Tihar Festival with Bibek & His Family: October 26th – 28th

The Tihar Festival is the year’s second largest festival in Nepal. So much tradition, time, and preparation go into this holiday for the Nepali people. I was so thankful to be a part of it and to have our good friend Bibek allow us to celebrate with his family and him. Each day represented a certain kind of celebration, worship and praise of something. The Hindu gods were definitely a big part in all of this. The people would even light up their houses (as we do for Christmas) to show the gods the way to their homes. Dozens and dozens of candles were also lit around each home to add even more to the illumination. They would even make a small shrine in front of their homes with a pathway leading into the house so that the god could be led into their home to bless it.

The first day of this three day long festival was about worshiping women. By worshiping I don’t mean getting down on your hands and knees and bowing to them, but rather spoiling or celebrating them with gifts, special treatment and food. All day long the women were treated this way. At night the festivities really began to come alive. We went go around with various Nepali instruments and sang to each house, blessing the house for the next year to come, and bringing good fortune on the family. This was done with both men and women on this night. Throughout the entire village there was singing and dancing taking place with many different groups going from one house to the next almost like Christmas caroling.

The next day was all about the men. In the same fashion as the women, the men were also lavished with gifts, special treatment and tons of food and sweets. We went back into the city of Thamel to see all of the lights and activities that took place in a city on this day of the festival. At night time, the same activities took place of singing and dancing, however the women were not allowed to participate and many of the men had quite a bit of liquid courage bolstered their voices. Even though I didn’t know any of the traditional Nepali songs, they were quite repetitive and were easy to follow along with. We danced all night long to these songs, and we were even able to catch a very special local “program”, as it were called, that involved a dance competition among the youth and young adults. All sorts of variations of dances were done. Modern, traditional, worship were danced for hours. It was quite the treat to see this take place, especially since we were the only foreigners there witnessing this. For a bit we were unsure if we were even supposed to be there, but upon entering, we had some of the elders bring us in closer to get a better look at what was taking place. What an incredible night this was, and the biggest day was still yet to come!

The third and final day of this annual festival was by far my favorite. This day was such an incredible cultural experience for me that very few outsiders get to participate in. Today was “brother, sister day”, where every brother and sister by gifts, make food and spoil one another all day long. Being that my sister was in Colorado, I was given a Nepali sister that did not have a brother. At 1pm we began the tikah ritual where my “sister” put seven different colors of tikah on my forehead, gave me a flower necklace, and blessed me with oil on the top of my head for good health. She then gave me a gift, which was a traditional Nepali hat, and then brought me all kinds of homemade sweets and treats that were so delicious. I then did the same for her, putting the tikah on her forehead giving her gifts, giving her my blessing and giving her special treatment for the day. After eating tons of food, we walked around the town to look at all of the lights and decorations. Everyone looked at us Americans with our tikah’s and traditional Nepali hats and flower necklaces with confusion and amazement because this was such a Nepali tradition it was odd for them to see Americans doing the same as them. This holiday was so amazing to be a part of, and I am so thankful that our friend Bibek let us come into his family’s home and let us be a part of this. This is truly one holiday I will never forget. 

Day 11 – Thursday 10.20.2011 Phakding to Lukla: 2610m – 2840m

Today we woke up at around 4am and watched the sunrise on our last day of this amazing trek. It was so peaceful to trek so early in the morning. There were no other trekkers but us as we descended down towards Lukla. The only thing we saw was the occasional heard of Yaks carrying luggage, food and anything else that could be strapped to them. It was beautiful to watch the mountains change colors as the sun’s rays began shine upon them. As the morning mist slowly began to burn up in the sunlight, we finished this incredible trek by arriving in Lukla. I felt so accomplished as I was walking through the town knowing that I had done it. I had made it to Everest and back. With a big grin on my face, I’m sure the groggy townspeople were a bit perturbed at me walking by and giving them a big “Namaste” as I passed by. I didn’t care, I was ecstatic at my accomplishment and nothing could bring me down. What a great way to end it all.

This trip has been many things for me. It was by far one the hardest things I have done in life and I will never forget the difficulty, and beauty this trek held. I am truly blessed to have had the strength, determination and support from so many that love me to do this trek; and I thank God for that. Thank you all for your encouragement to do this. I know some of my adventures are a bit out there, literally, but knowing that I have all of you behind me through it all is more encouraging than you know.

Day 10 – Wednesday 10.19.2011 Phortse to Phakding 3810m – 2610m

Heading out at around 9am, we were determined to make it to Phakding to get some of their amazing apple pie. Apples picked same day, pie cooked to order! These apple pies were incredible on our taste buds which had only had Dal Baht and momos for the past week and a half. These apple pies were the only thing on my mind all day as we trekked another long nine hour day. We were ver fortunate to have perfect weather again today. It made for some great downhill trekking. It feels great to descend and be able to suck in all of this oxygen. It was like having a rush the whole way down today; full of energy and excitement to make it to Phakding.

