Day 6: from Sete (2575m) to Junbesi (2700m)Eager to finally cross the Lamjura Pass (3530m), the biggest obstacle on the eastwards part of the trek, I left early. After a long, wet way up and several false peaks, I reached the pass shortly before eleven. It was marked by two decrepit Stupas; the colored
Buddhist flags on them seemed to be their main support. The temperature drop and the strong and wildly cold winds were another clear of this place’s nature. It was my first cross over 3500m; it was rainy, windy and freezing, but I was happy.
The rhododendron trees delimited the road up and the beginning of the descent, but later the trees were cut for wood, leaving ugly empty spaces at the mountain flank. At noon I broke the descent with a light snack at the Thag Tok Tea House.
It rained all day, especially inside the slippery rain forest and the advance was slow, since the rain dictated a serene pace, a cautious movement on the slippery slopes. Under the heavy rain, I reached Junbesi around three, and following a quick survey I settled at Apple Garden Guesthouse.
A Day in JunbesiThe following day I stayed at Junbesi since the clothes left at night by the oven, including the shoes, were still wet.
In the area there were a few attractions: a Tibetan refugees camp with three thousand people half an hour from the town, further away and up was the famous Thubten Choling Monastery, and there were two more temples, one just above the village and one inside it. I visited the Junbesi Gompa, an old temple with beautiful wood carvings in its interior.
Junbesi being at the entrance to the apples growing zone of Nepal, I had an excellent fried apple pie for dinner.
Day 8: from Junbesi (2700m) to Nuntala (2350m) – the Two Passes DayThe driving force today was the Everest View at 3100m, the first place from where this mountain was visible. Henceforth, I left very early and arrived there around eight. However, the weather was foggy and the local guesthouse was overcharging the coffee, so I continued without waiting for the sight.
Later I stopped at Ringmo for a fresh apple pie and performed a wet climb to the Trakshindo-La Pass at 3071m. Nuntala, my final destination for the day was reached soon afterwards.
At the Moon Light Lodge I could appreciate a working Khu Kuri water heater. Those heaters heat water for the shower through pipes passing through the kitchen stove. This allows a more efficient use of energy and saves local woods; places using them charge less for a shower and are more generous with the water quantities supplied.
Since it rained all the afternoon there was no point to attempt the dangerous descent to Jubing, which passes through a slippery landslide area. It meant that the next day it would not be possible to start early, because before the sun heats up the ground everything is very wet; but at least the "Two Passes" day was over.
Day 9: from Nuntala/Manidingma (2350m) to Kharikhola (2050m) I left late and following two hours of walking under a strong sun that dried the way very quickly, the first bridge over the Dudh Kosi River appeared. This river originates at the Solukhumbu Glacierand its name means "milky river" because of the white powdered rock it carries. This was the turning point of the journey from a walk eastwards to a walk northward into the Everest, in a path parallel to the riverbed.
Close to the village of Jubing, (populated by Rai people instead of the usual Sherpas) another trekker coming downwards told me that it was snowing above 4500m with and that the Cho-La pass leading to the Gokyo Ri Lakes was closed. That meant if the storm would continue I may not be able to reach Kalla Pattar. Today it was especially hard to believe that, since everything was very green with lots of flowers and huge quantities of colorful butterflies.
Once in Kharikhola I settled down in the Tashi Delek Guesthouse. Despite its Tibetan name, the family operating it is Sherpa. The friendly owner, Pasang Lhamu Sherpa let me take a picture while she was operating the tea machine, a kind of long piston of over a meter length filled with nak milk and butter, salt and black tea. Nak is the name of the yak's female, an animal that would appear later along the track, at higher altitudes.
Day 10: from Kharikhola (2050m) to Puiyan (2780m) From Kharikhola the way continued north, roughly parallel to the Dudh Kosi River and mostly ascending, while the paths went along a ridge and not across it, a blessed improvement upon the previous days.
The arrival point of the path from Kharikhola to the mountain ridge was at the village of Bupsa, which was far above and to the left, just before the ridge did a sharp turn and disappeared. In preparation to the long climb, I left early and one hour later, I was at Bupsa with a sweat smoking T-shirt, since the strong evaporation rate did a rather graphical work on me.
The way from there was a gentle descent with the ridge, before a final and estimated easy climb to the Khari La Pass, at 2850m. The sun appeared in the middle of the walk and did it somewhat unpleasant.
In a short stop, one of those five minutes I took out of every walking hour, a leech attached itself to my right wrist and I managed to get a good photo of it before letting it continue its own path. Pulling out a leech is dangerous, since the place can develop an infection later; it is better to let them finish their meal or to put some salt on them. This last option causes them to leave quickly and peacefully.
Shortly before the Khari La Pass, I found a new way cut through the mountain, a new path that passes just below the pass itself, avoiding thus the need to climb to the ridge’s top. It was the first deviation of the Nepalese straight lines’ walks policy I saw; were they becoming decadent?
Shortly after noon, I arrived at Puiyan, 2780m, where locals were slaughtering a buffalo by the village entrance. At the colorful Bee Hive Guesthouse, I used the opportunity to do laundry, mainly the socks and T-shirts and put them to dry by the main stove.
The decision to sleep here was the result of the local altitude, allowing me gaining another high night, since the other candidate, the next village of Surke was only 2300m high. The place was quite comfortable with several rooms in three buildings built around a central yard, which in the late afternoon was occupied by a camping group. The porters staying at the place dinned with us, although they all ate Dhedo, a chocolate-like paste made of millet that the owner refused to let me taste. They roll it in the fingers like if it was sticky-rice and dip it in lentils' soup
Day 11: from Puiyan (2780m) to Phakding (2640m)One hour after leaving, I heard for the first time in days a plane and shortly afterwards saw it landing on the Lukla plateau, thus revealing the location of the still hidden town.
The early start allowed reaching Surke through the shadowed side of the mountain and left only a half-day walk under the sun; after a healthy breakfast at Namaste Lodge.
Shortly after noon, I arrived at the junction leading to Lukla, but I skipped the steep climb to the town and continued north. From now on, I was officially on the "Everest Highway." The name refers to the many tourists literally running towards the colossus at its end.
On the way I spotted for the first time groups of three to eight yak-cows hybrids, a kind of animal that is sterile after the second generation. It is the favorite carrier at these altitudes, closing gaps between the physical capabilities of the pure breeds.
Two hours later, at the ‘Snowland Lodge and Sherpa’ I took a well-needed hot shower from their Khu Kuri stove. At the backyard, they have a tree nursery, mainly with pines, intended to reverse the intense deforestation of the area.
This day was another short one, nevertheless the next stop, Namche Bazaar, was still far ahead and reaching it today would have transformed the way into a punishment. I preferred enjoying the adventure.