Travel Footprints

There is something clearly special and enchanting about the Himalayas and we consider ourselves fortunate for experiencing it first-hand!

The crisp fresh air, clouds embracing the mountains, Tibetan flags flapping in the ruthless winds, frozen lakes of Khumbu – the whole place and the locals noticeably radiates sacredness – you can almost touch it! Here’s a list of the blog entry that chronicles our divine trek to Gokyo Ri for the year 2010 :

Day 1: Kathmandu (1,327m) to Lukla (2,840m)

Lukla, Gateway to the Himalayas

Lukla (2,840m) to Phakding (2,910m)

Day 2: Phakding (2,910m) to Namche Bazar (3,440m)

Day 3: Namche Bazar (3,440m) to Khumjung (3,790m)

Day 4: Namche Bazar (3,440m) to Tengboche (3,860m)

Day 5: Tengboche (3,860m) to Phortse (3,810m)

Day 6: Phortse (3,810m) to Machhermo (4,410m)

A Typical Trekker’s Dinner

Day 7: Machhermo (4,410m) to Gokyo Valley (4,790m)

Day 8: Gokyo Valley (4,790m) to Gokyo Ri (5,350m)

Easter Sunday Celebration in Gokyo Ri (5,360m)

Day 9-11: Descending the Himalayas

Day 12: En route to Kathmandu

The Dream Team

How Much?

We knew, even before we embarked on this journey, that our trip to the Himalayas would be AWESOME! But at what price? We have been asked by various acquaintances and friends to detail the cost of our trip so here goes!

Clothing and Gears

Months before we left Manila for Nepal, we have been following a strict training plan to prepare us with the physical demands of trekking in the Himalayas. For this, we made good use of our mountain bikes (I even had the bitter experience of crashing in one ride!) and at least, that is not costly! What proved to be VERY expensive were all the clothes and gears we had to buy for the trip between January and March, namely:

For Mr. Rono

Columbia Grizztooth Omni-Tech Shoes – Php 3,470.00 (bought on sale!)
Columbia Bugaboo Parka – Php 9,990.00
Columbia Bugaboo Interchange Glove – Php 2,990.00
High-Neck and Legging Thermal Wear (Marks & Spencer) – Php 4,000.00
Waterproof Pants (Columbia) – Php 1,970.00
Performance Shades, Zyon (Rudy Project) – bought a year ago

For Mrs. Rono

Columbia Pagora Shoes – Php 3,270.00 (bought on sale!)
Columbia Bugaboo Parka – Php 8,990.00
The North Face Montana Glove – Php 1,870.00
High-Neck and Legging Thermal Wear – Various (Marks & Spencer/Columbia) – Php 4,100.00
UV-resistant/Convertible/Lightweight Pants from R.O.X. (Aigle/Columbia – Php 5,980.00
Street Jacket/Turtlenecks (Columbia/Mango) – Php 3,160.00
Performance Shades, Zyon (Rudy Project) – Php 9,120.00 (with 20% discount during Glorietta’s Midnight Madness sale)

Gears

40L Mountaineering Pack from R.O.X. (Habagat) – Php 4,919.00
Headlamp from R.O.X. (P-Tech) – Php 2,890.00
Wool Socks from R.O.X. (The North Face/Keen) – Php 2,074.00
Pocket Towel from R.O.X. (Sea to Summit) – Php 1,250.00
Various medicines

More or less, our clothes and gears for the Himalayas racked up to a total of Php 70,000++ for what’s lacking in our current sportswear. Early on, we already decided we did not want go cheap on shoes (it’s a lot of trekking!) and good pair of lens (to avoid snow-blindness!). Plus, we knew we needed to have some reliable winter clothes with us. We opted to go for Columbia mainly because of their 6-month zero interest installment promo for regular-priced items Php3,000 and up.

In Nepal, we also spent about $200 more for some original UV-resistant Buff headwear (this is sadly not available in Manila!) and some cheap knock-offs of several The North Face products (mostly goose-down outfits) that we felt we needed for more insulation in the freezing, but enchanting, Himalayas.

