Epiblogue

11/29-30/19

Well I just couldn’t stay away. After a restful night in Lukla we met our guide at the chaotic airport where all the trekkers were attempting to ‘hitch a ride” on one of the flights out. Luckily we had tickets, but unluckily it was to a city which was a 4 hour drive from Kathmandu. Again, we boarded a rickety aircraft and were aimed DOWNHILL along a SHORT runway ending precipitously in a 1000m cliff. I don’t think I was the only one who held his breath for that nerve racking takeoff.

We landed in a dusty field and found our driver to Kathmandu. Those roads put Montana’s winding, mountain hugging roads to shame. As our driver darted and weaving through mountain traffic with the precision of a surgeon leaving his fares in a perpetual sphincter puckering state, we did enjoy the countryside of Nepal. It felt like a National Geographic moment with my hat on backwards hanging out of a car window with warm Napoli air blowing in my face as villages, farms, and people passed  this was an adventure. We stopped a few times on the way to sample exotic fruits and stretch. Then we hit the dense traffic and mayhem of the big city. The smog was everywhere, the streets were saturated with motos and cars, and the heat was oppressive. We arrived just in time, for our patience was thinning.  

Ah, a warm shower to wash away weeks of cold weather hiking grime. May have been my highlight of the trip. Ben and I set off for massages and bough the trekkers package which involves stretching and walking along our backs. It was heaven. That night we rejoined the parents for a wonderful dinner and drank and laughed all the way back to our hotel. Tomorrow Ben and I are going white water rafting!

We awoke early for some coffee before our rafting trip. We had been egging in our guide (all 5 foot nothing of him) to come rafting with us. It wasn’t until we were on our way that he mentioned he could not swim. We met up with our hodgepodge rafting company and were joined by some polish and Australian tourists. It started out as a simple trip. Ben and I were the only ones with some experience so we sat in front and took the brunt of the waves. Then the rapids grew more intense.

On our last rapid our guide told us, “when the raft flips over swim to the right, cause if you go left, you die.” He did not disappoint we raced down a tumultuous narrow span of ferocious water. A literal wall of water slammed I to our boat soaking everyone and Myla said it was the scariest moment of his life as he sat shaking like a leaf. But we made it through laughing and whooping. We then had a Nepali lunch by the side of the river and took our 3 hour terrifying ride back to Kathmandu. Meanwhile mom, Viv, and dad took a guided tour through the city visiting beautiful and tranquil Hindu holy sites and sampling the local cuisine. One more day of shopping then we head back! Can’t wait!!!

Jamais-vu

11/28/19

Some may call me quixotic but my caruncles began to tear up as we approached the final uphill of the last day of our Everest trek. We made it!! 100 miles of trail and 15,000’ of total elevation change later we finished! This adventure was a pure metanoia; from battling dysania to the aching muscles and effects of high altitude and low oxygen. I am happy to finally don some non-mephitic clothes and have a hot shower when we return to Kathmandu. I can vaticinate that family and friends will be gathered around tables overflowing with delicious foods and sharing tales for thanksgiving but the Rosenfeld’s will be a group of osculators huddled together around an iron stove swapping trail stories over tea at 10,000’ in the Himalayas. We miss you all! I believe I can speak for Ben when I say that we are limerance with our beautiful, intelligent, caring, and understanding wives for letting us abandon them on this auspicious holiday. I know that may sound bombastic but I mean every word, without malarkey. 

This trial of a hike has been and eye opening experience. The sheer vistas are without zoilism or comparison. If you ever look at a screen saver photo and think, “wow, that is beautiful” imagine standing there in real life and being completely awestruck. The sheer power and beauty of the Himalayas would move even the most laodicean person to an emotional state. 

Done. We are done. Now we rest in a lodge next to that crazy airport in Lukla with the SHORT slanted runway listening to the treasure trove of planes and rescue helicopters buzzing in and out every few minutes. We will spend the next two days in Kathmandu then make the epic journey back to the states. If anyone desires something from Nepal please request in the comments section. This will be my last blog of the trip. 

On a side note, Yak meant and cheese is delicious. 

To my callipygian wife of 2 spectacular years: I love you so much! I cannot wait to get back to you and even more I cannot wait for you to finish residency so we can galavant across the world together. There are amazing sights to be seen, foods to be sampled, and experiences to be shared. You are my rock! 

Down, down, down

11/27/19

Sorry about last night but no internet. 

