Date: 31st March, 2014.
For the first time in Nepal, I managed to get 6h 15m of uninterrupted sleep. This is the amount of sleep my body requires to repair itself. The alarm was set for 07:00. But I naturally woke up 45 minutes sooner.
During the trek, our morning routine is generally the same. Wake up, visit the toilet, pack away the sleeping bags to make space on the bed, change into our trekking clothes, clean our teeth/face from whatever source of water is available (outside pipe from river or bucket) and start repacking the kit bags. We then pack up our day sacks, and lastly put on our boots and have some breakfast while Kaji (our porter) ropes up our kit bags.
This morning was no exception. After a breakfast of porridge with honey and a cup of coffee, we set off from Junbesi at 08:35.
Before we left we thanked the lady of the lodge for her great hospitality. She in turn thanked us for the tablets. Her toothache pain had eased, but she would had to see a dentist soon. There are no resident dentists in Junbesi. A 'flying' dentist visits Junbesi and the surrounding villages every few months. For the lady there were only two tough choices: either wait for the "flying' dentist to visit the village in 3 weeks time or take a 3 hour walk to the village he lives in. I had a look at her teeth but couldn't find any tooth decay or any obvious reason for the ache. We gave her 4 more tablets, instructing her to take them when the pain becomes unbearable.
After bidding our farewells to the other Trekkers at the lodge, we headed past the temple and school we had visited the previous day and crossed the Junbesi Khola river, continuing for another 35 minutes on an ascent as we climbed out of the river valley.
The path became more gradual and flattened as we continued walking down the plain of the river, admiring the panoramic views that had now opened out before us. To our right, we could see in the distance, the high pass of Lamjura La that we had crossed the previous day. It looked so far and high. It was hard to believe that we had been there just a day ago.
Along the way we passed school children as young as 13 heading the other way to the secondary school in Junbesi. It was 90 mins away !!
Schools here are few and far between. Children from the surrounding villages have to walk long distances to get to school. There is an active international aid program to build schools in the remote parts of Nepal and encourage education. After he conquered Everest, Edmund Hilary himself set up a trust to further the development of the Nepalese people.
The track continued along the lower slopes of the Pare Danda highlands on our left, following the contours of the range. Just under 2 hours after leaving Junbesi, we reached the village of Phurteng. As we continued to the upper teahouses of the village and followed the bend in the track, a beautiful panorama of the high and middles Himalayas came into view to the North. It was the first proper view of the Himalayas since we started the trek. Until now we only had glimpses of one or two on the snow-covered Himal peaks. From here we could see an array of them. We could see Everest, Lhotse (the 8000+ peaks) and several of the 6000+ peaks. The most prominent of all was the Kusum Khangkaru, standing tall at 6,637m. The view was truly remarkable and awe inspiring.
Behind us, to the south, was Saleri, one of the main towns in the Solu-Khumbu region. It also has a small airstrip frequently used by helicopters transporting materials to the remote parts of the region.
Dorje suggested that we spend more time at this viewpoint and stay for lunch at one of the teahouses overlooking the peaks. While lunch was freshly prepared, I studied my map and Kavita read the guide book to identify the peaks in the view.
Lunch took a while. Not many tourists use the track from Jiri nowadays and the teahouses along the route are generally ill-prepared to serve cooked food instantly. It takes them time to light the fire and prepare the food from scratch. The teahouses are generally owned by families who also use it as their home. Most teahouses are 'extended' to provide lodgings (hence the term 'lodge') for travellers. If you want something to eat en route, you simply ask the teahouse owner if they are open for business and serve food. They give you a basic menu of items they offer and you make your selection. They take about an hour to prepare it, depending on your selection. Most teahouses have a indoor communal area where they serve the freshly cooked food.
After having a lunch of noodle soup (Kavita had a well cooked potato paratha, served with a delicious relish), we left Phurtyang around 12:25 and continued down the track that led to the next village, Ringmu.
An hour later, we started the descent down to the valley through which the river Dudhkund Khola runs. 30 minutes later, we cross the steel bridge across the bridge and take a well deserved 10 min rest on the other side before we continue on an exhausting ascent out of the valley to the village of Ringmu.