Travel Expenses

Roundtrip airfare from Manila to Nepal via Thai Airways amounted to PHp 40,000.00 (we bought the ticket in February 2010) with a 12-hour transit in Bangkok.

The Bangkok Airport hotel was way too expensive at $197 for an 8-hour stay in a double room. Coming back from Nepal, we opted to make other hotel arrangements and found a sweet deal in the internet to stay at The Floral Shire, a hotel 10 minutes away from the airport, for just 1,000 THB/room/night.

Of course, the usual Php 750.00 NAIA terminal fee was in our budget. Plus, the airport tax in Bangkok (because it wasn’t included in our ticket somehow) amounting to THB700/person.

Visa fees in Nepal was $40/person.

We also secured travel insurance from Blue Cross amounting to $55/person. Better safe than sorry! At least, we will have this kind of insurance in case we needed to be rescued during the trek!

Tour Expenses

We availed of the package tour with the International Adventure Treks and Expedition for a price of USD1,200 per person which includes :

· Airport – hotel – airport transfer on arrival and departure by car or a van.
· 4 nights at Hotel Marshyangdi or similar in Kathmandu with breakfast & room on twin sharing basis.
· 3 meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) with Tea & coffee on trek with lodge accommodation.
· An experienced trekking guide, Sherpa (assistant guide) & porters (generally 1 porter for 2 trekkers), their daily wages, food, accommodation, insurance and needed equipment
· Airfare and tax for domestic flight Kathmandu – Lukla – Kathmandu including guide & assistant guide.
· National Park entry permit & TIMS.
· Necessary taxes and company service charge.

And excludes:

· Lunch & dinner while staying at hotel in Kathmandu.
· Soft drinks, bottled water, beer and hard drinks during the trek and bar bills at hotel.
· Sleeping bag with liner and shower facilities for the trek.
· Comprehensive Insurance Policy to cover all travel needs including helicopter rescue incase needed.
· International flight cost and Nepal entry visa fee.
· Expenses of personal nature and emergency cost due to unavoidable situation such as landslide and strike.
· Tips to service staffs.

In summary, we spent about Php 120,000++/person to make this trip of our lifetime possible. But the experience is certainly priceless!

We spent our last night in Lukla with a big celebration! Passang Sherpa, the elderly innkeeper of the lodge near the Lukla airport, spent some time chatting with us over dinner and then brought out drinks on the house to toast to our successful climb. Not just any beer – he brought out pitchers of Chang, a local brew in this part of the Himalayas (think lambanog!) for our small party of trekkers, porters and guides.

Thankfully, the serious drinking spree the night before did not stop us from waking up early the next day. Simply because, early morning in Lukla sounded like a scene straight out of a World War 2 film with the buzz of all these tiny otter planes flying in and out of the Tenzing-Hillary Airport. This airport sure was one busy bee!

We took our breakfast of pancake and noodle soup while chatting with trekkers who just arrived in Lukla, then bid good-bye to the people we met – both locals and foreigners – as we made our way to the airport for the usual check-in procedure. As a parting gift, we gave a goodie bag of used gloves, scarf, wool sacks and shoes to our porters. We figured we would not be using those winter gears as much and it would be more useful for them living in the freezing Himalayas. They, of course, gratefully accepted. We will never forget these kind people who accompanied us throughout the trek!

The rest of Day 12 in the Himalayas was basically spent waiting in the Tenzing-Hillary airport. The general mood was chaotic but at least we have Ang Dawa Rai to sort out everything for us – from luggage check-in to securing our boarding pass. We witnessed at least 5 successful take-offs and landings in the short elevated runway and would always be amazed at how those pilots managed.