Today’s breakfast was a buzz with stories and anticipation of the end of the hike. Mom and Viv are taking a helicopter to Lukla airport as mom has been having some troubles with the altitude. It will be Viv’s first chopper ride and they landed at our hotel which was one of the production sites for the movie Everest. Anyways, it was interesting as the helicopter came in for a landing on the cliff edge of our hotel between the trees as the porters were shooing cattle off the landing space.

The pilot’s landing was like threading a needle and was a true work of art. Not my cup of tea, for a first flight without terror, but I’m sure Viv and mom will be fine. We watched their action-movie takeoff as my mother waved emphatically from the front window.  Then they were off and we would see them in 2 days time for our dramatic cliff diving flight. We set off for the reverse of one of our hardest uphill days and now it will be a challenge on our reverse muscles. I was as encouraging as I could be to those poor unfortunate souls making the brutal trek upwards. With each person I could see the familiar tortured determination and imminent breaking point stare stamped upon their faces. We meandered down and down and down with disbelief as to how we ever accomplished the reverse direction.  

I did remember a story from yesterday. As we were trekking on a winding, mountain hugging trail I heard a lot of rustling coming from above us. I was looking for some cows when all of a sudden a giant (cow sized) hairy mountain goat leaped a mere 3 feet in front of dad and bounded again off the trail down the mountain to be followed by a male goat twice the size of the first. We were in awe at how fast the goats descended 200-400m in a matter of seconds. We were all feeling in awe, as I said, until our guide came running up to us exclaiming, “I thought that sound was a rockslide headed for you all”.  I, not-so-calmly replied, “WHAT?! There are rockslides here!?!” To which he calming stated, “not to worry, you’re still alive aren’t you?”  

 We finished our second to last day of hiking and sampled some local beer and Yak cheese and steak. One. More. Day. 

Culling the hikers

11/26/19

Last night we slept like babies. My limbs were still screaming today but in a good way.  It feels so good not to have that altitude sickness feeling. Today we decided to do a combo hike to get to Namche (where mom and Viv are) a day earlier. This meant an 8 hour hike mostly downhill with one more devastating uphill towards the end. The sky was blue, the birds were chirping, and we were again below the alpine zone.  Looking out we were able to view our destinations over the massive rolling hills and valleys. We set out at a great pace and had a great hike. I wanted to discuss the multitud of flown out hikers. I had not mentioned this before for fear of jinxing our own progress but we did extremely well. At each stop on the way up we lost hikers to illness, injury, fatigue, or just plain poor alti-tudes...(chuckling to self over that one). For example, at our last stop an entire group decided they’d had enough and required 6 helicopters to pick them up. Some hikers broke down crying in the trail itself and turned around. An interesting theme Ben and I noted were the couples.  The men would be determined and pacing forward while their female counterparts carried looks of dread and quiet contemplation of a soon ending relationship. Now, before all you feminists attack, the single women and groups of women looked ecstatic and  preformed admirably.  

We arrived at our destination and were greeted with enthusiastic hugs and dreams from my mom. We they promptly all took showers. Warm, steaming, soap filled showers. I realized I hadn’t washed my face in a week and scrubbed every single inch with glee. Refreshed  and hydrated we congregated again in the dining hall to share pictures and regale stories of our adventures. Yet, again after a monster hike I turned in early to bed. Sorry for the late post. Only two more days of hiking then we are back in Kathmandu. 

