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?

Go out and explore the great Himalayas! It’s Nepal Tourism Year this 2011!

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 including garlic tablets (helps in acclimatizing)

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.

To sum it all up, we spent about Php 120,000++/person to make this trip of our lifetime possible. But we have to admit, the experience and the memories are certainly priceless!

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 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 #4: Namche Bazar, Tashinga, Tengboche
Pit Stop: Tengboche
Elevation: 3,860 m
Relative Oxygen Rate: 60% (assuming sea level at 100%)
Price of Mineral Water Bottle: 150 rupees/USD 2.15

Due to the flash snowfall the day before, we were actually rewarded with clear blue skies as we head from Namche Bazar (3,440m) to Tengboche (3,860m).

If you would check our original trekking itinerary, you will notice that we were supposed to go to Dole (4,200m) today. But because Mr. Rono has already started exhibiting some sort of vulnerability to altitude sickness, our Sherpa decided we go to a lesser altitude than Dole first. So, off to Tengboche we go. Along with so many other trekkers because apparently, this is the the pit stop for those heading on to Everest Base Camp as shared by our German friend from the lodge in Namche Bazar.

As we were trekking towards Tengboche, here’s the view that greeted us ‘GOOD MORNING!’

We were rewarded with a majestic view of Mt. Ama Dablam and Mt. Everest very early in the morning! The snow cleared the skies and we were given a rare view of the towering mountains over cloudless skies.

We were such in a positive mood that when we came across a Sherpa who was asking for donations from tourists to help them fix the trail (e.g., smoothing stones and placing them on foot-paths for trekking trails), we gladly gave them a little something from our pocket money. It was fascinating to look at their log book and see the various nationalities that have donated so far – on that page, we’re the only one from Asia!

But our joy was short-lived because the trek today was physically-demanding. It seems like the trekking are getting more complicated (and definitely steeper!) in each day we spend in the Himalayas! After having lunch in Tashinga (3,450m), all we trekked was going up, up, up! These signs along the way aren’t comforting, either –

Two hours? For the locals maybe – it took us 4 freakin’ hours to get to the top of Tengboche!

And finally, a view of Tengboche monastery!

Yey! We stayed in Trekker’s Inn in Tengboche, very near the monastery. We rewarded ourselves with a can of Pringles (300 rupees) and a bottle of Coca-Cola (250 rupees). We arrived at Trekker’s Inn and met with the people already in the lodge. This will turn out to be the night we would all enjoy among all other nights during the trek because of the people we met. There was this Brazilian lady who has now migrated to the US and says she knew we were Filipinos because we have the same ‘aura’ as her neighbors in San Diego, California. We met her in one of her lowest point during the trek because she was afflicted with altitude sickness AND stomach cramps. She would go back down the next day and then straight to Lukla for her flight to Kathmandu. But it’s ok, she says, she can always go back to do the trek again. She was actually expecting (and hoping!) either 3 of us to be medical professionals! ‘My neighbors are both doctors,’ she would share.

Over the fireplace in the dining area, we also had a very long chat with a Spanish fellow who have long wanted to visit the Philippines ‘because of the long history we shared!,’ he says. There was this other couple who we first met drinking whiskey! We were not surprised to eventually learn that they were Russians but we were fascinated that they actually brought their dog with them! ‘She flew all the way from Moscow,’ the Russian gentleman would say. I asked if the dog ever has altitude sickness, and the Russian lady said the dog was actually losing appetite already. And they both agreed that if they see the dog could not make it all the way, they would go back down for its sake. Naks!

There were also this Malaysian fellow, based in India now, who had to leave his wife at Namche Bazar to rest because of altitude sickness. Their group actually started with 6 people on the team but the Canadian couple they were with were too fast so they let them go ahead and the others just started to fall from ranks as they went higher. There were 2 German families as well. All of them were bound for Everest Base Camp. We were the only ones headed for Gokyo Ri, but that’s not surprising since Tengboche was really a detour for us to address altitude sickness issues of our group.

Despite the warm and cozy evening we shared with this happy group of trekkers in Tengboche, we sadly did not enjoy the sleeping time. The temperature in the evenings drop to a freezing 0 degrees celsius and lodges here do not have any heaters! Although I was feeling a bit fine and adjusting well to the altitude, Mr. Rono did not sleep a wink during the night. The altitude sickness has turned from bad to worse while we were in Tengboche.

Trek the Himalayas Day #3: Namche Bazar, Syangboche, Khumjung
Pit Stop: Namche Bazar (2nd night)
Highest Elevation Reached: 3,790 m
Relative Oxygen Rate: 64% (assuming sea level at 100%)
Price of Mineral Water Bottle: 150 rupees/USD 2.15

We started having a bit of trouble sleeping through the night already because of headaches. By dawn, Mr. Rono had to rush to the bathroom to throw up and we all knew these are tell-tale signs of Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) or also commonly known as altitude sickness. Before our breakfast of chicken noodle soup and egg, I urged Mr. Rono to do some deep breathing exercises with me (similar to what we do in yoga). In the end, he decided to stay behind in the hotel to rest while Chin and I go out to see the Sherpa Village in Khumjung as part of our ‘acclimatization’ climb.