On our way down, with all of this energy, we ended up racing some local porter boys that had just dropped off their load in Namche and were descending back to Lukla as well. It was a ton of fun as we raced down the trail and took shortcuts down local goat trails that cut the distance in half as we split the zigzag of the normal trail. We were flying by all of new, slow tourists on the trail that were into their second day of trekking. Boy they have a long way to go. It felt great to have all of this energy again. We were so determined to make it to Phakding for the delicious apple pie that we ended up trekking thirty minutes into the night, which was actually pretty cool to trek underneath all of the stars above. So cool in fact that we have decided to go to bed early tonight so that we can wake up extra early and trek again under night fall, watch the sunrise and arrive in Lukla to catch an early flight back to Kathmandu. It’s crazy to think this will be my last night in the Himalayas. It’s been great though.

Day 9 - Tuesday 10.18.2011 Lobuche to Phortse: 4910m – 3810m

Wow, what an amazing day today was. Full of adventure, thrill and best of all no more headaches! The decrease in altitude has me feeling great. More oxygen to breathe in and more energy to use trekking. Mike was feeling much better this morning, so we headed out, descending to a town called Phortse, which we had not been to yet due to a change in route on our descent to see more of this beautiful part of the world. With all of this new energy Ryan and I had, we ended up breaking off from Kelly and Mike and told them to meet us in Periche for lunch. So, Ryan and I decided to take a small detour and have a little adventure of our own and blaze a trail to Pariche across steep cliff sides, over many raging rivers that were freezing cold due to glacier runoff and through thick brush taller than the both of us. It was so much fun being off the trail and finding our way solely on our sense of direction and gut feelings. This is what trekking was all about for us. It was such a rush to know where our destination was, but to not have a map or directions to get us there. Definitely another highlight of the trip. Sort of seems like every day is a highlight, haha. After finally making it to Pariche and having some lunch, Mike, Kelly, Ryan and I continued trekking to Phortse. This new trail we had not experienced before took us high up on steep ridges, allowing us to get a completely different perspective on the entire valley we were trekking through. Around 2pm every day the clouds start to pass through, so all of the sudden a wave of white billowy clouds engulfed us and we were then hiking right through a giant cloud on this tiny little trail with a a steep drop off on our left that went straight down 500m to the raging glacier river below. It was awesome.

Amongst all of this beauty, Mike decided that he would stay an extra few days and enjoy our surroundings, so he stopped a few towns before us. This might be the last we see of him. At least on this trip anyways. I plan to meet up with him in Thailand where he lives in a month or so. So, we said our goodbyes and headed on through the clouds to Phortse. The town almost magically appeared through the clouds as we arrived. We were quite excited upon this sight due to our appetites that had grown very large during this 9 hour trek today. I cannot wait to eat a huge meal and pass out. It is hard to believe this trek is almost over. We plan on spending only two more day in this beautiful place.

Day 8 – Monday 10.17.2011 Gorak Shep – Kala Pathar – Lobuche: 5140m – 5550m – 4910m

If I thought the night before was cold, boy was I wrong. Last night was by far the coldest night I have ever slept through. Sleeping outside in a tent at sub zero temperatures was something I was glad to experience, but definitely something I will hopefully only be doing that once in my life. The Diamox only added to the fun by making me need to pee almost every hour. It’s one thing to be bundled up in a sleeping bag, but going outside to pee, where your pee almost freezes by the time it hits the ground was definitely too cold for me. The morning brought a new adventure to the highest summit I have ever been to in my life; Kala Pathar. This day was definitely a highlight of the trip for me because not only were we at 5550m, but we also had the best panoramic views of the world’s tallest mountains all around us.

With the air so thin and oxygen so scarce, every three or four steps we had to stop and catch our breaths, taking in as much as we could to get the sufficient amount of oxygen needed to function. This slow ascent took a little over two hours, but making it to the top was another achievement definitely worth the effort. With Mount Everst, Ama Dablam, and many more peaks in our sights, the glacial winds ripped and howled at us but even that couldn’t get us from coming down. It was too perfect up there. I was in complete awe and couldn’t even imagine what the climbers of Mount Everest feel like when they reach its summit. After finally deciding to head back down, on our way, we again saw the daily helicopters routinely fly by, transporting those that could not bear the altitude or those who were injured during their attempts. Every day we saw those helicopters, and every day we were reminded at how serious this trek actually is and how dangerous it is to trek to EBC alone. I can’t even imagine summiting Everest. The time, preparation and acclimatization that one must go through to get to the top is beyond me. The nature pass alone to even attempt it is $25,000; quite a bit too pricey for me at this time. Going to base camp gives me only a small taste of what it might be like. I have so much respect for those that even attempt it though, let alone make it to the top and live to tell about it. The Himalayas are incredibly dangerous, taking the lives of so many adventurists each year. This place doesn’t ask for respect, it demands it.

