Still trekking - reaching 5.360 meters above sea level
DAY 8 (walking a little less than 5 hours from Namche bazaar to Phortse Tanga)
When I woke up I felt really good so after good breakfast I started my ascend. Soon I saw how many people walk to Everest base camp. It is interesting to see but to have this for a week it would be too much for me. And seeing how much of their "burden" is carried by porters or yaks makes me realise the price that trekking tourism brings to the locals and it is at the cost of people's health.
It was very easy to walk for me as I had been training for a week already and the path is great. The view started to change into white mountain tops and soon I was pointed where the highest mountain in the world is :)! There are so many beautiful mountains that you just couldnt tell :). I met two nice guys from Norway and talked and walked with them and their guide. They were going to Gokyo and told me I could join, so I decided to change my plans once again. But about an hour before the pass the altitude was starting to get to me so I walked slower. On the top I rested with a cup of tea and after it was easier to go downhill. I thought I will meet the guys in Phorte Thanga where I was staying but this is actually not a village just two places where you could stay which were far apart. I chose one by the river and I guess they chose the other one. Anyway they were too fast for me, I need my own time to take it as easy as I needed :). I relaxed by the river, had a nice Dal Bhat which the lady refilled so much I was completely full untill the next day!! I met some guys there and we had nice talks and played an interesting game and yacht (with dice) so the day went by fast. One of them wasn't feeling the best so they were resting. And so was I :)!
DAY 9 (walking 2,5 hours from Phortse Thanga to Dhole)
This was supposed to be an easy day which turned into a crazy day for me. It was supposed to be just 2 hours walk up untill the next village where I should sleep because of the altitute difference. But as I started already I felt a little dizzy and didn't have much power. And I had some struggles with myself, crazy thoughts about the food, money and stupid stuff, so not really being there, not being present. I decided to rest at one stone while Nepalese army was passing by. I didn't feel the best already and was a bit careless. When my backpack fell over into the steep forest I screamed, I just saw it fall down with my water bottle, toilet paper and something else falling way down. As it was the only water I had and also my great water bottle Nalgene I, in a panic, didn't respond well and started descending into the steep slope. I knew I wasn't doing the best thing but still continued. I was alone there and it was really dangerous to walk there but my mind was too confused to stop. I continued until I realised I am risking my life for a water bottle and I returned to the road. I was upset and there was a guy who tried to help me but I could find only my toilet paper all rolled around :). I didn't know what to do, I thought I should go back because I didn't have any water which is crutial in this altitude, but then somebody said that soon I get get some water. I already felt upset and dizzy but didn't want to go back so I continued, of course after I picked up the toilet paper which was very valuable at this altitude :). As there was nowhere to buy water I was directed by one guy (who spared me a sip of his water for my immediate relief) to the glacier, so I put the water in my thermal and added the desinfecting pill inside. It was quite a struggle and confusion to ascend, luckily there was this local guy with whom I talked and it was easier to walk. I was so happy to reach Dhole, found a nice place to stay. I was happy to reach my goal but very tired, exhausted and with a slight headache. It was very early when I came there so I had time to rest, eat , rest some more and later we played some games to pass the time quicker. The groups I met were very nice there, very friendly and the place had great food. In the evening it started to snow and it was fun althought we were wondering what the next day will be like.
DAY 10 (walking 3,5 hours from Dhole to Macchermo)
It was so nice waking up in the snow and walking surrounded with white mounatins. Luckily the sun was shining and it was pretty warm to walk, so the snow melted soon. I started slowly but later realised I was doing quite good. You need to walk slowly here because otherwise you get exhausted too soon. I wanted to eat somewhere so after 3 hours walking I ordered dal bhat in Luza and was quite disappointed with it, it was the worst I ate :). After that I needed only to cross a little hill to get to my next dome but that part was a real struggle. I lost my energy and had troubles with only a 45 minute walk, I gues dal bhat power wasn't working :). Soon in Machhermo I found a nice Snowland hotel with friendly owners and prices and I rested. I really didn't feel the best, a bit dizzy and with a headache. I tried to rest and drink a lot. At 3 pm I went to the talk about altitude sickness in the local clinic where I got a bit worried. I had a lot of simptoms although they weren't strong - headache, dizziness, tiredness. I was worried about getting ams (accute mountain sickness) and also the volunteers that were doing the presentation said you shouldn't walk alone. Oh yeah, I got worried! I was alone although I was constatly meeting nice people on the way. I felt a little better after sherpa stew and ginger tea but still not the best. There was this couple from Slovakia and Czech Republic with whom I had nice talks. But the night was a bit sleepless and I felt a small headache, so I was really worried. I decided that I won't continue the next day to Gokyo yet because I needed to sleep one more night at the same altitude or lower. I was even afraid I would have to go back which didn't help me to sleep any better :).
