Asia – the wandering spot

December 2, 2018January 9, 2024

We are back from Nepal

We are back in Chicago from 31-day trip to Nepal with short stops in Qatar. We had very good time hiking , slower than anticipated, but made it to all the places as planned (with only minor adjustments): Gokyo and the Lakes along Ngozumpa Glacier, Gokyo Ri, Renjo Pass. Five of the 15 World’s highest mountains were within our sight: Cho Oyu (8188) and Gyachung Kang (7952), Everest (8848) and Lhotse (8516), and Makalu (8485). Our trail was 152 km long with, 13 km total ascent, hiking between 1490 and 5375 masl. As we hiked slowly, high altitude was not a big problem.

We had good weather most of the time, perfect on Renjo La for snapshots with Everest and Lhotse. It was supposed to be mostly sunny and clear in November, but each day clouds rolled in around noon or earlier (one full day was all clear, but one completely cloudy) and afternoons were really cold. But no rain or snow which was great. Overall the weather was actually not as cold as we expected despite cloud cover in the afternoons. Very warm when the Sun was out. We hiked in sub-freezing temps (-6℃) only in the morning on the Renjo La day and temps down to -1℃ to -2℃ on a couple more days with cloud cover. We had only one night with sub-zero temps in our room (down to -1℃). Joanna’s sleeping bag was not very warm, but it worked well with thick lodge blankets – all lodges were well prepared for cold weather in this respect.

We both struggled a bit with Khumbu cough and colds. We treated all cold drinking water with UV/Steripen, but mostly drank tea and other hot beverages provided by the lodges, didn’t eat any meat and avoided uncooked vegies. Had some very minor stomach issues a few times, but not really affecting hiking all that much. We were quite tired when we came back to Kathmandu. Heavy air pollution in Kathmandu valley wore us down quite a bit at the end.

Nepal 2018 itinerary

Oct	28	Sun		ORD ➜(Quatar Airways) ➜
	29	Mon	Doha	➜DOH➜ Doha evening walk [@ Hoiliday Inn]
	30	Tue	Kathmandu	DOH ➜(Quatar Airways) ➜KAT➜ Kathmanduprep for trekking [@ Dil’s Homestay]
	31	Wed	Kathmandu	Prep for trekking
Nov	1	Thu	Phaplu	Kathmandu ➜ (jeep) ➜ Phaplu [@ Lodge]
	2	Fri	Taksindu	Start of trekking [@ Taksindu Resort Lodge]
	3	Sat	Jubing	Trekking [@ Gorkhali Lodge]
	4	Sun	Khare	Trekking [@ Lodge]
	5	Mon	Surke	Trekking [@ Thamserku Lodge]
	6	Tue	Monjo	Trekking [@ Mount Kailash Lodge]
	7	Wed	Namche	Trekking [@ Khumbu Lodge]
	8	Thu	Khumjung	Trekking [@ Hidden Village Lodge]
	9	Fri	Khumjung	Khunde (Piotr), rest day (Joanna) [@ Hidden Village Lodge]
	10	Sat	Dhole	Trekking [@ Alpine Cottage Lodge]
	11	Sun	Machermo	Trekking [@ Sherpa Land Lodge]
	12	Mon	Gokyo	Trekking [@ Cho Oyu View Lodge]
	13	Tue	Gokyo	Gokyo Lake V [@Thanka Inn]
	14	Wed	Gokyo	Gokyo Ri (Joanna), rest day (Piotr) [@Thanka Inn]
	15	Thu	Lunden	Trekking Renjo La [@ Renjo Pass Support Lodge ]
	16	Fri	Thame	Trekking [@ Valley View Lodge]
	17	Sat	Monjo	Trekking [@ Mount Kailash Lodge]
	18	Sun	Lukla	End of trekking [@ Lodge]
	19	Mon	Lukla	Stuck at LUK [@ Lodge]
	20	Tue	Kathmandu	LUK ➜ (small plane) ➜RHP ➜(bus) ➜ Kathmandu [@ Dil’s Homestay]
	21	Wed	Kathmandu	Thamel ➜ Durbar Square [@ Hotel Giarmondo]
	22	Thu	Kathmandu	Thamel ➜ (taxi) ➜ Bouddha ➜ Pashupatinath ➜ (taxi) ➜ Thamel
	23	Fri	Kathmandu	Thamel ➜ (taxi) ➜ Ratna Park ➜ (bus) ➜ Bhaktapur ➜ (taxi) ➜ Thamel
	24	Sat	Kathmandu	‎Thamel ➜(taxi) ➜ Swayambhunath ➜ Asan Tole ➜ Thamel
	25	Sun	Kathmandu	Kathmandu ➜ (bus) ➜ Patan ➜ (taxi) ➜ Thamel
	26	Mon	Doha	KAT ➜ (Quatar Airways) ➜ DOH ➜ Doha[@ Al Liwan Suites]➜ DOH ➜
	27	Tue	Chicago	➜ ORD

