31 March 2015
12 days ago, we landed
in Lukla, where we started our journey in the Himalayas.
4 days ago, we reached
5,360 meters at Everest Base Camp.
3 days ago, we reached
5,550 meters at Kalapatthar.
Today, we were on our
way back to Lukla to conclude our trek.
It was our last trekking day. I couldn’t believe it.
 |
| Lukla |
8:15. When we left
Namche Bazaar, the snow from the night before had already started to melt. The
trail to Phakding was downhill (thank god!) and I took my time going
down. I tried to remember every detail and take it all in… the snow capped
mountains, the prayers flags and stupas, the sound of the yaks along the
way—the sheer beauty of the Himalayas.
 |
| One of the Mani Walls along the way |
We trekked along the
same trail and as we battered our knees down the steep trail of Namche, I
couldn’t quite believe how I managed to hike up this trail 10 days ago. While
traversing the very tall bridge of Namche Bazaar, I stopped in the middle and
looked down. My fear of heights had somehow dissipated in the midst of our
journey. I felt rather peaceful inside (or perhaps I just had too much
medication—Paracetamol, Phenylephrine, Mefanamic Acid…).
 |
| Traversing the Namche Bridge |
10:00. After almost
two hours of hiking, we were back in Jorsalle and officially left Sagarmatha
Park. After a while, we were back in Phakding where we stopped for lunch. Soon,
the snowy areas were already a distance away and we were greeted by trees with
blooming flowers. I had originally thought of hiking around February but I was
quite glad I changed my mind. April was a good choice and luck was on our side.
The weather was good and we saw both snow and bloom.
 |
| Exiting Sagarmatha National Park at Jorsalle |
The trail from Phakding
to Lukla was going up. Ironically, it was after 12 days of hiking (and
accomplishing 5,550 meters) that I had started to dread every step that was
going up. But while we were hiking, I noticed that there was this other female
hiker who seemed to be slower than me (really! She was! But she wasn’t
panting like I was). Since I didn’t want to be slower than her, I hurried and
yup, reached Lukla before she did (haha!).
 |
| Saying goodbye to those snow-capped mountains |
16:40. Finalement!
Our trek was officially over. It started raining when we reached Lukla and
drizzled throughout the afternoon… Nothing a waterproof jacket couldn’t handle.
After settling in at the hotel, I went around Lukla while Victor took photos of
the Lukla runway. And as a little celebration, we had our last dinner with our
guide Madan and our porter Ram. After dinner, Victor and I strolled around
Lukla, had cake and took more photos of our last night in the Everest Region.
 |
| I was too lazy to adjust the settings |