Ang Dawa Rai would give us updates every now and then on our flight status – airport in Kathmandu is crowded and our plane could not take off just yet, a plane that successfully took off from Kathmandu had to turn around becuase of low visibility, no planes can take off from Lukla because of the cloudy weather. By the time we were about to board our plane, we were even told to disembark again hence –

Frankly speaking, we don’t mind the wait. It’s just amusing how the passengers (us) were left right on the tarmac while the pilots wait for clearance to take off. At least, they are concerned about safety! We’ve seen enough take off and landing on this airport to conclude that it is not an easy feat. One small miscalculation might be fatal such as this crash incidence in Lukla airport –

If you don’t see the video, click here!

This plane crash landing in Lukla happened a few years back. They said the pilot must have thought they already reached the tip of the runway but missed it a couple of meters because it was too damn foggy. A local said there was only one survivor on that flight – the co-pilot – who was able to eject himself from his seat right before the crash and landed on the runway. So, we really did not mind the delay. When we did take off eventually after a few hours, I heard the pilot say (because I was seated so close to the cockpit!) that we had to fly 15,000 feet instead of the usual 10,000 feet just to get a clearer visibility.

It was a turbulent ride, I was really scared for our lives and prayed that this tin can of a plane would bring us safely back to Kathmandu. And thankfully God heard our prayers! After 1 hour and 5 minutes (instead of 35 minutes) of dizzying plane ride, we were being picked up by Harkaraj Pariyar in the Tribuvhan Airport. We arrived in Kathmandu in one piece! It was certainly an exciting way to cap off our Himalayan adventure

The trekking team in the Himalayas pose for a group photo during a pit stop in Lukla

This post is a tribute to the wonderful people that made our trek in the Himalayas wonderful and oh so comfortable. First off, we would like to say thank you to Harkaraj Pariyar, whom we fondly call Kuya Henry or sometimes Jestoni Alarcon Kuya Henry is a Nepali married to a Filipina (Emma Pariyar) and they own and operate a tour agency for adventure travels in Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet based in Kathmandu.

This photo above was taken in his office in Kathmandu while we were given a briefing of our adventure and was also introduced to our guide (Sherpa). Kuya Henry patiently worked with us as we exchanged countless emails to revise and finalize our itinerary depending on our needs, capacity and budget.

If you want to get hold of Kuya Henry for any tour inquiries, contact –
International Adventures Treks & Expeditions
Mobile: 977 98510 27381
E-mail: treks@iate.wlink.com.np
Website: www.himalaya-trekking.com

We also acknowledge the wonderful support given to us by Ang Dawa Rai who did a fantastic job in guiding us all throughout the 12-day trek in the Himalayas. We were the third group of Filipinos he was able to accompany in the Himalayas – first was with the ABS-CBN crew led by Abner Mercado and the second was with a group of 3 Filipina tourists. We are very amused to see him sport a cap with the flag of the Philippines on it (he said it was given during the Everest Expedition of the Philippine team). He would patiently wait for us as we trudged slowly up the mountains, gently push us to our limits and encourage us when spirits are down. We are truly grateful for having such a pleasant guide to show us the way around the Himalayas!

Of course, we would not forget these two porters who came with us to unburden us with the load on our backs – literally. Our backpacks were carried by these two guys, who always have a generous smile on their face, all throughout the trek. They would also act as an advance team to our lodge, ably booking the best room available (e.g., closest to the common toilet room) so it is ready when we arrive. We will also never forget their sweet gesture of bringing tea when we need it in Gokyo Valley and Gokyo Ri.

And, last but certainly not least, we extend our warm thanks to our friend Chin who tirelessly researched for tour options in the Himalayas and sought tour packages we can avail that would fit our schedule, budget and capacity (we’re not exactly mountaineering people!). And for bringing the Diamox pills which certainly enabled us to cope with the altitude and ultimately finish the trek

It was such a pleasure to have had this wonderful experience of the trek with you all! ‘Til the next great adventure!

After our triumphant ascent to Gokyo Ri (5,360m) and drinking in the beauty of the majestic Himalayan mountain range as far as our eyes can see for a day, we are now faced with the task of climbing down for the remaining 4 days of the trek. Remember, our journey started from Lukla 8 days ago and as this is a 12-day trekking itinerary, our stint in the Himalayas is fast coming to an end.