DAY 11 (resting in Macchermo at 4.470 metres above sea level)
I felt very good in the morning but still decided not to go to Gokyo the same day. Anyway the place I was staying was nice and not overpriced with only 100 npr charge for an hour of battery charging which was so cheap at this altitude!! I walked to the next place less than an hour away and wanted to sleep there but changed my mind after talking to some local guidev and decided to stay at the same place. Anyway the walk to Gokyo should be just 3-4 hours from there. So I returned to Macchermo and walked to a bit higher altitude where I also did Tai Chi (amazing!) and rested, it was a great day :)
DAY 11 (walking 4,5 hours from Macchermo to Gokyo)
I didn't sleep good. I woke up and felt ok, ate sugar lemon pancake and started the walk to Gokyo. Soon I realised I don't feel the best. I felt quite dizzy and tired. In Phannga I stopped after walking just 45 minutes because it was the last stop before Gokyo. I ate a lot more - nice rice with vegetables and an egg and had two black teas:). I felt a little better but still wasn't feeling the best. I was funny how the previos day I walked to the same place and I felt much better, I guess here the Yin Yang reversal (changing nature of everything) is more noticeable. Every day is different, you already think you don't suffer any altitude problems but then it comes:). The night before I met two guys who had to descend from Gokyo asap and another one who had problems at Gorakshep, close to Everest Base camp. It is normal to have some difficulties but if you feel totally exhausted it is not worth it. Although quite some people continue despite feeling exhausted or try to conceal the symptoms with some drug. I started ascending and hoped for the best, I decided to walk according to how I feel. The dizziness went away, but I was so slow. Short of breath. Slow. Tired. Slow :). The ascend was really hard but luckily I didn't feel worse so I continued. The nepalese generosity and helpfulness was so obvious just when I needed it the most. Some guide was always asking me how I feel, I told him in the begging about my dizziness but he said I shouldn't worry too much, luckily I still had a good appetite :). His kindnesss helped me a lot. It is so weird feeling how little you can do at such a high altitude. You do some slow steps and you stop. And have to drink a lot of water. And this was normal for most of the people at this altitude. When I came to the first lake and the second one it was amazing. The view was greate and although I needed to walk just a little more to the third lake I was so slooow! But soon as I saw the amazing scenery around Gokyo I was so happy. It is a magical place. I found a great room at Cho Oyu view lodge and restaurant with a room almost directly on the lake. So beautiful and also the food there was amazing, not overexpensive, very good and big portions. I did have some troubles in my stomach, probably because of so much garlic they put in the food - it is a natural remedy for altitude sickness. I felt ok but had a headache and it was the first time I took a pill for it, I didn't want to suffer anymore and it was a good choice, soon I felt much better, the pressure in the head was gone so I could relax more. I met again the two canadian - uk couples which I met in Dhole and have been really friendly worrying and taking care of me. Although themselves have had quite some problems with altitude. When you travel alone, especially this kind of crazy adventure, it is nice to meet someone who cares about you and keeps an eye on you when you feel weak, you feel a bit better immediately.
DAY 13 (resting in Gokyo at 4.790 metres above sea level)
When I woke up I felt better so I walked to the 4th lake. It was a nice, slow walk and I liked the frozen lake. I had some fun ther with the snow but then got worried - a guy I met was in front of me and then I just couldn't see him anymore. I admit I was worried something had happened to him but later I realised he just walked further:). He have me a lot of good information and it was nice talking to him. In the evening I had some nice talks with nepalese and played some cards with a group with one American guy - I learned a carded game called Call break but wasn't very good, I was still learning - it was fun anyway. Didn't know at that time that soon I will become almost an expert at it :)!
