On to the next

We walk amongst silent giants. From beneath their whispy quilt, they whisper tails from long ago. Encouraging us to to take the next step, easy does it, now just walk on so.

Phortse

resplendent in her snow white evening dress.

The town's homes line the side of a mountain and the wonderful Buddhist monastery is the highest building of the town. The little flat land that there is , is divided into small paddocks. These will more than likely grow a crop of potatoes. There was a school very close to our guest house which amongst school things also sports a table tennis table. The guys couldn't help them selves and Alex and Seven even played a game with the local monks. We were warmly received by the teachers and the children alike. Later that evening it started to drizzle followed closely with rain, cold wind and eventually snow. Within an hour the whole town seemed like fairy town. A thick cover of snow rendering everything soft and white against the drop of fading daylight. There is silent monsters out there just standing still- I recall thinking just this whilst pondering the enormous mountains looking into the dark outside of our window. We played cards whilst waiting for our dinner to be cooked and our bodies to stop aching. Dahl never tasted so good..... legs never stopped aching it just got less intense. We would have killed for a hot shower but guess what, no bathroom just a toilet. All good. We brushed our teeth whilst looking at the surrounding mountains. You spend a bit of time doing just this because their scale is so huge and they are so close you'd swear that you could touch them. Having said this I am not sure that we would have traded the mountains for a bathroom. In fact I am positive that I wouldn't. In what seems like a flash we awaken to the soft knocking of our guide Indra. Wake up. One look out of the window and not a trace of snow! Pack everything, eat, fill water and hit the track Jack......... Alex where are you, oh gawd, wake up..........

Exhausted but in awe

We follow this valley slowly but surely making our way to the venerable Everest. After much tramping through mud and crunchy frost we finally reach a high pass of Mongla La. There is an abandoned stone house here and we take one of the many well earned breaks along with some photo's. We look inside the stone house and ponder on life in this windy and desolate place. There are stone walls still standing marking yards presumably where yaks once rang their bells. Rani did some great poses at the well worn door - check out the catwalk serenade.

Many hours and steps later we finally reached the town of Phortse.

Tramping on and on and on

We left our well earned "rest" and beloved Namche Bazaar behind as we walked past the track to the lookout. Courtesy of one of our guys having to return to the guest house, while waiting, I got this lovely embrace from this little girl. Most of the track is dotted with Stupas and rock altars. These mostly cite the mantra Om Mani Padme Hum. The rock altars, I suspect, form a wonderful way to still or return the mind to the beauty of the landscape from what may have been a treachurous journey for many Nepalese. Next town Phortse Gaon, 6 to 7 hours away.

Namche monastery

Returning from the lookout over """""Namche""""", we visited the local monastery. It overlooks the small plain on which Namche is built, not that it is built on a plane as such more like a series of terraces. The plane is so tiny that the town sprawls right up the hillside. The streets snake in between tiny tiny squares. Much of these streets are really lanes and are lined by shops that display their wares. The atmosphere in this cacophony of colour, sound amid of the snow capped mountains is just breathtaking. Frequently I have to stop to take it all in. The monastery clings to a hillside laced with Rhododendron trees awash with bright pink blooms. It is a beautiful terrased building with a traditional courtyard. These are used to perform public ceremonies. There is a small stage like space for the monks and town people. Inside, the monastery the space is lined in Tankas which depict various Buddhist themes. As the monks frequently travel on retreats the Tankas form a big part of their portable temple. They just roll them out and hang them and presto all the prayers and mantras are set to empower their meditations and rituals. The room also has offerings to the Buddhas and ofcourse the Buddha statues and paintings. Ram passionately displays the Tanka depicting the five Buddhas. It is so intricate that each inch is full of details of their lives and truths and infact contains a lesson. There is enough lessons there to keep me stumped deep in thought for a lifetime and then some.

"""""" Namche """""""

Many steps, suspension bridges and teas later, we excitedly walk through the front gates of Namche Bazar and wearily spin the prayer wheels. This place is at 3450m and I for one just want to sit down for a while and be still. I just need take some time to take in and not just pass the scenery. We spent two nights here to acclimatize. Unfortunately, as we are here midweek we missed the weekend market. Despite our unfortunate timing, there are lots of stalls with colorful wares lining the main street. The range is from toilet paper through socks, scarves, prayer flags to hiking gear. The trick to getting good hiking gear is to be able to find the real item - so many are imitations, now if you get the real item for an imitation price then you've got a bargain. But the locals are onto us. While you haggle they also exchange a few words with the merchant up the street whom also happens to be where you last were. Funny that. So I suspect they make sure they don't undercut them selves. Well good luck to them, after all this is their living and nobody can say that they have it easy. There's even a pool hall and bar. Guys have a go at the pool but on second thoughts the bar is relegated for the return trip. At the guest house we get our rooms which for some reason are on the top floor. Must have been that peanut butter incident. Just climbing up there is agony on the legs. I mean this is three steep flights of stairs. As is the tradition in Nepalese houses, the doorways are built small and low. Alex just climbed up dropped his pack and on his way out almost knocked himself out by walking straight into a doorway and headbutting the top of the frame. He hit it so hard his body continued forward and knocked him self flat on his back. It was so loud it sounded like he used a bit of 4x2 wood. Ouch, but as the real trooper that he is, he gets up and after a whinge is getting on with it. Albeit rubbing his forehead... There is a returning party at the guest house celebrating their trip, which from memory was cut short at Gorek Shep due to heavy snow falls. Still, that is a respectable height to attain and especially so in wind and heavy snow. Ron, our guide, tells us to buy waterproof gaiters and thick down jackets as the news of heavy snow is not so good. We set out to find some gear and bounce into David the Dimox Doc and sometime later Sonne whom is trying to find a good torch for next to nothing. (I tried). On the other hand David is trying to complete this trip on the smell of an oily rag and Dimox sales (and commissions perhaps). He did really well and explained the ins and outs to us all at some point in time. On our "rest" day we visit the lookout point high above the township and oooh and ahhh at the fantastic views of Nuptse (just to the right of Everest). Unfortunately Everest eludes us as it's peak is obscured by a patch of cloud which despite out patience refuses to go. After many photos and much waiting we visit the adjacent museum. It is absolutely chock of information on previous expeditions. Hillary and Tseng feature prominently as does early expedition equipment and flora and fauna. Another glance at Everest and the peak is still hiding so we make our way down to Namche. We returned by a slightly different path, taking us past the local monastery but I'll save that for another post. ------------------------------------ P.S. Some of these images were shot by members of our group, Alex, Amy & Sonne - Thank You P.P.S. Alex introduced a new concept for Namche. According to him it should be said with both hands up with palm facing forward slightly moving from side to side Hawaiian style in synch with you saying Namche like you would on Love Boat. Don't ask me, it was a drinking game.... Thanks Alex.