Day 10 - Thame to Namche
Woke up with the light and to the sound of yak bells and running water. Climbed out of doona covered mattress where pillow formed by hay filled hessian sack under the top of the bed. Smell of roasted cinnamon starting tummies early but not breakfast, rather incense from juniper incense for house blessing lit in outside small circular oven which the smoke filters through. Out to dining room benches for breakfast and choose Tibetan bread and Tsampa porridge (made of buckwheat flour, butter, sugar and black tea added from a thermos to make paste).
Inspect the far side of Bhote Kosi to see massive chunk of dislodged earth, easily house sized, to continue its slip towards the river, a further 50 mtrs below. Leave thankful for choice of staying in a smaller lodge, more personal. Walk towards Thame monastery (first established in the 16th century). Past a range of stupas up onto ridge that runs upwards to the west and the mountain valley behind. Piles of mani stones accrued over the years by those seeking to improve their prospects of rebirth.
Closer to the monastery more pines growing on the hillside before entering via an old Kani with hand painted Buddhas on walls and mandala on roof. View across valley to snow capped ridge, very serene. Path circling the base of the temple complex before turning towards main temple set against the mountainside. Front terraced courtyard and similar incense hearth as this morning.
Up final stairs through entrance chamber and facing huge prayer wheel painted with various Buddhas. Give it a spin which requires walking a full revolution to generate sufficient speed to continue spinning. Through large Tibetan styled entrance rug draped over door and into temple proper. Large room completely covered in paintings with texts in cloth wrapped bundles in shelves along walls. Large golden statue of seated Buddha. Temple drums, horns, conch shells etc spread around cushioned benches on which sit marone rugs for the cold mornings. Leaving temple pass creatively carved mani boulders with characters curved with stones natural curves.
Drop down off the ridge to main path to Namche on Thames eastern edge. Thame's claim to fame bar being the location of the monastery, the Austrian hydro scheme and also the hometown of a young Tenzing Norgay. Pick up the occasional cookie and cigarette packets on the walk down following the stream to the bridge close to the river below. Cookies could be anyone but cigarettes most likely porters or Sherpa. Cigarettes referred to as "Sherpa oxygen" in one book, if not cigarettes than also come across golden packets of loose tobacco. Landslips on most of the river beds showing that land formation still in it's comparative infancy. Not good however for trail network which tends to follow the rivers closely down the valleys. The metal bridge crossing the Bhote Kosi is low down at the face of the canyon prior to the Thame Khola, any serious wall of water down here and you would be in serious trouble. The view back through the smooth water curved canyon is great.
Walk along the valley wall reentering forested slopes and green rather then brown and rocks. The path climbs from the crossing up a steep staircase that swings around the rock wall with some great wall art of both an aged Buddha and green Tara before dropping back down to the river crossing just before Phurte. (3390mtr) Have a close encounter with a donkey, thanks to some tight rock wall lined paths through town, but all goes well. Mist developing up in the valley, maybe more snow on the way, however buds are starting to appear which are the first we have seen in the past week or so. Pass the Sagarmatha Forest nursery also an initiative of the Himalayan trust.
Villages, mainly women in terraced fields and sorting potatoes stored in four foot deep holes in their fields with juniper and then soil piled on top through the winter. Watch trimming of the potatoes and selection of the seed potatoes. Soph asked one lady but she was not that keen for a photo.
Path angles up through Gonglo and then around past mani stones and then a series of small open rock quarries high on the ridge, obviously supplying the building demand in Namche. Small pits already down below head height like a series of massive rabbit burrows. Would make a good free ride track some time in the future. Namches helicopter pad just around the corner, with wind sock that obviously gets plenty of use. Descend switchbacks stairs to the gompa still high above the lodges. Circumambulate the gompa spinning the prayer wheels as we go. The prayer wheels were financed by a Sherpa family who lost their son and grandson in a helicopter crash.
Decide to settle into the Zamling Lodge opposite the gompa. Three stories and obviously cared well for. Owned by previous High altitude climb Sherpa with some great historical climbing pieces on display in the dining room in addition to numerous signed expedition posters. Also photos taken at Sherpa festivals clearly identifying the ties with Tibetan past. Upstairs hear chanting. Turns out that twenty three monks from Tengboche monastery here performing a four day puja ceremony in the families attic Buddhist shrine for the benefit of the family and the next year being an annual event. In the kitchen one younger monk making Dough figurines (Torma) for the ceremony made out of Tsampa (Barley flour) and butter.
Walk down and try out the Namche bakery for Salami pizza and coffee. Very good. Move onto Henrich bakery which is run by same guys as the other bakery, meet Austrian couple and their guide whose snow trail breaking saved us an hour or so and totally soaked socks on the wall across Gokyo Ri. They pulled up apparently at Marulung.
Visit a Tibetan thanka store run by the Art Herritage of Himalaya run by Raghunath Lama who seems quite interesting and is apparently running an art school to assist others. Back up to the Lodge in overcast and cloud. Precipitation almost light rain or snow. Back at the lodge the chanting has upgraded to drumming and the occasional horn section. The drumming is quite rhythmical and melodic but the horns, well..
That night following dinner we watch Himalayan culture movies including some of the 2006 Dalai Lama's seventieth birthday celebrations and 2008 Free Tibet concert followed by a couple of music numbers filmed in Mustang. Fantastic sleep.