It was an easier trek downwards as we retraced our steps back to Lukla. Here are some of the pictures in the last leg of our trek :

Roaming Ronos and friends in the Himalayas

Our experience in the Himalayas may be short but it is surely one adventure of our lifetime that will not be easy to forget

After 3 hours of trekking uphill that started at 5am in the morning, we finally made it to the top of Gokyo Ri! Our immediate reaction was disbelief that WE, untrained mountaineers that we are, actually made it all the way! We survived the 7 days of non-stop trekking up and down the Himalayan mountain range and successfully reached the 5,360 meters summit of Gokyo Ri! This is pretty much the same altitude Everest Base Camp but with a more breath-taking panoramic view of the Himalayas’ 8,000 meter peaks

If you don’t see the video, click here!

We were truly buzzing with our ‘achievement’! This is the closest to heavens we have ever reached with our feet planted firmly on earth The view was indeed amazing as promised, we were literally surrounded by all 14 of the highest mountains of the world! On one side, there’s Tibet and on the other side there lies the majestic 8000-meter peaks including Mt. Everest (8,848m), Lhotse (8,414m), Mt. Makalu (8,485m) and Cho Oyu (8,153m).

If you don’t see the video, click here!

We may have missed the Easter mass celebrations but Mr. Rono and I were able to whisper our most meaningful prayers literally closer to the heavens above this Holy Week. We were so happy with ourselves we could be singing with choirs of angels while overlooking majestic Himalayas on this extraordinary Easter Sunday morning!

Trek the Himalayas Day #8: Gokyo Valley, Gokyo Ri
Elevation: 5,360 m
Relative Oxygen Rate: 50% (assuming sea level at 100%)
Price of Mineral Water Bottle: 350 rupees/USD 5

There was a soft knock on our door and a gentle voice saying, ‘wake up, it’s time!’ I checked my watch and couldn’t believe it’s already five o’clock in the morning! The voice that jolted us up to the freezing reality of the Himalayas was of course, Ang Dawa Rai, and he was making sure we got up for the early ascent up Gokyo Ri. He briefed us the night before that the best way to summit Gokyo Ri was to start at day break while the cold wind is not yet picking up. We agreed that was logical but did not realize how hard it was to wake up early in the morning!

Especially at this temperature! Even our water bottle freezes overnight

Mr. Rono was bargaining to extend time inside the sleeping bag, he didn’t want to get up until the sun is already out. On any typical Easter morning, we would have probably been woken up at 5am too. But instead of a salubong ritual between Mother Mary and her resurrected son and attending the pre-dawn mass, we get to celebrate Easter Sunday this year on top of Gokyo Ri – 5,360 meters above sea level – in the mountain ranges of the Himalayas.

But that feat is not entirely a walk in the park. Chin decided to stay in the lodge because of her colds (it was getting harder for her to breathe!) while Mr. Rono and I geared up for the trek. We didn’t even get to have any breakfast anymore – we just brought whatever trail food we have left (mostly GU gels and Nature Valley trail mix bars).

The frozen Gokyo Lake – considered sacred in the Khumbu Region and the highest freshwater lake in the world – looked colder than ever this morning. I looked up and saw the moon still shining down from the clear blue, star-less heavens as sunlight slowly creeps in from the tip of Mt. Makalu. The scenery was beautiful even from the Gokyo Lake vantage point but we wanted to see more.

About 45 minutes into our gruelling uphill climb, Team Canada suddenly came up from behind us. They must have stayed in a different lodge. Boy, they were fast! After 15 minutes or so, the Funny Frenchman also came up from behind with his monk guide singing what seems to me like prayer chants. We gladly gave way to them and their Sherpa as we continue to slowly (but steadily) climb up.

