Namaste Lodge in village of Monjo, at 4:37 pm
Roshan and I were delayed at KTM airport all day. We finally caught the last flight to Lukla airport, and we arrived at about 5:30 last night, just as it was getting dark. When we got off the plane, it was cloudy, colder and getting dark fast. I remember feeling a sense of foreboding, like I was all alone, away from all my friends and family and was about to trek up a mountain to a dark place, to an almost forbidden place. Of course I wasn't alone – I had Roshan, we had each other – but I felt an immense need to take care of my young friend. We had to find a place to sleep fast, and we had to get dinner because we hadn't eaten much all day. We followed some of our plane mates to a place called Paradise Hotel and Restaurant, and we got a room with a queen size bed for 100 rupees, about $1.35 USD, I think. Roshan and I had planned a way to get the cost down, but it's not working well, because it's full season here. I feel kinda bad too, like I'm ripping the lovely Nepali Sherpa people off. The woman in charge was angry that we'd even try to bargain with her so we agreed at the price (we had tried to get free lodging if we ate at their restaurant because I had heard this can work).
At any rate, we had a place to eat and sleep for the night which was what we needed. God provided. The lodge was quaint, rustic and sorta kitschy, with pictures of the Dalai Lama with the Sherpa woman owner, and I think I saw one that showed the woman with Sir Edmund Hillary, the first known person to officially climb to the top of Everest (with his Sherpa guide Tenzing Norgay). There was another picture of the Dalai Lama smiling and superimposed over his monastery home in Tibet, with a rainbow over his head. The food was great – we had Sherpa Soup (a kind of thick garlicky vegetable soup) last night, and a cheese omelette and Tibetan Bread with honey this morning – very tasty.
Today, 10/19, was our first trekking day. Our route put us at Phakding for the night, but I actually found the trekking pretty easy this first day because a lot of it was downhill, and we found ourselves at Phakding by noon, so we kept going. We had been at about 2640 meters last night in Luklya, and I wanted to be at least a little higher this second night. Monjo, the village we reached at 3:00 pm approximately, is at 2840 meters altitude. We got a small room for about $3.00 USD, and we are now resting. We will eat here later.
The trek today was breathtaking. I would say the landscape and the Sherpa people are equally rugged and beautiful. Cute little children run up and down the heights with no difficulty. I see women working in gardens while I see many Sherpa men carrying massive loads on their backs (most of this is held up by a piece of fabric that runs along their foreheads). Many loaded up mountain cows passed us too. I took several pictures of Sherpa children and adults going about their business, but now I feel kinda bad about it. Would I want some tourist coming to my hometown and taking pictures of me? Probably not. It reminds me of the Amish people back home a lot. Actually, now that I think about it, both cultures are friendly and both live off the land well. I also think both utilize the tourist attraction factor well too. Life out here in the mountain villages reminds me of my grandparent's farm, when I would visit there growing up. There is an appreciation for hard work and living off the land. Things are rough around the edges and dirty. But people are happy and friendly...and the scenery is spectacular!
Trekking with Roshan is a real pleasure. His accent and speaking style is something special. We sing songs like Brian Adams' Summer of '69 and James Blunt's “You're Beautiful/ I'll Never Be With You” song. He talks to me incessantly about a girl he likes, Prathna (which means “prayer”) whom he's only recently begun talking to (like within the last week!). He's 16, and he's in love. He reminds me of myself 14 years ago, a teenager with crushes and strong feelings. It reminds me also of when I first met Heidi, my girlfriend, over four years ago. Roshan constantly brings Prathna up and mentioned that he wanted to propose to her. I was shocked until I found out this proposal only means he'd ask her out, like a dating relationship.
Our room at this lodge is a lot better than last night's. It's cleaner, and there's a sound of a rushing river far below. The view is outstanding. I am adjusting well, with no sight of altitude sickness for either myself or Roshan. I guess the hill runs and backpacking trips at home have prepped me well. Tomorrow might be a different story, but we made good time today. I am so blessed to be here.
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