Having passed the chorten that marks the village, we continue for another 10 minutes before stopping at a teahouse for some hot lemon drink.
After a prolonged rest, we left the teahouse at 15:19 and continued on a steep ascent, arriving at the high pass of Taksindu La (approx. 3000m) at around 15:50. The village of Taksindu, our destination for today was another 15 minutes downhill from the pass.
Taksindu seemed very desolate with apparently only one operating teahouse, the Mountain View Lodge, and even that was closed. The landlady agreed to open it up for us so we could stay the night.
The view after crossing the pass is normally spectacular, with a more close up view of the snow-covered peaks we had seen at the viewpoint in Phurtyang. But today there was a low lying mist in the valleys and across the landscape, limiting visibility. We later found out that it has rained in the area three days ago, The daytime sun evaporates the water from the land and vegetation, creating a water vapour mist that stays for days.
The lodge was very simple. It is probably one of the most basic we have come across so far. The communal area and the kitchen were one. There was an earthen cooking hearth in the corner with a large wooden sink next to it. There were shelves wall to wall, stocked with packets of dry foods, cooking ingredients and drinks. The pipework for hot water was very ingenious. A metal waterpipe came in from the outside, ran through the hearth and ended with a tap over the wooden sink. When the fire is lit, it serves not only to warm the kitchen, but also to cook food and heat water.
I wanted to have a shower and wash my clothes, but Dorje suggested I wait till the next village as the lodge did not have a shower shed. I decided to just have a quick wash in the shed outside which also doubles up a toilet. There was no lock on the toilet door. You just wedge a wooden log across the doors on the inside so it can't be open from the outside while you are using it. All doors of the lodge, except the kitchen were closed shut for the night in the same manner, including the dorm rooms.
The landlady had a fall earlier in the day and sprained her forearm. She couldn't cook for us, but a nun from the local monastery was helping her. She seemed to be in pain and was worried that she had dislocated her elbow. I am no doctor but checked it and determined it as a muscular sprain. We also gave her some paracetamol to help her ease her pain.
Dinner was Dal Bhat again and it was fascinating watching the nun cook it, placing various metals pots over burning wood and ambers to cook the rice and Dal. She used a rudimentary utensil with metal prongs attached to a wooden handle to stir the Dal, rotating the handle between the palm of her hands.
Dinner was served around 19:30, after which we retired to our wooden dorm room on the first floor. After an hour of making notes of the day's events, I eventually dropped off at 21:00.
I woke up just before 01:00, desperate to use the toilet. It's always a chore to use the toilet at night when trekking in remote locations, especially if the toilet is outside. You are warm and comfortable in your sleeping bag with only your undergarments (a sleeping bag is most effectively used in this manner), but it's cold outside. You switch on your headlamp, get out of your bag, put on some warm clothes, wear your socks and shoes and step outside into the cold. Having done your business, you do the reverse, and then take at least 15 minutes to fall asleep again. If you have to wake up too many times, it ruins your sleep and rest, leaving you very tired for the next day's trek.
Whilst in Morocco during the winter climb of Toubkal, I had to wake up six times in one night to pass water. Since then I decided to stop all fluids at 17:00 if trekking the next day, so I wouldn't have to wake up in the middle of the night. Thankfully, I only had to wake up once in Taksindu.
DAY 8: Trekking Technicals:
Start Point: Junbesi (2,687m), 08:35
End Point: Taksindu (2,926m), 16:15
Distance: 14.1km (Total 63.6km)
Moving Time: 4h 5m
Ascent: 1,154m (Total 5,324m)
Descent: 972m (Total 4,375m)
Min Elevation: 2,585m
Max Elevation: 3,069m
Trekking Tip:
During multi-day treks, it is essential to have a good night's sleep for the next day's trekking. Having to wake up frequently in the middle of the night to urinate, especially in the cold, can ruin your sleep leaving you tired and weary for the next day. If you have an over active bladder, control fluid intake a few hours before before going to sleep.
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