Travel Footprints

Trek the Himalayas Day #2: Phakding, Namche Bazar
Pit Stop: Namche Bazar
Elevation: 3,440 m
Relative Oxygen Rate: 64% (assuming sea level at 100%)
Price of Mineral Water Bottle: 100 rupees/USD 1.40

We left Phakding promptly at 7am today after a breakfast of Tibetan bread, chapati (rotti) and scrambled eggs. We were warned about the length and steepness of today’s climb to Namche Bazar so we wanted an early start. Problem is, that seems to be the idea of every other trekker that was coming from Phakding. Eventually, it got too crowded on the trails with yaks, jopke (cross between yak and buffalo), horses and trekkers all converging at some point.

Since the Westerners (mostly Europeans) were pretty fast by our standards, we decided to let them pass us group by group, and we trudged steadily up and down the mountains with several river crossings on a bridge similar to this video –

We had our lunch break in Jorsaille (2,800m) where we ordered spaghetti and cheese as well as chicken curry and rice. Dawa, our Sherpa, was carrying with him a box with his bag all the way from Kathmandu and we had a pleasant surprise knowing what was inside during lunch break. It was one box-full of fruits! That was such a sweet gesture from him.

Another pleasant surprise was seeing this sign in the lodge/restaurant where we stayed for lunch –

We inched our way slowly up mountains and down to the river to go up again eventually. We had our trekking permit stamped in the Sagarmatha National Park office somewhere in Monjo (2,850 m), evidence of our hard work. Hehe. Didn’t I say there were a lot of trekkers? By past noon, they were way ahead of us on the other mountain when I took this shot –

And we were left trekking side by side with porters that have unbelievable weight on their shoulders!

Imagine how slow we were going? But that snail-pace still managed to get us up to Namche Bazar (3,440 m) by half-past 4 in the afternoon. We absolutely loooooved the vibe of Namche Bazar – it’s like a little marketplace or tiangge that you wouldn’t expect in a mountain! Mr. Rono even had his ‘Trekker’s Massage’ and I bought some books for the rest of the trek – basically everything you need can somehow be found here!

The thought of shopping and logging in the internet again was re-energizing after the long trek! And the place where we stayed, Hotel Snowland, was fairly new opening only 2 months ago. We had our dinner of mixed fried rice and buffalo momo and played cards in the dining hall which we shared with an elderly couple from the US and a young German fellow with his Sherpa.

Our porters also did a good job choosing our room with a view of Namche Bazar!

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…

After 35 minutes in-flight of what seems like the route to ‘Hallelujah mountains’ in the movie Avatar because you see mountain peaks on either side of the plane (except, of course, this is rooted to the ground not floating like in the movies), we made it to the quaint mountain town of Lukla. I will not even talk yet of the extremely exciting landing in the short runway of the Tenzing-Hillary Airport in Lukla, I will reserve that for another post because it deserves a whole write-up on its own.

As soon as landing in Lukla, first order of the day for both Mr. Rono and I was to rummage through our bag for our fleece jackets. It was so cooooold! Weather forecast has recorded temperature at 20 degrees Celsius, but real feel must be about 15 degrees!

Mr. Rono poses with our Sherpa, Ang Dawa Rai, in front of 'Starbucks' Lukla

In one of the exhibits we saw during the trek, Lukla was described as the “major point of entry to Sagarmatha National Park Buffer Zone. Its bitumen-surfaced airstrip is particularly busy during the trekking season with more than
50 flights landing per day. Over 90% of the visitors to the area arrive by air at Lukla. The quiet herding village of Lukla has now developed into a bustling town with numerous lodges, restaurants, bakeries and internet cafes.”

You might wonder why only 90% of the visitors arrive via air transportation. We actually met a porter who had to WALK, yes walk, for 3 days to get from Kathmandu to Lukla due to unavailability of seats. Apparently, you can ride a bus from Kathmandu to a town called Jiri and then trek the rest of the way to Lukla…for 3 whole days!

Porters from a big expedition group getting organized

Our trekking team was finally completed after we met our 2 porters in Lukla. The porters and Sherpa got our bags organized while we drink our milk tea and think of the Himalayan adventure slowly unfolding before us.

Mr. Rono and Mrs. Rono for last-minute shopping before the trek begins!

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!

As a UNESCO-declared World Heritage Site, Kathmandu Durbar Square attracts throngs of locals and tourists alike that makes it an ideal place for hawkers to sell their goods. This post gives a glimpse of the fascinating shopping scene in one of the busiest, most crowded attraction I’ve seen in Kathmandu so far.

These sellers set up their mats by the entrance of Durbar Square everyday.  Close of business is usually at around 7pm.

You get a whole range of trinket selections. These pendants are supposedly from Tibet. Some had meanings that the hawker was trying to explain but I didn’t quite get.