Upon arriving back in Gorak Shep, we found Mike who had become ill with stomach issues and not doing too well. Surprised that he was still up for trekking back down the mountain, we headed out to Lobuche. We will stay the night here in hopes of Mike’s stomach feeling better tomorrow so that we can trek to Phorste. It’s incredible how harsh this trek is on people. Hopefully Ryan and Kelly will continue to do feel well on our descent. I am lucky to only be suffering from headaches currently. Nothing an ibuprophen and some Diamox can’t fix.

Day 7 – Sunday 10.16.2011 Lobuche to Gorak Shep to EBC 4910m – 5140m – 5364m

After a freezing cold night sleep in just about every piece of clothing I have brought on this trek, we woke up extra early to another amazing scene and headed out for Gorak Shep. Gorak Shep is the starting point to head out to EBC and to another summit called Kala Pathar. We plan to conquer both.  Gorak Shep is an extremely popular destination among trekkers, hence our early departure from Lobuche. Today, after arriving in Gorak Shep at around 10am, we frantically searched the village for any possible indoor lodging. Apparently we were three hours late. The last room was booked at 7am, so, we opted for the second option, which was to sleep outside in a tent. Couldn’t be that bad right? I mean there will be four of us huddled together in there and between our body heat, our -20 degree sleeping bags we should be good. Right?

After resting for about an hour, nurturing ourselves and lightening our packs a bit in the tent, we decided to head out for Everest Base Camp, which was only three hours trekking from Gorak Shep. Our excitement to get there had us trekking at our fastest pace yet. It was in our sights now. We could see the yellow tents that lay below this enormous giant. Some of the world’s greatest climbers reside in these tents, waiting, praying for good weather to summit this giant. Alas we had arrived. The moment I have been awaiting for so long now. The moment I had trekked seven, arduous days for. The moment I bared through all of the mountain sickness for. The day I made it to Mount Everest. I don’t think I realized how much of an accomplishment this was for me until I actually made it there today. I was completely overwhelmed as I stood before THE tallest mountain in the world. The same mountain that claims so many lives each year.  Standing in the same camp that some of the world’s prestigious climbers have stood, where so much history has taken place was incredibly humbling. This moment was what this entire trip was all about for me and I didn’t even know it until I found myself standing there. It was hard to leave this magical spot. We explored the camp for hours, walking all around the glacial valley and even went down to the glacial stream that ran right over the top and through solid ice. This was one of the most unique places I have ever been. Nothing I have ever experienced was like this place. EBC was completely foreign to me in every way but was one of the most intriguing destinations I have experienced.

With the sun beginning to sink in the sky, we decided to head back before it got too cold. Talking with a few guides later that evening, they spoke about how only half of the people that intend to go to EBC actually make it there. It’s altitude sickness, injury or lack of will that deters people back down the mountain. I was surprised at how many people spend so much time, money and effort on this trek and don’t make it. Most hirer guides to lead them, porters to carry all of their belongings. We decided to do it solo and it was that much more rewarding.

Walking around outside tonight gave me a kink in my neck from not being able to take my eyes off of the billions of stars that lit up the sky. Because we are at over 18,000ft the moon doesn’t rise until very late in the night, which allows stars and galaxies to shine in all their glory. I have never seen a sky like this before. It was incredible! This place truly is majestic, beautiful, heavenly.

Day 6 – Saturday 10.15.2012 Dingboche to Lobuche: 4410m – 4910m

After feeling much better this morning, we decided to begin our ascent to Lobuche. The Diamox seems to be working for me adjusting to the altitude, however upon arriving in Lobuche my head began to ache again. Upon writing this now though, a bit later in the evening, I am beginning to feel better.  Giving up on this trek is not an option. I will be helicoptered out of here kicking and raising hell before I give up on this adventure. I am more determined now to make it to Everest than ever.  It seems that I just need to continue drinking tons of water and resting when my body needs it. My entire life I have been used to pushing my body beyond its limits with the different sports I have played and activities I have done, but up here it is just not possible. My body will literally shut down. So now I spend about 5 to 7 hours trekking and every other moment resting and enjoying my surroundings. I can’t complain. This place is perfect for kicking back, relaxing and taking in the scenery.

The views on the way to Lobuche were incredible. I know I say this every day, but it just doesn’t stop. Every day just holds so much beauty. The most incredible white capped mountains all around us were one of the most captivating sights I have ever seen. We are two days away from seeing Mount Everest at its best, if my body allows me and the weather permits us, that is. It is very cold here. During the day we have been incredibly blessed with the bluest skies and amazing weather, but at night regardless of how clear it is during the day, it drops down to sub-zero temperatures. If ANYTHING gets wet, it is frozen or unusable by morning. My sweat freezes my socks solid! All of this is so different than my warm little island of Guam. Different in good ways may I add. I love change. Most people dread it, but I can’t get enough of it. Throw me in a place I know nothing about with people that don’t even speak the same language, and I’ll be right in my element. This place is unreal though; we are past the tree line now and hardly anything lives up here except for a few shrubs and birds, if that. It’s like being on Mars. I am so excited to reach Everest Base Camp (EBC). I am just praying that everything goes as planned and we continue to get this awesome weather. Anything could happen though, I mean it is Everest.