It was cold and I was cozy under the thick blanket (which
probably hadn’t been washed for weeks). I was too lazy to get out of bed so I dismissed
my alarm and enjoyed a couple more snooze. I was in a good mood that morning.
Victor and I had garlic soup and apple pancake for breakfast. I forgot who
ordered which but we shared the food.
08:30. The view was clear when we left Pangboche—we finally saw the
surrounding mountains that was covered by fog and clouds the day before. There
was a part of the trail where we were walking on the mountain side with
snow-capped mountains across us. Then in another par the trail, we were walking
between two mountains and it just felt astounding. I live in a tropical country
and this kind of scenery new to me. I had a glimpse of the Alps when I was in
Eurailing in Europe, but I had never been this close to snowy mountains. The
trail was gradual but as usual, I still had difficulty breathing. It was easier than the last two but I was
hungry, my stomach was still grumbling and I was constantly thirsty.
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| Trail from Pangboche to Dingboche |
12:45. After over 4 hours of hiking, we finally made to Dingboche. I
ordered dal bhat with curry for lunch and it was delicious. It was cloudy but
the teahouse still offered a good view. After lunch, Victor spent most of the
afternoon sleeping. I was feeling energetic that and I don’t know why he was
exhausted that afternoon since he seemed stronger and a hell lot quicker when
we were walking that morning. So, alone I hiked the hills behind our teahouse. I
tried waking up Victor around 4PM but he only woke up to order dinner then went
back to rest. I ordered my dinner and went out to hike up alone again. I wanted
to go higher but I didn’t know what time it was going to get dark and I didn’t
have anything besides my camera.
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| Atop a hill in Dingboche |
18:50. I had Rara noodles with garlic for dinner. We
were now at 4,358 meters above sea level and I was following Naba’s advice to
have garlic soup to help me acclimatize. Victor later said that every time he walks
fast, he gets a light headache. He would then slow down and the headache would
disappear. I think that if I walked “fast”, I’d still be too slow to
catch altitude sickness. I think I acclimatized well. However, I felt cold that
night. My chest was wheezing even though I wasn’t doing anything. This was not
rare for me, but inhaling cold air seems to have been a factor.
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| One of my first night shots |
Victor and I took some night photos just right outside tea house. He
taught me how to use my new camera (which I was using like a point and shoot—I
had never used the camera before this trip). However, it was cold and my nose
was running. While Victor patiently took his time lapse videos, I only took a
few shots and retreated to our room. The room didn’t really offer warmth but I
had a roll of tissue there and I could snuggle under the comforter. That night,
I slept with my fleece jacket.
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| Mt. Ama Dablam from Dingboche |
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