Culture Shock

Saturday, Sunday, and Monday 

Going up takes a lot of time, tiny steps, and plenty of perserverence. It turns out that coming down is very different. 

We left Lobuche on Saturday morning, nine days after we started trekking, and six days after leaving Namche Bazaar. It took us a mere two days to get all the way back to Namche. 

Saturday we found that we could really stride out for the first time in days as the path sloped gradually down along the glacial valley. Even the first hills went about twice as fast as on the way up. By four pm we pulled into Deboche, a little more than 3,000 feet lower than Lobuche. I was exhausted. It required very different muscles to go downhill than up, and we expected to move faster. 

Saturday night we stayed at the Rivendell Lodge in Deboche. Yes, it was indeed named after Lord of the Rings. It was nice. There were rules, like leaving shoes outside our rooms. But there were also hot towels before dinner. It was hard to clean only our faces! And there were amusing guests. A large group came in at dinner time, and I started talking to a woman from Montana. It turns out that she is the head doctor at the Base Camp medical clinic, Lulu. She was going up with a filming crew from Sydney 60 minutes. In the morning we watched her test the heart rate and blood oxygen of a fellow trekker and a Sherpa. Perhaps we can see the result on camera one day. 

Sunday was easier for me. We hurried down the huge Tengboche hill, trying to stay ahead of a yak train we had carefully passed. After a cup of hot chocolate in Phunki Tenga, we started up the hill on the other side of the river. I had been dreading going back up that hill, so I was pleasantly surprised. We took it very slowly and I loved every minute of it. My muscles, heart and lungs were happy with the slow pace - no faster than before. And my senses were delighted by the rocky trail, actual trees, birds, and of course the views. Meg was not as fond of the endless climb as me. 

Still, we were both very glad to finally reach our hotel in Namche. The first thing I saw in our new room was an outlet. Electricity free for the taking! I felt like I had won a jackpot. There is indoor running water here too, so we set to work washing clothes and hanging them out our window. I washed my hair in the sink, and did a pretty good sponge bath. It was so warm that I didn't even get too chilled from bathing.

And then we settled in to luxury and resting. Internet. Naps. Bakery. Shopping. Real showers with hot water. A warm dining room that is not smoky or smelling of gas. Warm enough at night that we don't need a hot water bottle. 

We were lounging in our room when I heard a familiar voice - it was our friend Genieve from Australia who we met in Dingboche. She got sick and came down early, which was bad for her but good for us. She's delightful. So we've had company too. And the second night we ran into even more friends from the hill. 

Tuesday we leave for Lukla, breaking the trip into two easy days instead of one long one. The last bit is another uphill - with giant steps. So a few challenges still await us!

Everest, Crossroads of the world - Meg

When we left on this trek, I knew I would meet people from Nepal, but I had no idea how much of the rest of the world gathered here.  The trail to Everest base camp is also the main road to many villages  so of course we've met many people from Nepal as they walk to and from school, home from a shopping trip down the mountain,  along the trail to the next village to visit, babies and toddlers in tow or haul loads of just about everything up the mountain.  At first we were surprised to be passed by porters hauling eggs, hay, toilet paper, plywood or even bottled water, but soon we realized that anything that wasn't grown up here had to come up by porter, yak or helicopter and most of it comes via porter.   

But even though the majority of the people we've met are from Nepal, we've also met people from most of the rest of the world.  One of the first days we hiked for almost an hour with a young man from Tibet, who slipped across the border to India in search of a better education.  Now his parents are aging and he'd like to return, but cannot get a visa and the consequences of getting caught trying to re-enter illegally are severe.  Later the same day we walked with a large group from India, here to support their team in an Everest summit bid.  There seem to be Australians around every bend in the trail, and people from the UK and US are also common.   Our list of home countries also includes; Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Switzerland, France, Austria, Poland, Sweden and Canada.  Some of these people we've seen once and never encountered again, others we greet like long lost friends when we encounter them on the trail or in a lodge, trading stories of where we've been and what we've done and writing e- mail addresses on napkins and scraps of paper.  I'm always especially glad to see our young friends coming down the trail safe and sound.  Turns out I am still someone's mother even this far from home and need to be assured that all these adventurous and interesting young adults make it home to continue with the next phase of their lives.