Day 6 - Pangboche to Dingboche

Sunday, 14 April 2013

Day 6 – Pangboche (3,985m) to Dingboche (4,360m)

Average trekking time: 3-4 hours
Difficulty: Easy

The highest altitude I had ever been at was 4,095m at the top of Mt. Kinabalu. Today I would cross this mark somewhere on the road to Dingboche. Visually, from the map, the distance from Pangboche to Dingboche was at least twice that of Tengboche to Pangboche. It would be a long walk but I didn’t think it would be hard.

A helicopter picking up some people

As we pulled out of Pangboche, a helicopter hovered above us and landed a short distance away to pick up some people. Out here, helicopters flew by almost hourly especially in the mornings. Kaji said most of them were rescue calls or carried supplies. 

We walked along the hill side trail out of Pangboche, and soon reached a small village called Somare where we stopped for a cup of tea. From the hill side trail, the path then took us through vast open plains and grazing land. As we headed higher and nearer toward Dingboche, trees slowly disappeared from the landscape. It was windy and chilly but otherwise, a pleasant walk through the plains. Phuri met us when we were about halfway to Dingboche.

Grazing land; no more trees

Dingboche

Dingboche looked beautiful and serene from a distance. Blue and green roofs laid out sprucely across the flat plains at the foothills, surrounded by hills and snow-capped mountains in the distance. Kaji and I walked slowly behind a herd of yaks all the way to town as I took in the scenery while he engaged in keen conversation with one of the herders.

I liked Dingboche – I found it tranquil and settling. The surrounding mountains adorned the skyline, and made for boundless, stunning views. A few trails were visible from the lodge, snaking up the hills nearby. Trekkers who stayed here for more than a day usually hiked up the hills for acclimatization. Carlo and the Italians (whom we met in Phakding) were here at the lodge as well. D arrived with Phuri a short while later, and did not look good even though the trek from Pangboche wasn’t too tough. At this point, I began to worry about her and her ability to complete the trek.

It was Sunday today and I hadn’t called or texted home in 3 days. I was delighted when my phone detected wifi signal in the dining hall. The lady at the lodge couldn’t get the password to work though, so she took me running to Dingboche Internet Café that broadcasted the signal, some 100m away. At Rp400 for 30 minutes, I quickly sent an email to my family with a picture I had taken at the Syangboche Panorama Hotel with Mt. Everest in the background, and eagerly called my husband on Viber, and chatted with him and my little girl. It felt so good to talk to them. I felt loved, revived and rejuvenated.

Back at the lodge, with nothing to do and hours to kill, I finally took out my journal and began writing for the first time in my life. As I wrote, Carlo and a few guys came in and took a nap in the hall. I wondered how Carlo managed to sleep with the huge ball of locks behind his head. He spoke to us for the first time too. His group was on their way to EBC, but they would head towards Gokyo after that, through Cho La Pass. I wanted to take a picture of him and his group but was too shy. I wondered if we would meet again later on the trek.

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