DAY 14 (morning trip to Gokyo Ri at 5.360 metres above sea level)
I woke up 3.30 to start the walk up Gokyo Ri at 4 to see the sunrise. I was lucky it wasn't windy and it was lovely to start the walk in the night with the sky full of stars. I didn't really sleep the best in the night and I was waking up more times so I didn't have the most power when I started walking. And the ascend is so steep! I think it is just about 600 metres of ascend but at this altitute it feels like 1.600 :)! I was quote slow, breathing deeply and stoping often. When the sun started to light the sky I wasn't at the top yet but still I could see the sun behind Mount Everest and Lhotse, both with a little cloud that seemed like a smoke. It was fascinating! After 2, 25 hours I got to the top and I was so happy. The view was amazing, all around, 360°. You can see so many different mountains, lakes, glacier, it was so nice. I stayed for a while and while descending I was very happy that I was going down already when a lot of people were strugggling :)!
Later I relaxed, had Dal Bhat already at 10 am and in the afternoon I took a walk around the lake which was supposed to last one hour. It took me two hours and quite some walk in the snow, not on a real path but on a slope that didn't feel the safest. The views were nice but I was just too tired that later all I did was relax :). For a while there was no wind and the sun was strong so I could just lie on the ground next to the lake and enjoy the fantastic scenery and be grateful for my achievement :)!
DAY 15 (descending from Gokyo to Thore by walking 5 hours)
It was time to say goodbye to this lovely place. I wanted to descend on the other side of valley I ascended, so I needed to cross Ngozumba glacier. That was quite a challenge to get to the otherside. I needed to climb some more and cross a place where very close there were constantly falling rocks so I went by very fast. There wasn't much of a glacier but the remaining was very beautiful. While walking untill Dragnag to the other side I realised I had made a great decision not to do the Cho La pass. The walk over was quite exhausting because of the altitude. In the night I had some problems breathing and also my heart started to beat very powerful. I admit, the altitude gave me quite some problems and it was time to start descending. At first it was hard to decide because I knew I could do the Cho La pass and get to Everest Base camp. I would want to see it and do the Kala Patthar walk but because of so many people that are there I am not really sorry I missed it. The mountains remained quite peaceful for me as they should be. But if I would go to Everest Base camp I would have struggled with my strength and my will too much that I don't think it would be worth it. I am happy that I listened to my body to guide me, to see when the bad feelings are stronger than the good ones - and this is the point to leave, no matter what. I hope I learned something from this experience :)!
Descending was much easier for me as usual and here even more because with every step I could breath easier. I walked 2 and a half hours to Dragnag and than about the same time to get to my next home, very simple Sherpa Lodge with a friendly owner somewhere from Thore to Thare :). From Dragnag there wasn't any place to eat, sleep or even buy some drinks until Thore where I had lunch and then continued. The walk was very nice because I was observing from across the valley the same path I was walking on just a week ago, I felt a bit nostalgic and happy with my experience. Towards the end I was a bit tired because the path takes you mostly down but then you start ascending some more before going down and then up again :). Like life, some ups and downs, although here I was more looking forward to the downs than ups :)!
DAY 16 (walking 5,5 hours from Thore to Pangboche)
I decided to go to Pangboche which on the map didn't look much challenging. But the reality was totally different :). To get first to Phortse I needed to descend about 500 meters lower but what I didn't know was that I would be again doing so much walk up and down this day that at one point I would be ready to strangle somebody if there would be much more climb ahead of me!! It took me almost 3 hours to get to Phortse and I expected to walk a bit more than one hour! And on top of it my phone which should have been almost full got completely empty all of a sudden! At this point I really needed to contact my parents to tell them that was ok because I hadn't been online for more than 3 days. Usually I didn't contact them so often but here on the "top" I told them I would contact them at least every 3 days to tell them that I am ok. At some places they have WI-FI cards but not always. Luckily the NCELL network which I was using for internet connection was finally working here, so I charged my phone a bit while eating apple pancake and drinking two black teas. I knew that I should be walking the same day about 3 more hours full of ups and downs. Actually I was quite fast at least at the beginning I got my strength and had no problems. But at the end there came the point of wanting to strangle somebody if the path would take me much more up! Luckily there weren't much other people around and the Yaks walking by seemed a bit too strong for me, so nobody got hurt :). When I finally arrived in Pangboche my effort was rewarded. I found a nice lodge with good prices, great food and friendly owners and took my first warm shower after 2 weeks! It felt so good, it was a real shower, not a bucket one :)! I felt so good at this place, a great energy, it was a nice village where mostly locals lived and there were only a few lodges. Mostly places I walked by for the last week had only lodges, but here the locals were living and it was a totally different vibration. I felt really good here and also my phone did, the battery was full again all of a sudden, without recharging, although before it was empty - I guess he also had some altitude problems :).