Death march and the great decent

11/25/19

It was pitch black, both Ben and I were snuggly wrapped in our warm and soft sleeping bags when out of the darkness rang my alarm. 5 am, we were set to start our death march to this mysterious viewpoint. In the darkness and bone chilling cold we arose to prepare, each small sound echoing like a trumpet in our little plywood room. We fashioned on our head lamps, donned our winter jackets and multiple layers while trying to push the invasive cold from our bodies. The inn was silent except for every movement we made amplified by thin walls and creaking doors. The bathroom floors and our waters had frozen overnight. We met dad who looked equally enthused to be awake and out of bed at this hour. We swallowed some Luke warm coffee then turned on our head lamps and headed out. Let me just say now, I may get negative for a bit but in the history of me, this was the most challenging/worst/god awful/kill-me-now hike I have ever attempted. It was two hours of straight uphill in the dark and cold. It was also at the highest elevation of our trip a whopping >18,000’. Imagine sprinting a marathon while breathing through one of those coffee mixing straws. I finally found my physical limit about .25 miles from the top as I started to become lightheaded and I was seeing spots. I was sure I had a 70% chance of just passing out.  Luckily I had Ben who was super supportive and coaxed me toward the finish line. We made it to the top and low and behold, Everest was covered in clouds. This would be interesting as it started to snow just as we left signaling the end of the season. But we were now on our way back down. The sphincter tightening decent was also a pure joy as part of this early morning jaunt. Once down we were too fatigued to eat but set off back from whence we came. It was a huge net down hill today -1400’ and with each step it became easier to breath that sweet, succulent, and tantalizing oxygen. Gone were the days of gasping for air. It was also warming up slightly though behind us we witnessed the mountains being blanketed with snow. The rest of the trek was reminiscent of Game of Thrones and walking behind the wall. Ben didn’t understand why, at random, I would whisper, ”you know nothing Ben Snow”. Today was long and at times it felt as if our bodies would revolt because we were using all new muscles for going down hill. It is like going to the gym doing a ton of squats and not being able to walk the next day except here it was all in one day.  With our bodies screaming, “what the hell are we doing?!” we trudged onward. The final portion of the journey took us through a glacier cut valley with 100’ walls and flattened land in the center. We arrived and as usual I collapsed in bed sore, but relieved we made it. For all you sea-levelers take a deep breath... don’t ever forget that sensation.  Shortness of breath secondary to low oxygen is a very unsettling feeling. That’s it for now.

Stay tuned.

Lifetime Bucket list: hike to Everest Base Camp... FUCKING CHECK!

11/23/19

The day started slow. As you could read from my last post, spirits were low as this interminable altitude reeked havoc on our bodies. However as we set out we found our stride and spirits once again rose. We even conquered a hill without stopping. Mt. Everest was within spitting distance to our right the entire way towards base camp. Unfortunately we could also see off in the distance the dreaded lookout hike which we have awaiting us tomorrow. From a far it appear like a serpent snaking up a vertical mountainside. We joked and chatted along the route feeling our legs gaining strength with each step, for after all we would reach Base Camp today! The weather was sunny and warm when not in the frigid shade. Oh! Did I mention that we were hiking along one of the world’s oldest glaciers. You could hear the ice cracking and grinding as it echoed off the world’s tallest mountains. There were ups and downs and even some significant boldering. We arrived at our final lodgings early morning and had a nice cup of hot black tea to stave off the morning chill. Everyone has a hacking cough, I think cold induced asthma. Then we set out towards our primary objective.  We crossed ridge lines, and sauntered through sandy valleys until we saw it! A vast rocky valley on top of a rock covered glacier only marked by some prayer flags and a spray painted rock held aloft by glacial ice. Our guide informed us that in the high season this entire valley is a giant tent city.  But now, not a tent to be seen. He also pointed out the route they take up Everest and through the glaciers. We high fived and dad gave Myla one of the most genuine hugs I have ever witnessed him give another male. Pictures were taken, I expanded on the glory that is our life and then we begrudgingly trodden back. We reached the lodge too tired to eat or think and went straight to our rooms.  Outside the plywood walls you could hear the wind ripping at the small building. But we were safe, warm, and comfortable in our beds preparing for tomorrow’s death march. 

But as I leave you today, my tiny audience, I have to thank my parents for the opportunity to have this incredible life, our wives for letting us go for 3 weeks, and Lady Luck for the great weather. We fucking hiked to Everest Base Camp today!!!!!

Close to the end (well halfway)

11/23/19

Tired, short of breath, and generally feeling under the weather we set out towards Laboche. It isn’t that we were sick, it’s that this high altitude is starting to take its toll on each of us. Today’s trek was on the lighter side at least for the majority. There was one massive uphill that left us all breathless. It was 300m straight up at less than 0.5 miles. I was sucking wind the whole way. But we arrived at our intended target and collapsed in exhaustion. If these reports are getting shorter it’s because the climate is getting dramatically colder and energy is low. Tomorrow is the big day where we reach Everest base camp!! So for the audience of 3-4 people who read this, send good comments our way. Today we clambered over holders in the wake of a receding glacier then followed a herd of yaks across what I would describe as an open plain surrounded on all sides by mountains. We also enjoyed a tea break at 4200m. Welp, my fingers are starting to freeze so I must crash. Wish us luck. Tomorrow is base camp then the following day is our hardest hike (above base camp). Stay tuned. 