Although we woke up with frosted hotel windows, the sun was out when we were about to leave for the acclimatization climb and the day was already getting warm.

But after some time, the wind started to pick up. Good thing we brought our windbreakers to wear during the day trek while immersing ourselves more on the Khumbu Region culture.

While in Syangboche, we managed to watch a cargo plane land on an airstrip and see a glimpse of the Mt. Everest peak for the very first time. But the weather has turned for the worse bringing in thick clouds from nowhere that virtually blinded our trail during the trek.

At some point, we had to ask ourselves do we go back to Namche Bazar or proceed to Khumjung?

But we decided we wanted to see more and really go to the Sherpa Village in Khumjung. A few more minutes of trekking uphills and downhills, we wandered into the community of Sherpas –

where we had lunch of vegetable roll (which looked a lot like a big empanada to me) with rice and vegetable soup. During lunch, we saw how cold it really was at 10 degrees Celsius and it’s only noon time!

And then it started to snow…

FRAAAAAAK! It was snowing and we were wearing our half-pants! We decided to wait it out a bit but after one hour there seems to be no stopping in sight –

We had to wait for the snow fall to stop in one of the Nepali houses just in front of the Hillary School where a lot of Sherpas first learned how to speak English. The school was established by Hillary, the first person to ever summit Mt. Everest. Eventually, we decided to just brave the snow and try to go back to Namche as fast as we can lest we end up being stuck in Khumjung for the night.

The sight of snow-capped mountains and pine trees and trail was actually breath-takingly beautiful if only we weren’t soooo cold! The trek back to Namche Bazar wasn’t easy but it sure was fun…and definitely memorable

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

Trek the Himalayas Day #1: Kathmandu, Lukla, Phakding
Pit Stop: Phakding
Elevation: 2,910 m
Relative Oxygen Rate: 73% (assuming sea level at 100%)
Price of Mineral Water Bottle: 150 rupees/USD 2.15

Straight from the Tenzing-Hillary Airport in Lukla, we proceeded to the trekking part of our adventure. All 3 of us (myself, Mr. Rono and Chin) were in high spirits as we marvel at the sights of the first leg of our Himalayan trek.

We stopped for lunch at Tharokosi (2500m) in Solukhumbu where we saw the ad for missing backpacker above. I think it’s scary to venture out alone in this kind of trek but somehow, we still see people trekking alone – without a guide or a Sherpa. Lunch consisted mainly of mixed fried rice (meat, egg and rice) and dal bhat (the Nepali version of our munggo) with rice. After a short break, on we go towards Phakding…

We arrived at Phakding (2,910m) by 3:00pm and we had snacks of cheese momo (Nepali dimsum) and something more familiar you’ll never guess what!

They actually serve San Miguel beer in the Himalayas!

Dinner of roast chicken with macaroni and vegetables were served by 7pm and then it’s bedtime! This was the first night (of many other nights) where we slept cozily inside our sleeping bags in a lodge.

But first…

Day 1 of our Himalayan trek started very early in the morning on March 28 (Sunday). We are to be picked up from the hotel by our tour provider, Harkar Pariyar, at 5am to bring us to the domestic airport for our 35-minute flight from Kathmandu to Lukla.

Farewell Hotel Everest! See you in two weeks!

Just yesterday, Harkar introduced us to our Sherpa (guide) throughout the trek while we had our briefing in his office and our group of 3 (Mrs. Rono, Mr. Rono and Chin – a friend) will be flying together with our Sherpa to Lukla in the wee hours of the morning. As soon as we arrived in the airport, there is no mistaking the air of adventure around us. Everyone inside the airport were either a trekker, a porter or a Sherpa! And almost everyone was bound for Lukla too!

After the usual airport check-in process, we were whisked off to pre-boarding. Security checks consists mainly of bag inspection while the officer asks you if you are carrying any lighter or knife. Chin was carrying batteries in her pack and that almost got confiscated if not for our plea that it will be used just for her headlamp. And so we boarded the bus that will take us to our tiny 16-seater plane –

Our twin-otter plane to Lukla!

It would take a lot of patience, and about 5 other planes taking off, before we were finally allowed to board our plane. This airport sure is busy in the morning! Onboard, the stewardess got busy giving us…cotton balls! Haha. We were really amused with the thought, we didn’t even know what to do with it at first and then saw others using the cotton as ear plugs!

Everyone gets a...cotton ball!

And we’re off to Lukla – 2,840 meters above sea level!