Woke up with the light and to the sound of yak bells and running water. Climbed out of doona covered mattress where pillow formed by hay filled hessian sack under the top of the bed. Smell of roasted cinnamon starting tummies early but not breakfast, rather incense from juniper incense for house blessing lit in outside small circular oven which the smoke filters through. Out to dining room benches for breakfast and choose Tibetan bread and Tsampa porridge (made of buckwheat flour, butter, sugar and black tea added from a thermos to make paste).
Inspect the far side of Bhote Kosi to see massive chunk of dislodged earth, easily house sized, to continue its slip towards the river, a further 50 mtrs below. Leave thankful for choice of staying in a smaller lodge, more personal. Walk towards Thame monastery (first established in the 16th century). Past a range of stupas up onto ridge that runs upwards to the west and the mountain valley behind. Piles of mani stones accrued over the years by those seeking to improve their prospects of rebirth.
Closer to the monastery more pines growing on the hillside before entering via an old Kani with hand painted Buddhas on walls and mandala on roof. View across valley to snow capped ridge, very serene. Path circling the base of the temple complex before turning towards main temple set against the mountainside. Front terraced courtyard and similar incense hearth as this morning.
Up final stairs through entrance chamber and facing huge prayer wheel painted with various Buddhas. Give it a spin which requires walking a full revolution to generate sufficient speed to continue spinning. Through large Tibetan styled entrance rug draped over door and into temple proper. Large room completely covered in paintings with texts in cloth wrapped bundles in shelves along walls. Large golden statue of seated Buddha. Temple drums, horns, conch shells etc spread around cushioned benches on which sit marone rugs for the cold mornings. Leaving temple pass creatively carved mani boulders with characters curved with stones natural curves.
Drop down off the ridge to main path to Namche on Thames eastern edge. Thame's claim to fame bar being the location of the monastery, the Austrian hydro scheme and also the hometown of a young Tenzing Norgay. Pick up the occasional cookie and cigarette packets on the walk down following the stream to the bridge close to the river below. Cookies could be anyone but cigarettes most likely porters or Sherpa. Cigarettes referred to as "Sherpa oxygen" in one book, if not cigarettes than also come across golden packets of loose tobacco. Landslips on most of the river beds showing that land formation still in it's comparative infancy. Not good however for trail network which tends to follow the rivers closely down the valleys. The metal bridge crossing the Bhote Kosi is low down at the face of the canyon prior to the Thame Khola, any serious wall of water down here and you would be in serious trouble. The view back through the smooth water curved canyon is great.
Walk along the valley wall reentering forested slopes and green rather then brown and rocks. The path climbs from the crossing up a steep staircase that swings around the rock wall with some great wall art of both an aged Buddha and green Tara before dropping back down to the river crossing just before Phurte. (3390mtr) Have a close encounter with a donkey, thanks to some tight rock wall lined paths through town, but all goes well. Mist developing up in the valley, maybe more snow on the way, however buds are starting to appear which are the first we have seen in the past week or so. Pass the Sagarmatha Forest nursery also an initiative of the Himalayan trust.
Villages, mainly women in terraced fields and sorting potatoes stored in four foot deep holes in their fields with juniper and then soil piled on top through the winter. Watch trimming of the potatoes and selection of the seed potatoes. Soph asked one lady but she was not that keen for a photo.
Path angles up through Gonglo and then around past mani stones and then a series of small open rock quarries high on the ridge, obviously supplying the building demand in Namche. Small pits already down below head height like a series of massive rabbit burrows. Would make a good free ride track some time in the future. Namches helicopter pad just around the corner, with wind sock that obviously gets plenty of use. Descend switchbacks stairs to the gompa still high above the lodges. Circumambulate the gompa spinning the prayer wheels as we go. The prayer wheels were financed by a Sherpa family who lost their son and grandson in a helicopter crash.
Decide to settle into the Zamling Lodge opposite the gompa. Three stories and obviously cared well for. Owned by previous High altitude climb Sherpa with some great historical climbing pieces on display in the dining room in addition to numerous signed expedition posters. Also photos taken at Sherpa festivals clearly identifying the ties with Tibetan past. Upstairs hear chanting. Turns out that twenty three monks from Tengboche monastery here performing a four day puja ceremony in the families attic Buddhist shrine for the benefit of the family and the next year being an annual event. In the kitchen one younger monk making Dough figurines (Torma) for the ceremony made out of Tsampa (Barley flour) and butter.
Walk down and try out the Namche bakery for Salami pizza and coffee. Very good. Move onto Henrich bakery which is run by same guys as the other bakery, meet Austrian couple and their guide whose snow trail breaking saved us an hour or so and totally soaked socks on the wall across Gokyo Ri. They pulled up apparently at Marulung.
Visit a Tibetan thanka store run by the Art Herritage of Himalaya run by Raghunath Lama who seems quite interesting and is apparently running an art school to assist others. Back up to the Lodge in overcast and cloud. Precipitation almost light rain or snow. Back at the lodge the chanting has upgraded to drumming and the occasional horn section. The drumming is quite rhythmical and melodic but the horns, well..
That night following dinner we watch Himalayan culture movies including some of the 2006 Dalai Lama's seventieth birthday celebrations and 2008 Free Tibet concert followed by a couple of music numbers filmed in Mustang. Fantastic sleep.
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