The Nepali Chronicles: The Ascent

Day 3: The Ascent to Namche

While it may have been the middle of a heat wave in Northeast, we woke up to 30-40 degree damp weather. In Nepal it is monsoon season so it is both cold and wet for a majority of the day. Luckily, most of the rain occurs between 5pm-5am so we are able to avoid most of it by trekking between 9am and 4pm. As it would turn out, we rarely got rained on besides short lived drizzles. Although we did not see much rain while hiking, we did see an abundance of clouds. Clouds cling to the mountains, flowing through the valleys like weightless rivers defying gravity as they wash up and down mountain sides. For the entirety of the trip to Thame we never saw above the top 2/3 of a mountain. Instead we saw waterfalls that seemingly fell from the sky, rivers without beginning or end, and endless vegetation so green and new it seemed a mirage.

Most of the day was spent hugging the river as we headed north to Namche, until two hours before our expected arrival. As we stopped for a quick break to allow those who were further behind the group to catch up, one of our guides Mingma pointed up to a bridge some 500 feet above connecting one mountain to the next. He told us that we were headed up to the bridge on our way to Namche. And so the ascent began.

 

The ascent that followed was the most difficult hike I have ever had. For two straight hours we climbed up nearly 1,000 meters of steep mountainside. Never have I felt so out of shape. By the halfway point, every breath was a struggle and I was sweating more than I knew possible.

Seeing the first house was euphoric. Passing the house, we turned a corner and saw the most incredible city that I can only compare to the mythical El Dorado. Hidden near in a cove carved into the side of a mountain, Namche is a collection of hundreds of houses, lodges, shops, and restaurants. On the upper west side of the city was the Namche monastery, the upper east a school and even higher up, the first view point of Mount Everest overlooked by a statue of Tenzin Norgay.

 

 

We walked through a stupa, over a beautifully carved stoned bridge crossing a river outlined by multi-colored tiles cutting through the east side of the city. After climbing some more stairs, we reached our lodge. Finally able to drop our bags we sat down in the lodge’s restaurant that overlooked lower Namche and further out a spectacular view of the neighboring mountain slowly revealed by parting clouds.

That night, I had one of the best dinners of my life. I do not know if it tasted particularly amazing in anyway, but that meal was incredible after our grueling day.

Day 4: Rest, an Everest Attempt, and Shopping

Since a few members of our team needed more time adjusting to the altitude, we decided to spend a full day in Namche to get acclimated to the change in oxygen. This of course meant climbing hundreds of stairs to get around Namche. We traveled to the Namche Bazaar market, but it was closing up. Late to that party we moved on to the Sagarmatha National Park Museum where the first view of Everest, if not cloudy, is located. Unfortunately, it was a very cloudy day and we could see no further than 200 feet never mind the summit of the world’s tallest mountain.

After visiting the National Park’s Museum we went to the Sherpa Museum where a traditional Sherpa house is on exhibit along with a photo gallery filled with Sherpa history. Their houses are very small, have only two to three rooms depending on Sherpa’s wealth and is filled with copper and bronze kitchenware.

Wrapping up our day we went shopping and visited the Namche monastery. At first we found convenience/souvenir stores, but on our third try we found a shop filled with beautiful art, relics, Buddhist symbols, and jewelry. The monastery meant another climb up the other side of Namche. When we got there I was very surprised because of how many people were there. In a fairly small room were about 30 monks and a few hundred worshippers seeking a blessing from the Namche Lama. Since there were so many people we did not get a blessing, although, part of our group went back later that night and received one when the crowd died down.

The journey to be continued in The Nepali Chronicles: Thame

The Nepali Chronicles: Namaste or Namastay?

Days 1 and 2

Day 1: Good Morning Boston and Nepal! 

Quick Breakdown

Let's define day one. July 25th I woke up at 8am to prepare for my 10:55pm flight to Doha, Qatar where we would have an 8 hour layover before continuing to Kathmandu, Nepal. Day one therefore included: driving to Merrimack, visiting friends, last minute shopping, final packing, dinner in the North End, meeting at Logan, flying to Doha, the layover, flying to Kathmandu, going to Hotel Tibet, a quick nap, a meeting, and dinner with the group. In total, we were awake about 56 hours (curse my inability to sleep on planes!). 

For the first time in my life I saw three mornings and three nights in one day. Well at least it was only one day for us because the odd timey whimey effects of flying. 

The heat of Doha mixed with the cool plane air created fog.

Flight from Doha to Kathmandu

Kathmandu 

Arriving in Kathmandu was an experience. We were picked up at the airport by Prof. Veletzos and Co. (Three of his four daughters). Then we headed to the hotel. When I say Nepal has insane traffic, it's an understatement. There are no rules to the road. Traffic lines are just a suggestion that's almost never followed. I was never more grateful to pull into a hotel. 

The rest of the day: meeting, dinner, and bed. 