Hiking in the Himalayas

11/22/19

Sorry this is short but it was a pure hiking day. I am running out of adjectives to describe these bodacious mountains. Every step brings a new and wonderful view. But enough of the wonder of the Himalayas. The air up here is THIN. I enjoy the hike but at times, especially when scaling a mountain side it feels like someone is pinching your nose closed and forcing you to breath through a straw and run as fast as you can up a hill. Fun fact, Ben nearly got impaled by a Yam that was stampeding across a bridge. We had just come across a super high cable bridge and there was a train of yaks coming. Both dad and I were able to step clear quick enough but Ben got stuck at the enternece/exit of the bridge. He waited for an opportunity to clear the bridge then farted out, however the yaks had picked up their pace and started to stampede past each other and Ben nearly got full horns to the gut but at the last second side leaped over the supporting cables and was clear of the yak train. We are feeling the effects of the thin air and grow more exhausted at each end of the day. But at the same time while we hike we often spot wild goats or yaks high in the mountains. The kids here are also adorable. Little 5 year olds dress for the high climate and cold weather waving and shouting ‘hello’ or ‘nameste’. Dad is still setting a good pace, Ben is still carrying his own pack, and I’m just along for the amazing ride. We all miss our wives so much it hurts.  

And the men set out

Today we parted ways with mom and Viv. They will be staying behind in Namche Bazaar and taking excursions as they see fit.   For our part we set out towards the next leg of our journey Thyangboche at nearly 4000m. From our lodgings the initial part of the trail was flat and hugged the mountainside with a truly spectacular and unabashed view of Everest. We were hiking towards it all day with a sense of wonder at the surrounding mountains being front lit by the rising sun. It was chilly but we became invigorated with each step. The plan for the day was a 7 mile hike with a deep valley to transverse halfway out. That meant dropping significant elevation before tackling a monstrous uphill tyrant just before reaching our final stop for the day. John “the machine hiker” Rosenfeld set a beleaguered steady pace that quickly became a turtle vs. hare situation as all of the hikers that had preceded or passed us were systematically surpassed. We were amongst the first to make it, much to the surprise of our guide. The town is quite desolate as it sits at the foot of intimidating Goliath-like mountains. And we saw Yaks!! I learned that these hairy beasts of burden cannot exist below 3000m. Crazy! It is a surreal experience to have them passing you with their ancient bells around their necks carrying impressive loads. Once we defeated yet another trail we relaxed for the day only to venture out once more to explore a Buddhist monastery. No photos but the ornateness of the interior far surpasses the palace of Versailles of France or Segrada Familia in Barcelona. Every surface was covered in either a bright color or an intricate mural of Buddha. There were no monks but perhaps tomorrow. Their prayer platforms containing their ancient and worn robes there were large ceremonial drums and at the front a 20’ golden Buddha with multiple brightly decorated and/or dressed statues surrounding it. Everyone was respectfully silent and the holiness of this antique temple was palpable. We retired to dinner where a couple was being honored for being married in the monastery earlier in the day. What an experience!  Sorry no photos but barely have any signal up here. Stay tuned! 

Acclimatization

Well for the 2-3 people who read this, today was a very low key day. The whole group slept in and had a late breakfast. Mila (pronounced My la, our guide) led us on a short expedition to this illustrious viewpoint where we saw Everest for the first time! It was surrounded by multiple other world record mountain tops. There was an interesting red statue of Tenzing Norgay one of the first men to top Everest. After that we hiked down to the village below us, ~700m straight down to pick up post cards and trinkets. The hike back up was not as bad as yesterday but still left us huffing and puffing. I somehow developed raging heartburn that my be exercise induced. After that Ben and I enjoyed a Sherpa beer and taught our guides and porters how to play Dutch Blitz. Tomorrow is another big hiking day. Not sure if the next spot has WiFi but stay tuned!!

Holy hell of a hike

11/19/19

(Sorry no photos because internet is spotty at best) After sleeping like a log last night we all congregated in the breakfast room for a lite meal before setting out on our hardest hike of the trek. Mom and Viv went with horses for this leg because of the difficulty level. The mornings and evenings here will chill you to the bone and of course there are no heaters.  Then in the chill crisp morning air we gather our things, checked our gear and set off. The plan was 7 miles with 3000’ gain. The initial portion of the trail was an undulating experience as we had ups and downs. I was feeling quite confident until Ben pointed out we had next to no elevation gain and we were coming up on our halfway point. Our guide makes our halfway points lunch stops. The views once again we indescribable. We we hiked mostly along a turquoise stream and passed various villages set snuggly in the valleys.  