Phaplu-Gokyo-Lukla

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Phaplu-Gokyo-Lukla trail profile

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Key waypoint distances and elevations on our Gokyo trek

				km	masl	latitude	longitude
November	1	Thursday	Kathmandu		1292	27°43’05″N	85°18’28″E
			Phaplu	0.0	2479	27°30’55.79″N	86°35’4.27″E
	2	Friday	Ringmo	11.8	2736	27°35’15.18″N	86°36’14.86″E
			Taksindu La	13.5	3066	27°35’31.96″N	86°37’2.70″E
			Taksindu	14.3	2931	27°35’35.30″N	86°37’18.33″E
	3	Saturday	Nunthala	18.2	2198	27°35’20.47″N	86°38’49.18″E
			Dhudh Koshi (river)	22.3	1490	27°35’38.12″N	86°40’42.52″E
			Jubing	23.3	1651	27°35’53.00″N	86°41’11.00″E
	4	Sunday	Kharikhola Monastery	25.5	2050	27°36’13.68″N	86°42’1.25″E
			Bupsa	29.0	2348	27°36’51.05″N	86°42’53.99″E
			Khare	30.8	2590	27°37’29.98″N	86°43’4.48″E
	5	Monday	Paiya	35.3	2760	27°38’29.44″N	86°43’50.94″E
			Surke	41.0	2300	27°40’20.55″N	86°43’7.54″E
	6	Tuesday	Ghat	48.4	2580	27°43’27.33″N	86°42’53.48″E
			Phakding	50.4	2620	27°44’24.90″N	86°42’45.44″E
			Monjo	55.6	2870	27°46’25.34″N	86°43’20.74″E
	7	Wednesday	Namche	60.2	3423	27°48’15.85″N	86°42’37.34″E
			Park Headquarters	60.8	3560	27°48’11.13″N	86°42’54.29″E
			Namche	61.5	3423	27°48’15.85″N	86°42’37.34″E
	8	Thursday	Khumjung	64.4	3763	27°49’18.20″N	86°43’0.44″E
			Khumjung Gompa	65.0	3797	27°49’30.04″N	86°42’58.95″E
			Khumjung	65.5	3763	27°49’18.20″N	86°43’0.44″E
	9	Friday	Hilary Hospital	66.9	3864	27°49’25.12″N	86°42’17.02″E
			Khunde Stupa	67.4	3822	27°49’16.35″N	86°42’25.25″E
			Khumjung	68.8	3763	27°49’18.20″N	86°43’0.44″E
			Khumjung Viewpoint	69.0	3826	27°49’16.61″N	86°43’5.00″E
			Khumjung	69.1	3763	27°49’18.20″N	86°43’0.44″E
	10	Saturday	Mong La	72.6	3970	27°50’21.91″N	86°44’9.38″E
			Phortse Thanga	74.4	3660	27°51’1.39″N	86°44’35.86″E
			Dole	77.0	4032	27°52’1.52″N	86°43’52.37″E
	11	Sunday	Machermo	82.3	4390	27°54’12.34″N	86°42’58.08″E
	12	Monday	Gokyo	89.2	4754	27°57’13.70″N	86°41’36.35″E
	13	Tuesday	Scoundrel’s Point	95.0	4990	28° 0’5.99″N	86°41’10.33″E
			Gokyo Lake V	95.4	4965	28° 0’6.86″N	86°41’0.03″E
			Gokyo	101.1	4754	27°57’12.25″N	86°41’37.54″E
	14	Wednesday	Gokyo RI	103.0	5350	27°57’40.99″N	86°40’59.03″E
			Gokyo	104.8	4754	27°57’12.25″N	86°41’37.54″E
	15	Thursday	Renjo La	109.2	5375	27°56’50.71″N	86°39’30.21″E
			Lunden	116.0	4350	27°54’19.01″N	86°38’12.92″E
	16	Friday	Thame	125.5	3800	27°49’52.02″N	86°38’56.82″E
	17	Saturday	Namche	134.2	3423	27°48’15.85″N	86°42’37.34″E
			Monjo	138.9	2870	27°46’25.34″N	86°43’20.74″E
	18	Sunday	Lukla	151.9	2847	27°41’14.29″N	86°43’55.10″E
	19	Monday	Lukla
	20	Tuesday	Kathmandu