Ang Dawa Rai has estimated that we will reach Gokyo Ri summit in about 3 hours. We are well into the 2nd hour of our uphill trek and we still have a long, long way to go! Everytime I look up, I see a ridge and hope that it’s the summit. Only to be disappointed again to find out there are several more ridges to go. After a while, we met Team Canada again but this time they were already headed down from the summit! What the…?

A group of Germans with their Nepali friends we met at Namche Bazar were trekking as well but we let them pass us. We decided to give ourselves a break and have some of our morning tea. One of our porters was actually carrying a thermos of black tea with him plus some cookies for our breakfast. We were just happy to take a respite from our long uphill trek and enjoy our tea. Especially with all these other trekkers kicking our ass in the climb!

We got back to the uphill climb after our tea break and in a few minutes, we came across the Funny Frenchman again as he heads down a different trail path. Across the distance he shouts- ‘the view was wonderful!’ to which I replied, ‘we still have a few meters to go!’ And he says in his signature French accent, ‘yes you must go! Bistare, bistare (slowly, slowly) you will reach.’ This really is the beauty of trekking in the Himalayas – everyone you meet is a friend who encourages you to just do it! As the Brazilian-American lady we met in Tengboche said, ‘all of us here are survivors!’

On our way to the summit, we heard a helicopter that seems to be on the way to Gokyo Valley. But we were so high up we barely see the helicopter flying below us at all. As you can see in the photos above, the lodges in Gokyo Valley have now virtually become a dot in the horizon. We assumed it was a rescue helicopter and was a bit jealous that somebody is being flown back to lower grounds. Mr. Rono was already toying with the idea to seek for a rescue after we come down from Gokyo Ri. After all, we were covered with our travel insurance. We were surprised that another helicopter came up again after 30 minutes. Two ’survivors’ did not make it, I guess. We got the low-down from Chin when we came back and found out that they came from the big expedition group. Two members of the expedition group probably couldn’t make it all the way up the summit (Mt. Everest perhaps?) anymore and decided to bail out from Gokyo Valley. Chin was able to capture this video too –

If you don’t see the video, click here!

Trek the Himalayas Day #7: Machhermo, Gokyo Valley
Pit Stop: Gokyo Valley
Elevation: 4,790 m
Relative Oxygen Rate: 53% (assuming sea level at 100%)
Price of Mineral Water Bottle: 350 rupees/USD 5

Our stay in Machhermo overnight has been very challenging. We were coughing and sneezing all the time we’ve rubbed our nose raw because of our colds. Plus, we not only had to deal with the extremely cold temperature that dipped to negative degrees during the night but also the fact that we had to pee all the time. Now, you might think that we are getting overly dramatic at this point but really, peeing during the night is a challenge especially IF YOU HAVE TO GO OUT IN THE FREEZING COLD TO USE THE BATHROOM You have to understand that peeing frequently during high-altitude climb is a good sign – it means your body is coping with the altitude.

But all the lodges at this level have very limited facilities and all the toilets are normally shared with other guests. It would take Herculean effort for us to even go out of our sleeping bags, let alone walk out of the room and out of the lodge, expose our butt to the cold and then finally pee! But we had to do it. What makes our bathroom trips much, much more memorable in Machhermo is the fact that steam (yes steam) actually rises up from the floor-level toilet as soon as the warm pee touches the cold toilet! Ewwww. Then, you would have to deal with flushing the toilet using ice-cold water from the reserves which usually freezes up as well during the night.

The good news is, we’re trekking a short distance today from Machhermo to Gokyo Valley. The bad news? We were extremely exhausted from the day-long climb (Phortse-Dole-Machhermo) the day before. Remember, we went up an altitude of 700 meters in one day! Maybe that’s why our body systems have gone haywire with colds, coughs and frequent peeing (and farting! :p) overnight. I was very tired in the morning, I didn’t felt like I got some rest during the night at all. Plus, I can barely eat my breakfast of pancake because it tasted weird to me so I stuck to eating just egg drop soup. Bad idea! I should have known that despite the short distance from Machhermo to Gokyo, we were in for a long, long trek today after all…

This route would have taken a regular trekker 3 hours to complete (2 hours for locals), but we took more than 5 hours and we are simply exhausted! It’s not really just about being physically fit, it’s dealing with the altitude and ‘oxygen deprivation.’ Five short steps at this level made us feel like we’ve sprinted 100 meters. After hours of trekking in barren lands, we welcomed the sight of bodies of water – it’s the sacred lakes of Khumbu Region! We are finally near Gokyo Valley!

