Looking in to a valley on route to Namche
Yaks!!! These are actually a cross between yaks and cows... We've called them yeows.
Sting and Trudy Styler!!!
black and white does make things look cooler
the crewSorry for the 2 massive posts, we haven't had any (cheap) internet connections since arriving to the Himalayas (the price of internet went from $1 USD per hour in Kathmandu, to $1 USD every 4mins in Namche!!!).
23rd March, 2008
It has been 3 days since we left Lukla and began our trek towards the Pyramid Laboratory, and more than two thirds of the crew has been struck down with a stomach bug. This makes the many hours of (steep) trekking even more difficult; particularly since we are at an altitude of +3000m above sea level (we’re currently sitting at 4200m). Just to give you an idea, at this altitude anything more than a slow walk up the hill would leave you breathless, and following 5 minutes of steep stair climbing (which there is plenty of) you’re left gasping for air.
Our struggle against the altitude (while only carrying a day pack) is constantly put into perspective each time we come across local porters along the trail carrying loads ranging anywhere from 30 to 80kgs, which are braced against their head and neck!!! I’m constantly in awe by the impressive feats of the tiny locals (most of which are usually no more than 150cm tall), while at the same time I also feel a pang of sadness to witness both children and the elderly (although they usually look older than their age) carrying such heavy loads. Despite our perspective of their day jobs, they perform each task with immense pride and a beaming smile, knowing we couldn’t be here trekking without them.
There is no doubt that these mountain dwellers are the hardest working people I’ve ever met, you don’t have to look far to find evidence of this. The sherpa people have only been in the mountains for less than 100 years, when the first mountaineers arrived from distant lands. However, we passed hundreds of stoned walled houses littered throughout the valleys to accommodate the booming trekking business in Nepal. To build each of these houses takes a large crew of sherpas, many of which are involved in chiseling each individual rock into perfectly square-edged blocks. Meanwhile, large planks of timber are hauled up the mountain on the backs of the sherpas. It is difficult to comprehend the magnitude of the work which went into the trekking paths, the houses, and the miles of stone walls surrounding the fields.
24th March 2008
We had two nights in Namche Bazaar and so we had a rest day on the 24th. We didn’t exactly rest but instead decided to visit the village of Khunde, some 400m above Namche. It was a beautiful trek and there had been a massive snowfall that night so we had great fun throwing snowballs at each other all the way up – barely even noticed the climb! The snow fight stopped very quickly when someone got hurt – there’s a reason they say it’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt!
In Khunde we observed some amazing work by other New Zealanders. We first dropped by the Hillary Hospital, built using funding from the New Zealand Rotary Foundation. Afterwards, we went over to the local school which was founded by Sir Ed in 1961, and there we met a group of Kiwi and Australian volunteer dentists and dental nurses (organised by the charity group Smile High) providing free dental treatment and aiming to increase knowledge of dental care in the region.
25th March
Yesterday, we trekked from Namche Bazar to Pangboche, on the way we stopped at Tengboche where we visited the monastery there (which is the oldest in Nepal, and one of the oldest in the world). During our visit, we were treated to an unexpected encounter with Sting and his wife Trudie Styler, who were also visiting the monastery. We managed to snap a few photos of the pair before they returned to one of their two helicopters (yes, two), and Sting, tongue-in-cheek, offered us a lift. That bizarre encounter left us talking excitedly for quite some time!
26th March
We are now in a tiny settlement called Pheriche for two nights, we have another rest day tomorrow before we complete the climb to the Pyramid Laboratory on the 28th. The last day is rumoured to be a massive one so we’ll keep you posted!
It has been 3 days since we left Lukla and began our trek towards the Pyramid Laboratory, and more than two thirds of the crew has been struck down with a stomach bug. This makes the many hours of (steep) trekking even more difficult; particularly since we are at an altitude of +3000m above sea level (we’re currently sitting at 4200m). Just to give you an idea, at this altitude anything more than a slow walk up the hill would leave you breathless, and following 5 minutes of steep stair climbing (which there is plenty of) you’re left gasping for air.
Our struggle against the altitude (while only carrying a day pack) is constantly put into perspective each time we come across local porters along the trail carrying loads ranging anywhere from 30 to 80kgs, which are braced against their head and neck!!! I’m constantly in awe by the impressive feats of the tiny locals (most of which are usually no more than 150cm tall), while at the same time I also feel a pang of sadness to witness both children and the elderly (although they usually look older than their age) carrying such heavy loads. Despite our perspective of their day jobs, they perform each task with immense pride and a beaming smile, knowing we couldn’t be here trekking without them.
There is no doubt that these mountain dwellers are the hardest working people I’ve ever met, you don’t have to look far to find evidence of this. The sherpa people have only been in the mountains for less than 100 years, when the first mountaineers arrived from distant lands. However, we passed hundreds of stoned walled houses littered throughout the valleys to accommodate the booming trekking business in Nepal. To build each of these houses takes a large crew of sherpas, many of which are involved in chiseling each individual rock into perfectly square-edged blocks. Meanwhile, large planks of timber are hauled up the mountain on the backs of the sherpas. It is difficult to comprehend the magnitude of the work which went into the trekking paths, the houses, and the miles of stone walls surrounding the fields.
24th March 2008
We had two nights in Namche Bazaar and so we had a rest day on the 24th. We didn’t exactly rest but instead decided to visit the village of Khunde, some 400m above Namche. It was a beautiful trek and there had been a massive snowfall that night so we had great fun throwing snowballs at each other all the way up – barely even noticed the climb! The snow fight stopped very quickly when someone got hurt – there’s a reason they say it’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt!
In Khunde we observed some amazing work by other New Zealanders. We first dropped by the Hillary Hospital, built using funding from the New Zealand Rotary Foundation. Afterwards, we went over to the local school which was founded by Sir Ed in 1961, and there we met a group of Kiwi and Australian volunteer dentists and dental nurses (organised by the charity group Smile High) providing free dental treatment and aiming to increase knowledge of dental care in the region.
25th March
Yesterday, we trekked from Namche Bazar to Pangboche, on the way we stopped at Tengboche where we visited the monastery there (which is the oldest in Nepal, and one of the oldest in the world). During our visit, we were treated to an unexpected encounter with Sting and his wife Trudie Styler, who were also visiting the monastery. We managed to snap a few photos of the pair before they returned to one of their two helicopters (yes, two), and Sting, tongue-in-cheek, offered us a lift. That bizarre encounter left us talking excitedly for quite some time!
26th March
We are now in a tiny settlement called Pheriche for two nights, we have another rest day tomorrow before we complete the climb to the Pyramid Laboratory on the 28th. The last day is rumoured to be a massive one so we’ll keep you posted!
Mickey
... Kate helped again
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