We were even worse at setting off early on this day mainly due to Damian wanting to send off a letter from this somewhat remote post office. Paul joined us making us a five now and we eventually got going at 9am having completed the formalities of signing the police register.
After a few minutes of downhill it was a steep ascent through a forest, but it soon levelled out to a more gentle climb all the way up to Everest View Sherpa lodge (3,080m). Unfortunately our first chance to see Everest was blocked by thick clouds although we could see some impressive peaks further east.
[We late found out that these clouds were causing big storms on the mountains and led to some deaths in a Japanese team]
It was disappointing, but on the way up that morning we had spoken with an English girl heading back down, and she reported that as she had come through this view point it was raining hard and they couldn't even see the other side of the valley (good job we started late!). She was lovely, but wouldn't shut up and we got the impression she had been a bit starved for company the past few days as she returned alone.
The trail gently descended to Salung at 2,980m which we reached by 11am. Here we spoke briefly to an old man before continuing down to Ringmo Khola (Khola means river) at 2.650m which we crossed on a suspension bridge. For a while we'd been walking with a lady with a baby in a basket on her back.
It was a steep but short walk up to Ringmo. We witnessed a boy of about 6 years old riding on the back of a goat. To get it to move he lashed it on the head with a thick stick!
Ringmo proved to be a nice little place with lots of apple orchards. We avoided the frst lodge because the Czechs ("Pesky Czechs" we called them - quite a big group who we occasionally ran into) were there, and instead went to the next place, but the "Crazy Koreans" had got there first and had their order in before us. Having arrived at 12:45pm it was 2:30pm before our dal-baht and excellent apple pie was eaten and we were back on the way.
It only took ½hour to get to the top of the Trakshindo Pass at 3,071m where there is a chorten, and the gateway to the Khumba Valley.
It was a long long descent to Nuntala, made much longer as we had to wait long periods for Damian to catch up as his knee was worryingly giving him pain.
It was after dark by the time we arrived, being after 6pm, and we were lucky the moon was full to give us some illumination.
We had sent Robin ahead and he had found us a decent lodge where we spent a good evening with the five of us, plus Michael, telling travelling tales.
I stayed up "late" again along with Paul, both of us keen to catch up on our diaries.
It was a long long descent to Nuntala, made much longer as we had to wait long periods for Damian to catch up as his knee was worryingly giving him pain.
It was after dark by the time we arrived, being after 6pm, and we were lucky the moon was full to give us some illumination.
We had sent Robin ahead and he had found us a decent lodge where we spent a good evening with the five of us, plus Michael, telling travelling tales.
I stayed up "late" again along with Paul, both of us keen to catch up on our diaries.
So far I was really enjoying the trek. It was hard work, but the scenery is breathtaking and the locals and the other trekkers are fun and great people.
Still it was a long long way still to go...
Still it was a long long way still to go...
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