More souvenir items from Nepal…

I was with a Buddhist Thai friend who had to buy Thangka (Tibetan silk painting with embroidery) for her mom depicting a medicine buddha. This signifies good health for the family. We went to this small shop in the heart of Kathmandu Durbar Square with a sign boasting that they are ‘featured in most travel guide books.’

They also sell these local food like our pan de sal in the Philippines…

…and have a version of our very own ‘dirty ice cream’

As soon as I got out of the Tribuvhan International Airport in Kathmandu, the chaos – sight, sound and smell – around me seemed to evoke memories of my first arrival in Uganda a couple of years back. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but there really is something about Kathmandu that I find very similar to Kampala (capital city of Uganda).

Maybe it’s the fact that it’s dry and dusty or the crazy honking of cars and motorcycles as pedestrians mindlessly cross roads while vehicles weave in and out of traffic or that the electricity goes off every so often (load-shedding/ brownouts/blackouts of 16 hours in a day at most).

I have been told countless stories of how it is like this side of the world but really experiencing what it has to offer is a whole different thing. This is the first time I ever set foot in a South Asian country. No words can ever describe how my first impressions are. Everything still looks surreal.

We’re leaving for Nepal today. After months of training and travel planning, our Nepal holiday will finally start today. It will take us 2 days – today and tomorrow – to travel to Kathmandu alone (Thai Airways flight has a stopover in Bangkok). We are expected to arrive in Kathmandu mid-day tomorrow.

During the weekend, we once again scoured outdoor shops for additional gears we will be bringing along for our trek. It was important for us to bring thermal clothing that are water-resistant AND lightweight. Majority of the gears we bought were from Columbia. We even got to be certified Columbia Titanium card holder because of our ‘loyalty’ to the brand. We hope Columbia lives up to expectations during our trek in the Himalayas. And we do promise to give a gear review after our trip along with the other gears we bought (e.g., North Face, Aigle, Habagat) from ROX.

We’re keeping our fingers crossed that we will be safe and sound (and comfortable!) throughout the trek. In the meantime, cheers to pad thai and tom yum soup as we take time to relax in Bangkok first before the next great adventure of our lifetime!

Ultimate adventurer and famed mountaineer Romi Garduce gives a thumbs-up sign for the Roaming Ronos as we embark on our great trek over the Gokyo Valley (even if our goal of 5,483-m Gokyo Valley climb may be dwarfed with his 8,848-m feat summiting Mt. Everest in 2006).

According to juice.ph (cover story for March 2010 issue), Romi is the first Filipino to climb an 8000-meter peak, one of the first three Filipinos to summit Mt. Everest and the current Filipino record-holder in the quest to climb the world’s Seven Summits (he’s climbed six out of a total of eight peaks in two different lists).

More conveniently, he is working in the same company as Mr. Rono! So at least, we get first-hand advice and tips for Nepal travel (he gave us contacts of his sherpa during his climb!). We also get heads up on what to expect while doing a high-altitude climb in the Himalayan mountain range (altitude mountain sickness, especially!).

Truth be told, altitude mountain sickness is basically what scares me most with this climb because I know that it’s not the greatest feeling in the world. I had some sort of an experience on it while travelling in Ethiopia a few years back (Addis Ababa is located at an altitude of 8,300 feet and I spent hours on the toilet because I was always felt like I had to throw up – and I did a lot of times!). Romi said AMS really causes serious health problems, even for healthy travelers.

AMS or not, we’re still really psyched for this climb! Thanks Romi for inspiring us to see the real outdoors and may our spirit of adventure live on!

We’ve given it a whole lot of thought and it was finally decided that, despite the odds, we would still want to do the 16-day trekking package for Gokyo Valley Lodge Tour. The package came out way higher than originally quoted because there are only 3 of us left willing to do the tour (minimum of 8 persons required for the original quote). But what the heck! We only live once

In a nutshell, this is what we will mostly do while in Nepal as part of the package tour we got :

Day 1: Arrival in Kathmandu (1,327-m.), meet and greet at airport and transfer to Thamel. Overnight hotel.

Day 2: Free day in Kathmandu to explore on your own while we prepare documents for your trek. Overnight hotel.

Day 3: Drive early morning to airport for short flight (35 min) from Kathmandu to Lukla (2,840-m). After arrangement of local porters, trek Lukla-Phakding (2,610-m) – 5 hours. Overnight lodge.

Day 4: Trek Phakding – Namche Bazaar (3,440-m) – 6 hours. Overnight lodge.

Day 5: Rest day for acclimatization in Namche/excursion to Syangboche (3,720-m), Everest View Hotel (3,859-m), Khumjung (3,780-m) and Khunde (3,840-m) & return to Namche – 5 hours. Overnight lodge.

Day 6: Trek Namche-Dole (4,200-m) -  6½ hours. Overnight lodge.

Day 7: Trek Dole – Machhermo (4,410-m) – 4½ hours. Overnight lodge.