Since we were hiking in a valley the sun lit up the mountain tops and burned away the fog in a spectacular show of raw nature. It was reminiscent of those Earth shows that had time-lapse cameras over various mountain ranges. We arrived for a simple lunch in this serene valley. Again I was feeling great! But then the real hike began as we continued along the valley floor Ben called my attention to some hikers roughly 2000’ up crossing this insane suspension bridge spanning the valley.

  What was remarkable about this bridge was that it was not all that far away, meaning we were in for the climb of our lives. Sadly, we were not disappointed. Swimming in the thin air of the Himalayas we began taking 2’ steps in what appeared to be a never ending stairway. I had my fit and eager father in front and my champion hiking brother behind carrying his full pack whilst I simply battled my own obesity and re-examined my life between each desperate gasp of air. My only reprieve were the not-so-infrequent trains of Yaks or donkeys either carrying supplies up or returning to the base of the mountain. Sometimes there were 20+ animals we had to wait for to pass (sent from heaven I’m sure).  It was a never ending onslaught of straight up climbing. Occasionally we saw mom and Viv who, for their own part had to cling desperately to their sliding saddles as they either pitched backwards to make steep climbs or lurched down and forward and their steeds indignantly searched for footing while going down a steep portion of the trail.  Needless to say exhausted, soaked in sweat, aching head to toe we arrived at Namche Bazaar. It was awe inspiring. Imagine a small city carved out of a mountain side that appears to be floating in the clouds. The raw elation we felt was palpable in the air. However, our guide neglected to mention that he booked our lodging at the top of the town. I nearly burst into tears when he pointed out the infinity steps to get to our place. Imagine those Mayan temples and their stairs... Roughly another 600’ straight up at the very end of an arduous trek (a real kick in the teeth). But we made it! Dad, Ben, and I all breathing hard and aching to our bones collapsed into our rooms for an instant nap. We again congregated in the dinner room around a cast iron fireplace and swapped hike stories before the heated room, full bellies almost over took us all and then we crashed hard for the night. Oof what a hike.

Day 3: To infinity and beyond

11/18/19

To infinity and beyond

It was a brutally early morning with so much excitement that we all were wide awake at 3 am with a 6 am departure time. With the sounds of early morning roosters and brawling dogs we slinked down to the dark lobby to meet out guide who was going to take us to the airport for our flight into the mountains. We arrived on time and were pleasantly surprised to be joined by gaggle of young adventurous trekkers catching their various planes into the mountains.  they wrangled us all on the buses in a very hurry-up-and-wait situation. As we sat, multiple buses behind multiple planes on the tarmac, waiting for...?? The sun to come up? The ground crew to finish their coffees?  Or, as we were told, “for the airport to open”. Or insanity to set in... to this day no one is quite sure. But miraculously they waved us on to this rickety 12 seater plane serving grandma’s toffee hard candies and cotton balls (for our ears).   We took off with out issue and the flight was jaw dropping as we weaved between gargantuan mountains carved from the Earth by massive glaciers and tectonic mood swings. But the most spectacular part of the trip, maybe my entire life, was our landing in Lukla. As we veered left and right our tour guide points dead ahead stating, “see Lukla!” And sure enough through the pilots’ front window directly in front of our plane, thousands of feet in the air, was the village of Lukla! Before my mind had an opportunity to process what I was looking at.... BANG! Our wheels mad contact with an invisible runway jutting out from the cliff face and with a 20 degree incline and as long as a typical driveway with the village and a mountain as the emergency crash stop. With our hearts pounding and our flight crew donning coy smirks we shakily disembarked. My father the pilot assess the situation instantly and exclaims for all to hear, “boy, you only get one chance at that and then you’re dead. There is no way to abort a landing.” We later learned that it is one of the worlds most dangerous airports to land in.  So after that pure thrill we met up with our porters. I must take a second here to describe a porter. These are young men who haul tourists bags up and down the mountain for them.  By bags I mean, 3-6 full backpacks (150 lbs) at once up one of the world’s most difficult treks using their heads and necks instead of shoulder straps. I have never felt so impressed in my life. 