Gokyo and its associated lakes has been declared as a Ramsar site in 2007. This World Heritage Site is also considered the world’s highest freshwater lake system and is sacred for both Hindu and Buddhist. Which is just as well, because while the Holy Rosary helped me survive the gruelling trek yesterday, my mantra for today’s trek was Ohm Namah Shivaya when I felt I needed to draw in energy from meditation (just like we do in yoga) tapping into my inner strength. This journey has suddenly become spiritual for me as well.

It has taken us an extremely long time to reach our lodge that one of the porters (who usually goes ahead of us to reserve our rooms) was on the lookout from the 2nd lake. We gladly gave him our daypacks to bring to our lodge in the hopes that we can maybe trek faster now that we did not have to carry anything. He went ahead of us, carrying all our daypacks, to bring to the lodge. It still amazes me how strong and well-adapted these locals are. A few meters from the lodge, the other porter met us carrying a thermos of black tea and biscuits. It’s already past noon and they must have been worried we’ll just pass out due to hunger and exhaustion. Ang Dawa Rai, our Sherpa, is coordinating the ‘rescue’ efforts today quite well.

We finally reached our lodge and rewarded ourselves with some treats of Pringles and Coke (for a whopping 500 rupees each!) before eating our lunch of vegetable roll and mushroom pizza. Luckily, we were the only ones in the lodge so we were given undivided attention by the owners. Our demands are very simple anyway – rest and warmth. We just stayed in the dining area the rest of the day, the lodge owner even lent us some blankets to use while in the dining hall. We also entertained ourselves with the beauty of the Gokyo Lake overlooking the lodge and observe trekkers from a big expedition group below.

By 530pm, we were glad to see them bringing in yak shit for the heater – at least we have this to look forward to during our evenings

Trek the Himalayas Day #6: Phortse, Dole, Machermo
Pit Stop: Machhermo
Elevation: 4,410 m
Relative Oxygen Rate: 57% (assuming sea level at 100%)
Price of Mineral Water Bottle: 250 rupees/USD 3.57

We are seated comfortably at the dining hall of Yeti Inn in Machhermo when we took this shot of Mt. Thamserku under the setting sun. Thank God, we’ve covered what we needed to trek today successfully! From Phortse (3,810-m) to Machhermo (4,410-m) in one day was not easy but we did it!

There are two other group of trekkers in the lodge where we are staying – a mother-and-son team from Montreal, Canada (who we will call Team Canada, hereafter) and a gentleman from Paris, France travelling with his monk guide (who we will call the Funny Frenchman, hereafter). We were all doing our own thing, Team Canada playing their version of card game and us reading our books while Funny Frenchman rests.

We had dinner of mixed pizza and hot tea, not the most fitting combination but which we’re glad to have in this God-awful cold weather of the Himalayas. As in other nights, we’ve grown accustomed to spending more time in the dining hall during evenings because this is where a ‘heater’ is provided.

It’s actually a makeshift stove placed in a dining hall. They would typically put a kettle on top to make the most out of the heat generated fuelled by…guess what?…yak shit (yes, that’s yak shit he is placing inside the ‘heater’ ). When the Funny Frenchman learned what it was he said in his thick French accent, ‘Thank you, Yak!’ which cracked everybody up including the Sherpas. This Funny Frenchman is having a hard time expressing himself in English all evening, he would even say ‘it’s difficult for me and difficult for you to understand.’ He then shared that they don’t have yaks in France, only cows, which prompted the discussions of cows being sacred in Nepal.

