Day 10 - Dughla to Pangboche

Thursday, 18 April 2013

Day 10 – Dughla (4,600m) to Pangboche (3,985m)

Average trekking time: 3-4 hours

My neck hurt like hell. I couldn’t turn my head in any direction. I rubbed on some anti-inflammatory cream, plastered on 2 pieces of Salonpas and popped a painkiller. I remembered Kaji’s advice about taking medicine for minor ailments, but I figured we were descending and the worst and hardest was over, and if anything, the painkiller would help numb the pain so I could at least enjoy the trek. And if I could help it tonight, I was going to ditch the sleeping bag and the down jacket, and try to sleep with just the blanket.

We were going to Pangboche today. Kaji had decided that since we were already in Dughla instead of Gorak Shep/Kala Patthar, we should go to Pangboche instead of Pheriche (which was the original plan), to take advantage of our location and cover as much ground as possible, so that later parts of the descent would be easier and shorter.

D was still weak from the diarrhea and cold but as we moved along, she seemed better and more cheerful. At times, she seemed contemplative, and I thought maybe she was dealing with the fact that she had to go home without completing the trek. Perhaps I read more into it than it really was but I decided to give her space, and not broach the subject.

I didn’t enjoy the walk to Pangboche. Pangboche and the paths that led in and out of it were always very, very windy. I remembered how I did not like some parts of the trek from Pangboche to Dughla. This time, even though we took a different trail, the terrain and the landscape were similar, and have I mentioned windy? Maybe I was just coming down from yesterday’s euphoric high but my negative mood persisted throughout the morning. The windy trail was almost torturous and seemed to go on endlessly.

The path to Pheriche

Pheriche in the distance

We reached Pheriche late morning. Pheriche seemed like a nice place. It was a small village on flat land, and quite serene and beautiful, surrounded by 360 degrees of panoramic views of the mountains. We decided to stop here for a cup of tea, but later decided to have lunch instead. The pain in my neck had eased a little, and my mood was better. I was still elated from having reached EBC and was eager to tell someone, anyone, from back home about it. Up to this point, the only people who knew were D, Kaji, Phuri and some of the people from Himalayan Glacier. I desperately wanted to share the news with my family.

There was practically no cell phone signal on the trek after Namche. If there was any in these parts, it didn’t work on my phone (I carried an iPhone 4 on Digi). Sometimes, the phone would detect Nepal Telecom or Ncell, but the line would be too bad to talk, and texts couldn’t get sent. So far, Internet calls and texts had worked much better for me, and they were so much cheaper too.

The lodge had Internet connection for Rp10 per minute. That’s Rp150, which is only MYR5.50 for 15 minutes. I quickly sent my email and messages, and did other online things.

After Pheriche, I slowly began to enjoy the walk. Perhaps it was the realization that I was leaving this place, and might never see it again that turned the negativity around. Everything suddenly seemed so much more precious. In fact, it was a pleasure to walk at a leisurely pace, with no pressure and no worries about reaching EBC, or getting AMS and all that. If the ascent had been about focus and determination, the descent was surely about relaxing and relishing the experience.

Cold and windy, and not risking wind burn!

We reached the familiar sight of Somare, and decided to stop for a cup of tea at the same tea house, and sat at the same table as we had 4 days ago – for ‘old time’s sake’ :)

By the time we reached Pangboche, the weather had turned very cold and cloudy. It started to snow heavily as we settled into our room at the lodge. The snow melted into the ground outside turning it wet and muddy. Unable to stand the freezing temperature in our room, we spent the rest of the afternoon and evening in the dining hall.

Snowing in Pangboche

I was in a celebratory mood, and the only thing I wanted was Pringles! Most tea houses carried an assortment of snacks and tidbits like Pringles, Snickers, Mars bars etc., and I had been craving Pringles for some time. It was Rp500 a tube by virtue of being carried all the way from Namche Bazaar. That’s MYR18! Well, it could have been worse, and I was having it regardless. So I haggled it down to Rp400, and indulged.

Like the previous night in Dughla, the atmosphere in Pangboche was subdued. There were few trekkers in the area, or even seen passing through the area. In fact, we had met only one or two groups of trekkers on the trail today. There were only 2 other travelers besides us staying at the lodge – a tall tanned blonde guy from Denmark whom I think went by the name Casper Cristensen, and an Italian guy named Marco, and their guide from Buddha Nepal Treks. They had pinned a flag of Denmark on the wall of the lodge with their names on it – that’s how I guessed their names.

At night, everyone – the lodge owner and her family, Casper and Marco, D and I, and all our guides and porters – congregated around the stove for warmth. A single light bulb lit the entire dining hall, so it was very dim. The locals chatted among themselves. D joined them occasionally, managing with her Hindi. Out of boredom, I pulled out my phone and played Angry Birds, which attracted attention from the locals. I showed them FaceShift and let them play with it for a while. Everyone had a good laugh with it. Later, I showed the three younger girls the drawing and coloring apps that my daughter liked, and they loved them! I let them play until it was time to go to bed. 

Previous Day > Day 9 - Lobuche to Everest Base Camp to Dughla

Next Day > Day 11 - Pangboche to Kyangjuma