So it began, the day was chilly but sunny with clear skies and trekkers brimming with excitement. According to Ben this is our easiest day with a net negative 1000ft drop in altitude over 5 miles. But the views... it feels like you are on top of the world. The air is refreshing with every breath, and our legs are eager to start the climb. Mom and dad hiked together at the rear taking it all in at their own pace as Ben, Viv, and I surged ahead. It is a crowded trail with hikers passing us in both directions, porters carrying jaw dropping loads, and the occasional donkey train. Another oddity was the frequent helicopters about one every 10 minutes. Our guide explained that the majority are rescue flight retuning hikers that could not finish. We hiked on and on but I must admit I felt great, granted it was mostly down hill, until Ben astutely pointed out that our last leg of our entire trip will be all UP hill... About halfway we stopped for lunch with a breathtaking view of the valley and several mountaintops. We had Sherpa Stew which was a hearty stew made from vegetables and herbs grown behind the restaurant. Salty and flavor packed it hit the spot. We then finished our first leg of the trekk in Phakding. As the temperature drops and we peeled off our dusty boots from our ripen feet and sat back in wooden chairs enjoying hot mint tea we reflected on the days trek and smiled. 

Our dinner was subdued secondary to our exhaustion and as the temperatures precipitously dropped we huddled around a cast iron stove battling the urge to fall asleep as we waited cravingly for our dinner to arrive. Then it will be lights out. 

Day 2: Kathmandu

11/17/19

We arrived in the dead of night over a thrumming city. The airport experience was memorable as we disembarked and applied our limited post-travel patience to their “state-of-the-art” electronic immigration system. There at the airport where a computer asked you to scan your passport but a pleasant Napolese officer standing next to each machine told us to input everything by hand because the scanners don’t work and to “write anything” in many of the required fields because, “your answers don’t really matter”.  Then we went to fill out some handwritten forms (yes, I am as perplexed as you), and finally to pay them for our efforts, in cash. Then on through security where we were sorted by race, whites going though a shorter line and even if the metal detectors went off they still waved us through... odd really. Finally, we reached the horde. It was an electrifying throng of taxi drivers, “guides”, “baggage helpers”, and awaiting family members. Amidst the chaos there was a short but highly excitable Napolese man in a bright blue coat ecstatically waving a sign reading, “John and Debbie”. While fighting off the multitude of ”helpers” he navigates us towards our ride while simultaneously adorning us each with a wonderfully fragrant Marygold necklace to drown out the ripe city odors.

Unfortunately, Dad fell pray to the mob of “helpers” surrounding him shouting with their hands out demanding tips for carrying his bag 5 feet (you can imagine the grumbling sounds he made for the duration of the ride to our lodgings now).  Then we set off in a rickety van through the smoky and dimly lit city narrowly avoiding pedestrians and motorists alike in true blind NASCAR fashion towards our beautiful housing.

  Whilst everyone settled in,  Ben and I wondered into the midnight streets in search of some cold beers and thought provoking company. We found a little hole in the wall bar (ironically called Hole in the Wall Bar) that measured 10x10ft and chatted the night away with a pleasant Armenian couple over local beers.  At about 1am we crashed hard into our bunks and slipped blissfully into sleep with the sounds of Katmandu bustling outside our window.

This morning I awoke to the sounds of Ben trumpeting as usual. We met the rest of our party down in the serine hostel gardens for a light breakfast which included papaya and toast and instant coffee. It hit the spot in more ways then I can describe. We then met our guide, as energetic as always, who took us to the Monkey Temple (see tons of great photos).

This beautiful temple sat atop a great hill in the center of smoggy Kathmandu and was adorned with fraying prayer flags, strong incense, candles, and brightly colored pilgrims coming to prey.  We learned that you must walk clockwise around the temple for good karma. And, there were monkeys everywhere!

Babies to full adults, and they were fearless of the tourists ogling them. The whole scene was surreal but hampered a bit by the ever present greasy smog and putrid smell of the ancient city. Next, we strolled through the hectic streets and alleyways winding through throngs of merchants peddling their wares and came across a momo restaurant (dumplings).

They were delicious. We laughed and shared stories and had a grand lunch. 

After a well desired nap we congregated in a coffee shop where we spent the remainder of the day teaching and playing Dutch Blitz, and solving the US healthcare crisis. Bedtime was early today as we set out to hike from Lukla to Phakding hitting an elevation of 8364’. Stay tuned!