Another day of hoofing it. We left Namche early to beat the traffic and the weather. Above Phakding, we saw the Stupa that the monk had been working on during the in-bound trek. It has now been completed, dedicated, and is now bedecked in prayer flags and offerings. It’s amazing to think that we just passed through here 10 days ago. The lower valley is significantly greener, and the fields are verdant in their rock boundaries.
New Stupa near the Phakding
The rain held off for us until Phakding, where we stopped for lunch. After fueling up and putting on the rain gear, we headed off again. After lunch, one member of the crew provided a moment of entertainment for some sherpanis and anis with his gustatory theatrics (belching, that is). He’s probably legend up the valley now.
We’re now dry and warm at the North Face Lodge in Lukla. Tonight, we celebrate our trek with the great Sherpas and porters who have supported us, guided us, and inspired us up the valley. Tendi has promised dancing. Tendi was our lead guide and the man that kept us in line. He was a great guide and really made the trip. We had three assistants, Rinji, Mingma and Jeevan. All of them were amazing and took great care of us from start to finish. They met us in the morning at our lodge room door to give us hot tea, they made sure we always had water always were feeling well and took care of all the details of rooms and meals. In addition to our guides we had four porters to carry our bags to our next destination. The porters always had a smile on their face and almost always beat us to the next lodge.
We hope the weather doesn’t delay the morning flights from Kathmandu. It’s been a great trip, one that is difficult to capture even with the words and pictures in this blog. It’s something you must see and experience for yourself.
One last thing to mention is the great group of guys that made up this trip. Although we all came from various backgrounds and we didn’t know each other as a group, we came together and had a great time.
Until our next adventure…..
Signed;
Dr. Dave Carter – our feerless leader - Indiana
Big Al – North Carolina
Bubba – Indiana
Jimbo – Indiana
Kep- Seattle
Jaybird– Indiana
Johno – Indiana
Dono- Vancouver, Canada