Day 2: The Most Dangerous Landing

Waking up at 4am on the day we headed to the Himalayas was nerve racking and thrilling. The roads were clear besides a few Nepalis getting their morning exercise and shop owners preparing for the day. Within minutes it seemed we arrived at the airport and were ushered onto the tarmac. Then we saw the plane. An 18-seater charter plane with an open cockpit. I found the best seat I could, second seat back but still in front of the propellers, and attached my GoPro to the window. The views were surreal until we hit white out right before arriving at Lukla airport.

The flight attendant told us to prepare for landing, but no one could see the landing strip due to thick cloud coverage. Descending the clouds continued until, about a quarter mile away, we flew out of the clouds and got our first sight of the landing strip. Approaching faster than the runway appeared to be able to handle we stopped on a dime. Never have I been more thankful to get off a plane.

Quickly we collected ourselves and our bags and headed off to a nearby lodge to organize our trekking company. That's where we met Buster, a stray turned loyal (well mostly) companion for three days of our journey.

Yaks ready, water bottles filled, cameras running, we set off to conquer about 20 miles of the Himalayas to reach the small village of Thame.

For this first stretch we travelled approximately 6 miles to Phurte, a village about 800 feet below Lukla, to get our bodies adjusted to the new atmosphere. To get there we passed dozens of stupa (mound like structure containing Buddhist relics and prayer wheels), mani stones (stones inscribed with mantras or prayers), and Tibetan prayer flags; features that we would find common for the remainder of our journey. My personal favorite obstacle, our first suspension foot bridge. The bridge hung some 100 feet about a rock fall that continues down about 1,000 feet into the ravine and river.

Arriving at Phurte was a relief. Our first day was long, nerve racking, and tough on our adjusting lungs. We stayed at our first lodge, Sunrise Lodge and Restaurant.

Our rooms were small but comfortable. We spent most of the night chatting in our room (Brad, Peter and I) where Leyna joined us. Listening to some music we told stories and jokes and Leyna came up with her own village based off of Namaste. There would be Namastay Lodge, Namasteak Restaurant, Namastay-Away-From-Me Restraining Order Office, etc.

To Be Continued in The Nepali Chronicles: The Ascent

The Reason Why We're Here!

(This was supposed to be posted August 1st, but we lost internet)

First off, we have been skimping on the group photos on this blog—here are a few from the last couple of days! 

We started off the day with an 8 o’clock breakfast and set out at 9 to get a look at the two projects we will be working on during our nine days in Thame. Our first stop (after a tough uphill stretch and a steep downhill hike) was the Khumbu Mountain Center (KMC). The center was finished just prior to last spring’s earthquakes, and before it could ever be used, the three buildings in the complex were destroyed. While we are in Thame, we have been asked to estimate the amount of salvageable materials (rock, windows, metal roofing, etc.) left in the buildings. It is hoped that this material will be used for other community structures. Below are a few pictures of the damages at the KMC.

After taking a look at each of the three buildings there, we continued our hike on to the Hilajung Bridge. Upon seeing the structure, we all could clearly see why it needs repairs; in the earthquakes, one of the stone piers supporting the main cables of the bridge collapsed, leaving the deck of the bridge supported only by a few bolts on each of the bridge’s abutments. The deck is sagging substantially, and the bolts holding it in place are beginning to separate from the stone abutments. The thought of two or three yaks and a couple of people crossing the bridge at the same time makes us all cringe.

We have been informed by colleagues in Kathmandu that this bridge is on schedule to be fixed, however it will not be for another two or three years. We spent some time taking pictures and brainstorming possible fixes for the bridge (ideally while we are here, we would love to provide a temporary fix for the bridge)—however, we all acknowledge the fact that this is not our bridge; we are very interested in helping out, but ultimately it is up to the community of Hilajung to decide what action, if any, we should take. We have planned a meeting with some members of the community for 10 o’clock tomorrow morning. I can’t wait to see how it all goes!

Oh, I also forgot to mention that this area is totally gorgeous—I cannot get enough of the scenery around here!

Well we made it.
Much to our surprise we have been extremely lucky in our trip so far. Weather is notoriously fickle this time of year in Nepal, being monsoon season. So being able to flying in to the Lukla Airport on our second day in Kathmandu was exceedingly lucky. We met some other Americans from Nebraska who spent 4 days waiting for their flight to get approved. Once in Lukla we had decent weather and hiked with a moderate pace to make it all the way to Namche over two days. We took an extra day to better acclimate to the altitude and did some very informative sightseeing in the village. Including the Mt. Everest Documentation Center and the Sherpa Culture Museum, both of which gave us a greater appreciation for the culture and the beautiful landscape surrounding us.
We departed Namche and reached Thame earlier this afternoon in a slight drizzle and settled into our new lodging for the next 8 days. Tomorrow we will hike up to the village of Hillajung to begin our work on the footbridge servicing that area. Plans have changed and we have had to adapt as necessary, but we are just as determined to make a difference in our short time here. We are well and having the time of our lives.