While all this is happening, Mr. Rono is laying on the other side of the room daydreaming about the sunny lifestyle of the Philippines (we both agreed we need to pay homage to the beach when we arrive from the trek!). We would talk about our favorite food that we haven’t eaten the past week – from KFC to yoghurt! Ah, daydreaming about the Philippines was bliss!

Our trek is also becoming more dramatic as we got higher up the mountain, what with everyone (including me) having colds already. Mr. Rono insists that he has it worse since he has cough AND altitude sickness. He even suspects he may have water in his lungs already (such a drama king!) similar to High-Altitude Pulmonary Edema. Of course, at that point in the trek, that will never be verified. This night, I took a Diamox pill for the very first time while lying down on my sleeping bag because I found it hard to sleep already. I tried to hold out with the medication for as long as I can, but this is how far I can take it without medical help.

But we do agree on one thing – we were glad to have yak shits in our evenings in the Himalayas!

Trek the Himalayas Day #6: Phortse, Dole, Machermo
Pit Stop: Machermo
Elevation: 4,410 m
Relative Oxygen Rate: 57% (assuming sea level at 100%)
Price of Mineral Water Bottle: 250 rupees/USD 3.57

Lucky for our group, the Diamox pills seem to be taking a positive effect on Mr. Rono and Chin. So, on this early morning, we set out once again to our trek towards Dole and Machhermo after a breakfast of sweet rice porridge, boiled eggs and honey pancake. Once again, we went down to the Dudh Kosi river and up again in another mountain.

It was a good 2 hours of trekking until we finally saw other trekkers on the trail – a couple, Dutch by their accent, and they had neither a guide nor a porter. They were actually carrying their 30-kg bag while they trek! Goodness gracious!

It was getting colder and harder to breathe as we slowly made our way up the hill from Phortse towards Dole. Knowing fully well that today was Good Friday, I spent time while doing the trek to pray the Holy Rosary and remember the Passion of Christ through Stations of the Cross. We might not be in a church praying right now for the Holy Week, but this might just be the longest pasion we have ever done in our entire lives!

Although the sun was up, the wind was chilly! All the lakes and waterfalls on our way were frozen solid –

We had our lunch in Dole (4,200 m) where we met an Australian fellow who was travelling on his own, but who also seemed to be a seasoned trekker, on his way down to Namche Bazar from Gokyo. We had a nice chat with him and he was excited for us when we said we were heading to Gokyo Ri. ‘I’ve forgotten how beautiful it was up there til I came back,’ he would say. He has already been to Gokyo Ri twice and Everest Base Camp 5 TIMES! He said the panoramic view of Everest Base Camp does not even compare with that of Gokyo Ri. We were thrilled with his affirmation. Over our lunch of chicken noodle soup and boiled eggs, we talked about the Philippines (us basically convincing him to come visit since he’s been to Indonesia and Thailand already), trekking in Nepal and altitude sickness. He explained to us that Diamox was originally intended as medication for glaucoma but people eventually found out that one of its side effects is to help cope with altitude sickness. From Gokyo, he would meet his group in Namche Bazar and proceed to Everest Base Camp from there. Such a cool guy! He even has solar-power charger for his iTouch

From our lunch break, however, it was all ’suffer-fest’ of uphill climbing in high elevation.

Remember that we were supposed to be coming from Dole today trekking towards Machhermo. But because we decided to take a rest in Phortse, we were catching up on lost time of trekking to be able to stick with our schedule.

If you don’t see the video, click here!

We did arrive in Machhermo super-exhausted with the long day a little before 5pm. Because the sun is already setting, we were really freezing our arses off already by the time we reach Yeti Lodge. Oh by the way, on our way up, I noticed that one of my Columbia trekking shoes has a gaping hole on it. I was very disappointed with that discovery. I’m not sure how I get the tear from my Pagora trekking shoes but we’ve barely reached the goal of the trek and my shoes is already conking out on me!

In the end, I was also just grateful that the only thing that needed stitching on the entire duration of the trek was my shoe