Another day closer to the end of the "quiet" part of the trek. Today we made it to Cheplung (about 2,500m) which is just below Lukla (2,840m), and the point where the hordes coming in via air join up with those few of us who walked in. I noted in the diary an uneasy feeling as I realised that we were coming to the end of where we would know the people we were trekking with (there are so few), and would be starting mass tourism with the Goretex, goggles and ski pole crowd. To further solidify the impression we have the continuous drone of flights coming in to provide some background noise.
We set off at around 7am and by 10:30 we were in Paiya, where we stopped for lunch. Prices are definitely trending up as Dahl Bhat is now up to 220Rs. The scenery today is quite different. There are no real villages, just houses strung out along the hill. No bright flowers today, just lots of forests and steep hills. There are some nice views up the valley towards Everest though. From Paiya there are still some big ups and downs, first down to Surke then back up to Cheplung. We did not finish walking until about 4 today as we wanted to get within striking distance of Namche tomorrow. The stamina is definitely improving as we walked 8 hours today, with some tough stretches and although tired, we were not wiped out.
In Cheplung we stayed at the Khumbila lodge (right where the trial is joined by the Lukla trail) at what turned out to be one of our three favourite lodges of the trek. The lady was quite a cook..great food, and a very nice family (as two daughters were off school for fall break and were helping out). It also looked like we were the only tourists staying in town. Everyone else seems to have gone to Phakding I guess. Why, I have no idea. Cheplung is a heck of a lot nicer. It is though getting colder as I am wearing three layers and am still cold.
Today we also saw a strange customer looking for food at the Apple Pie Lodge. He did not appear to have much luck getting served.
Another day closer to the end of the "quiet" part of the trek. Today we made it to Cheplung (about 2,500m) which is just below Lukla (2,840m), and the point where the hordes coming in via air join up with those few of us who walked in. I noted in the diary an uneasy feeling as I realised that we were coming to the end of where we would know the people we were trekking with (there are so few), and would be starting mass tourism with the Goretex, goggles and ski pole crowd. To further solidify the impression we have the continuous drone of flights coming in to provide some background noise.
We set off at around 7am and by 10:30 we were in Paiya, where we stopped for lunch. Prices are definitely trending up as Dahl Bhat is now up to 220Rs. The scenery today is quite different. There are no real villages, just houses strung out along the hill. No bright flowers today, just lots of forests and steep hills. There are some nice views up the valley towards Everest though. From Paiya there are still some big ups and downs, first down to Surke then back up to Cheplung. We did not finish walking until about 4 today as we wanted to get within striking distance of Namche tomorrow. The stamina is definitely improving as we walked 8 hours today, with some tough stretches and although tired, we were not wiped out.
In Cheplung we stayed at the Khumbila lodge (right where the trial is joined by the Lukla trail) at what turned out to be one of our three favourite lodges of the trek. The lady was quite a cook..great food, and a very nice family (as two daughters were off school for fall break and were helping out). It also looked like we were the only tourists staying in town. Everyone else seems to have gone to Phakding I guess. Why, I have no idea. Cheplung is a heck of a lot nicer. It is though getting colder as I am wearing three layers and am still cold.
Today we also saw a strange customer looking for food at the Apple Pie Lodge. He did not appear to have much luck getting served.
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