Day 6: Tengboche to Dingboche

After some planning we decided to head to Dingboche instead of Pheriche. Not only was this a slightly higher altitude but it also meant that we were able to keep the company of our new friends a little longer.

Our new friends were Rob (from England), Hanna (from Wales) and James (from Canada). They were all really lovely and our walks were filled with a range of conversations from latest movies to the production process of Maple Syrup. Time passed a lot quicker in their company.

We started around 8am from Tengboche and had a wonderful gradual trek through beautiful rhododendron forests which were laden with Old Man's Beard (a light green stringy lichen that hangs from the branches of the tree).

We worked our way up the valley at a reasonably even altitude passing through a few small towns along the way before coming to a broken bridge that was washed away in some flooding years ago. We crossed over the Imja Khola river on a small wooden bridge and then began our ascent up to Dingboche.

On the journey we met a German man who had been a part of a group of 6 who after crossing the Reno La on their way to Gokyo were hit by the bad weather mentioned yesterday. His group was travelling alongside a group of 8 who were also following the same trek but during the white out caused by the heavy snow the groups were separated. His group were in the front and all the way to Gokyo they heard the sound of avalanches tumbling down the valley. Hours later they finally reached Gokyo settled into the first lodge they found and we're having dinner when suddenly 5 of the 8 members of the other group burst in and immediately the Sherpa guides started on the radios calling in for Search and Rescue - aparently part of the group had been hit by an avalanche and three members were knocked down the mountain and were presumed dead. A grim idea of how terrible conditions have been. Aparently it was the heaviest October snowfall received in 15 years.

The terrain suddenly changed and before we knew it there were no trees to be found, shrubs and grasses replaced them and after a winding 30 minutes ascending up the mountain we found ourselves in the snow. I have never trekked in snow before so it was a wonderful (all be it slippery) experience. We continued to ascend until finally we came around a corner and saw the town of Dingboche.

Dingboche (4410m) took us by surprise, located right at the base of Mt Nangkar Tshang (5616m) not only was it huge compared to all the other towns we had passed since Namchee but the location could not be beaten. Lhotse was in full view but was shadowed by Ama Dablams North Face which towered majestically over the town as it was only 4km away.

We checked into our accomodation had some lunch and then wearing sandals or flip flops we headed up a large snow covered hill behind Dingboche. Our footwear would not get the best of us as we scraped and clawed our way up through the snow to the top where we were given views off a completely new mountain range that was at the bottom of the Khumbu Glacier. The views were out of this world and we would have stayed up there admiring them longer if it had not been for the bitter cold which drove us down the hill and into our warm rooms.

Our accomodation was amazing and the staff were even better. The lodge we stayed at was called the Snow Lion Lodge and Restaurant. We celebrated Aaron's 30th birthday with a wonderful chocolate cake from the bakery attached the lodge.

Good news is that Aaron seems to finally be beating his cold and my knees are no longer giving me pain on our treks. Got my first blister however... So that sucks a little.

Day 5: Tengboche

Oh man... Where to begin. Tengboche... Possibly the most beautiful place in Nepal. What an amazing experience. The day started with a 6am service in the Tengboche Monastery which involved a half dozen monks chanting while incense burned in a room where the paintings on the wall were the pure definition of intricate.

We left the monastery and then headed up a hill behind the town to a small chorten (like a stupa) riddled with prayer flags, the walk up was about 30 minutes through rhododendrons and wild flowers. Saw our first deer which, though it was quite far off, was still exciting. We reached the chorten feeling pretty good and then saw that there was another chorten on the snow line up what can only be described as a mountain. We figured we would try getting up there though there was no clear path and were still in our pyjamas and sandals (not exactly snow gear).

The walk up was a hard slog for almost 2 hours following rock cairns but totally worth it as the view was indescribable. We were in an amphitheatre of snowy mountains & ice falls and only when we saw a helicopter fly up the valley at an altitude far lower than us did we realise how truly high we were. We got some amazing photos and made sure to take a good moment up there before we began the decent.

Half way down I was just overwhelmed by the beauty of the place and sat down on a grassy patch filled with wild flowers and just took it all in for almost 2 hours. The beauty of creation astounds and overwhelms.

Got back down to our accomodation and then we learned how crazy things but had gotten further up the valley. During the rain we had on day 1 & 2 heavy snow had fallen and cut off the path to Everest Base Camp. Dozens of avalanches were recorded up and down the valley and we heard unconfirmed reports that three people had died. Heaps of people were choppered out. Even in Tengboche things got busy as dozens were headed down the hill as the weather is a bit unpredictable at the moment. Some poor soul was even evacuated by chopper fight before our eyes here in Tengboche today (for Altitude Sickness).

As a result we now feel that we need to re-evaluate our plans and probably drop at least one of our passes (at this stage we are thinking to drop the Kongma La as that is where the heaviest snow fell). We want to be safe and do not plan on taking any additional risks. Everest Base Camp has opened up again and so we will head there first then we will work our way towards the Cho La Pass (we will have to carefully evaluate the weather conditions before attempting this pass as it too can be quite dangerous).

Clouds rolled in around mid-afternoon blocking out everything but by 8pm they lifted and we were left with an incredible starry sky that had to be seen to be believed. We got out the tripod and took a bunch of incredible photos (have to wait till I get home till I can upload them though).

During the day we met a couple from England who were travelling with a Canadian guy and decided that we will team up with them for most of our walk tomorrow. There will come a point where they will split right and head to Dingboche while we head left to Pheriche but at least we will have company for a few hours.

Day 4: Namchee Bazaar to Tengboche

Woke up to the sound of no rain on our roof. Opened our window and there were blue skies all around -not a cloud in the sky. We quickly packed our bags, downed a quick breakfast and headed off for our next destination, Tengboche.

The walk was amazing, beautiful valleys... snowy peaks all around us glistening in the morning sun and then suddenly there she was... Mt Everest... "The ugly sister in a room full of beautiful women" as she was once described. The tallest mountain in the world paled before Ama Dablam with her sharp walls and incredible structure. Lhotse was also standing out and looking extremely impressive with her pointy peak. I just had to sit down for a moment... Take it all in. Wow.

Stopped again for a brief moment at a stream to fill our drink bottles before continuing downward. As we walked on the mountains came closer and closer till it almost felt like we could reach out and touch them. The trek led us to Sanasa then on to Phungi Thanga where we stopped for a quick bowl of noodles before the long ascent to Tengboche. We crossed another amazing bridge where we had to wait for yet another set of yaks and then almost immediately the ascent began.

Two solid hours of up hill trekking brought us to the beautiful town of Tengboche with its open green pastures and incredible views. We headed straight to the local monastery (or Goomba) mistaking it for a hotel (to which a little monk kindly explained it wasnt). Tried another place but they were already full and then on our third attempt we got a double room at 200 rupees a night (AUD$2.10). Score!

We dropped our bags in our room and then raced outside as clouds were beginning to set in and we wanted to get some good photos. Headed back to the monastery and got a few snaps of everything around it, took some pics of a yak then headed inside to get some lunch and get warm.