DAY 17 (day tour to Ama Dablam Base Camp at 5.570 metres above sea level)
I decided to walk to Ama Dablam base camp which seemed like an easy walk. Well I actually forgot how long it took me but the goal was high again (4.570 metres) so it included slow walking and quite some stops. I was lucky because there was one expedition there so I got to talk with them and they were so friendly offering me whatever they had. I didn't want to take their stock but I really needed to drink so I got a tea and some boiled water so my walk back was much easier being hidrated :). Ama Dablam is an amazing mountain - it being shaped like a human being it is very intriguing. I remembered when I saw it for the first time - it was at the same time I laid my eyes on Mount Everest for the first time, but Ama Dablam intrigued me at least the same or even more maybe. And seeing it upclose it was even more amazing and powerful! Although being "only" 6.812 metres high her glory can be seen on lots of my photographs :)!
DAY 18 (walking a litle less than 5 hours from Pangboche to Kyangiuma)
The previous day was quite windy so I got some pains in my neck which didn't seem to go away. I still could walk with my luggage but had to rest more. I got a bit worried I would have to change my plans. I decided to see how the day goes and how I would feel. The walk to Tengboche was very nice, the path started to involve a lot of trail through the woods which I like. It was quite a change from seeing bare mountains with just a few bushes from time to time. From Tengboche there is a beautiful view to Ama Damlam and Mount Everest and this is quite a nice place to stay. But I enjoyed descending to Phungi Thanga a lot, it only took me 1 hour. Like usual walking down was much easier for me, I didn't have any problems with my knees or ankles. I have met quite few people who preferred walking up but for me it was so much fun going down, sometimes I was running like a kid :). I was happy I wasn't one of the thousands of people going in the opposite direction which was a bit overcrowded for my taste. After eating a nice Dal Bhat again I had to walk more uphill which was slower again and much more troubled. Finally I arrived in Kyangiuma where I spent my last night over 3.000 metres :)!
DAY 19 (walking about 4 hours from Kyangiuma to Bengkar (or somewhere around it))
My pain in the neck was still hurting so I got a nice professional massage in Namche bazar with Sim Lama at The Real professional Massage Therapy & Ayurvedic Clinc (you can find him on FB, I really recommend it). It helped me a lot, I felt so good but I needed some rest to make it completely better. Yet I continued to walk some more the same day with my heavy backpack, I didn't want to stay in Namche Baxzar. There I had the best chocolate walnut brownie in my life on my way up and I was dreaming about it for a while. I ate one and took one to go and I admit I still dream about it and will try to "recreate" it at home :). It was a perfect blent - nutty chocolate with white chocolate pieces that melted when it was hot!! I wanna go back as I am writting this :):)!! I visited the monk who gave me red cord around my neck for good luck and he was so happy to see me, he hugged me so tight :)! I walked few more hours and when I was tired and found a place to sleep.
It was time to decide what my next path will be. Since my pain in the neck I was worried about finishing my trek the way that I had planned. My plan from the beginning was to finish my trek where I started, in Shivalaya, but this time do it slower and in more days. While going up I personalized my map with details of good places to sleep and nice view so I had an approximate idea where I wanted to spend more time and I was looking forward to it. Because of my neck pain I started to think about flying to Kathmandu. I needed to decide now because if I wanted to fly I needed to go to Lukla and if not I would have to walk about a week longer to get to Shivalaya or at least 4 more days to get to Salleri where I could also take a bus. I wanted to walk back but my body was telling me I really need some rest so I decided to listen to it and finish my trek the next day in Lukla. This decision was easier because of the fact that this meant that I could go to the handover of the school I was helping to build two months before!
DAY 20 (reaching Lukla airport)
My whole body was already tired from all the walking I did and adding to that the neck pain and heavy backpack (by this time it weighed "only" about 10 kilograms because I left some clothes for Sherpas and ate the food I had at the beginning, but still it felt heavier every day) I knew the decision was good. I walked to Lukla trying to enjoy every step because I knew it was finishing! I was happy but sad at the same time. Happy to be relaxing soon but sad to be leaving this amazing place which gave me so much!! Last days I had quite some sugar cravings which in my body language means usually that I am a bit sad :). For the finish I ate a pizza which was actually delicious and spent some time with a girl I met while trekking. It was time return to Kathmandu, I was ready! Although flying from Lukla airport is very adventurous (one of the most dangerous airports: http://www.cntraveler.com/stories/2016-04-12/this-is-the-worlds-most-dangerous-airport, but it was quite nice flight during which the pilot was reading the news :)!!!