Day 8: Trek Machhermo – Gokyo (4,790-m.) - 4½ hours. Overnight lodge.

Day 9: Rest day/excursion to Gokyo Ri (5,483-m) & return to Gokyo – 5½ hours. Overnight lodge.

Day 10: Trek Gokyo – Thore (4,300-m) – 5 hours. Overnight lodge.

Day 11: Trek Thore – Tengboch (3,860-m) – 5 hours. Overnight lodge.

Day 12:  Trek Tengboche – Monjo (2,835-m.) via Namche – 7 hours. Overnight lodge.

Day 13: Trek Monjo – Lukla (2,840-m) – 6 hours. Overnight lodge.

Day 14: Fly (35 min) Lukla – Kathmandu, on arrival transfer to Thamel / Trek ends. Overnight hotel.

Day 15: Free day (buffer day in case the flight from Lukla cancels on schedule) in Kathmandu. Overnight hotel.

Day 16: Departure day/transfer to airport for onward flight.

We are arriving in Nepal early on for better acclimatization to the place before we fly to Lukla, the trailhead for the trekking trip. We were told that unlike others, say Canadian or European trekkers, Filipinos need more time to do a high-altitude climb because the sherpas (guides) always have to bring them back down to a certain level to avoid altitude mountain sickness (AMS). Here are some of the pictures from the travel agent :

Landing at Lukla Airfield (Short Take Off and Landing)

Mt. Everest (8,848-m.) from Gokyo Ri (5,483-m.)

Yak, Himalayan Oxen, used for transporting goods

We’re a bit apprehensive that we don’t get to complete the trek all the way to Gokyo Valley but we will damn well make sure we try our hardest

We’ve seen how earthquakes have rocked the planet the past few months starting from Haiti, Chile, Taiwan, Turkey (very recently!) and our very own Cagayan, Philippines. Some geologists have even predicted that earthquakes may hit Nepal next! Check out this news article about Nepal ‘bracing for a big quake’ after Haiti.

Of course, these kinds of news makes us a bit concerned about our safety and got us thinking about revising our travel plans. We originally planned on doing the Gokyo Valley Trek tour which was described by the tour agency as –

“The Gokyo and Khumbu Valleys are arguably the most dramatic and interesting of the Everest region. This trek explores friendly Sherpa villages, visits monasteries, seeks wildlife and unveils dramatic mountain scenery. We have two days in Kathmandu to experience one of Asia’s most fascinating cities before flying to Lukla, the starting point of our trek. We follow the Dudh Kosi Valley to Namche Bazaar and then trek into Gokyo Valley. The trail ascends gradually and we enjoy a series of short trekking days to ensure proper acclimatization, walking beside the moraines of Ngozumpa Glacier and turquoise lakes to reach our lodge in Gokyo. From here we can climb Gokyo Ri (5,48-m.) to a view of all of the region’s 8000-metre peaks including Mt. Everest (8,848), Lhotse (8,414-m.), Mt. Makalu (8,485-m.) and Cho Oyu (8,153-m.) – a breathtaking panorama. From Gokyo we trek back to Lukla via Thore, Phortse, the beautiful Tengboche Monastery, Namche and Monjo.”

The package we originally considered was a 16-day moderately strenous trekking involving a domestic flight from Kathmandu to Lukla via a tiny twin otter plane. Here is a picture of Gokyo Valley sent by a friend –

Pretty eh? I fell in love with the place with this picture alone. Unfortunately, we have to revise our travel plans to a package where we would not have to be so far from the capital city of Kathmandu. So, instead of a full trek, we decided to do a bit of everything Nepal has to offer – trekking, rafting, bird-watching, cycling, etc. And we’re doing it just within the outskirts of Kathmandu, around 5-hour drive from the city.

This is how the travel agency describes our ‘revised’ Nepal package:

“This trip is designed to get most out of a short trip in Nepal with adventure and culture activities. It does not involve high altitude trekking but snowcapped mountain peaks are visible from Bandipur and Pokhara provided the weather is clear enough. Visiting Nepal during January to April and October to December for culture and trekking tour is mostly ideal with good moderate temperature. You will experience the country side, culture and see wildlife in their natural habitat.”

We’re still staying in Nepal for 21 days but this package will give us a more intimate experience of Kathmandu and its surrounding villages. I’d have to say, though, it was the cycling part of the tour that convinced Mr. Rono to go for a more subtle package compared to the Gokyo Valley trek. A website describes the experience as “dirt roads and trails in the hills of Nepal are excellent mountain biking tracks and are a biker’s dream come true. It can provide the adrenalin rush as well fantastic view of the Nepali countryside and the Himalaya. You however need to be physically fit if you wish to tour the countryside on a mountain bike as some of the up hills can be grueling challenges.”

There’s always next time for Gokyo Valley *cross fingers*