Piotr’s packing list: total 15.7 kg

TOTAL	15.7	kg
clothing	7.3
equipment etc	4.6
shared equipment/supplies	3.3
water	0.5
ON ME	3.9	kg
boots	1347	g	Vasque Breeze 2.0 Mid GTX
wool socks	73		Smart Wool
underwear	62		Exofficio
pants	320		Columbia Silver Ridge Convertible
belt/suspenders	110		–
tshirt	165		–
buff	38		Buff
hiking cap	58		Outdoor Research
hiking gloves	73		Ergodyne ProFlex 812
trekking poles	476		Komperdell
pocket knife	90		Gerber Torch
sunglasses	34		–
camera/battery	488		Olympus E-PM2 14-42 mm
scope	190		Alpen 8×25 monocular
phone	215		iPhone XS
watch	38		Timex Expedition
passport/money	115		–
ON MY BACK	11.8	kg
backpack/liner/cover	1208	g	Granite Gear Crown 60 (long 65 L)
sleeping bag/sack	1397		Sierra Design Ridge Runner (Down 600 15 F/-9 C)
liner	253		Sea to Summit Thermolite
downjacket/bag	907		Mountain Hardware hooded 650 down
jacket	504		Columbia
rainpants	175		Mountain Warehouse Pakka
daypack/organizer	69		Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil
pants	340		Columbia Silver Ridge Convertible
fleece	286		North Face
3 x wool socks	321		Smart Wool, Darn Togh
3 x underwear	216		Exofficio, Calvin Klein
2 x tshirt	315		–
3 x top	594		Terramar
2 x bottom	356		Terramar
2 x gloves	180		Fleece, insulated
2 x wool beanie	150		–
light shoes	554		Nike Quest running
slippers	76		Holliday Inn Doha
light/batteries	281		Nitecore HC65/NL1829LTP 2900mAh
chargers/batteries	399		–
repair kit	50		Homemade
temp beacon	14		Blue Maestro Tempo Disc
spare glasses	31		–
4 x mesh shopping bags	46		Shopping Mall Nairobi
2 x emergency blanket	96		–
guide/map	198		–
money	100		–
towel	71		–
steriPEN Ultra	134		Katadyn
thermos	376		GSI MicroLite 1000
water bottle	88		Nalge 1000
cup & spoon	62		–
soap & meds	1245		–
lyophylised fruit/chocolate	215		–
water	0.5	kg	–

Diagram of hiking temperature ℃ on Renjo La day

Food menus

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Nepal video clips

Photo gallery – 303 photos

Nepal, day 26-28: Kathmandu and Patan, and Doha on the way home

We visited ‎⁨Swayambhunath stupa on Saturday, a holiday in Nepal. It was packed with Nepali visitors and many tourists. It is located on prominent hill just a short taxi ride from Thamel. After spending half a day there we took another taxi to Asan Tole. We were looking for local spices and black Himalayan salt crystals. We spent the rest of the day just wandering around this part of the city.

Next day was all about Patan. The third of the old royal cities in the Valley: Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Patan. The old town is stil undergoing quite significant restoration after the 2015 earthquake. A lot to see. We returned to Thamel (by taxi) for dinner at Fusion Himalaya Restaurant (our favorite in Kathmandu). On Monday we just packed our bags and were on our way home in the afternoon (enjoying views of Annapurna from the plane), with o/n stop (just a few hours of sleep) in Doha.

Patan Durbar Square: Chyasin Deval (Krishna temple) and royal palace

Durbar Square: King Yog Narendra Malla column and Narasimha temple

Sundari Chowk with Tusha Hiti well in royal palace

Patan Durbar Square: Krishna Mandir, Vishwanath and Bhimsen Mandir temples

Bagalamukhi Temple in Kumbheshwar Temple coplex

November 24, 2018December 13, 2021

Nepal, day 25: Bhaktapur

We spent all day in Bhaktapur. We first traveled by taxi to Ratna Park and then by inexpensive public bus to Bhaktapur old town. The bus was very packed and very slow, but we had an opportunity to watch Nepalis taking care of their daily chores. Bhaktapur’s Durbar Square was not too crowded, with tourists grinding around. Just like us. Some buildings have been already restored after the 2015 earthquake, there was quite a bit of construction work going on, much more restoration left to do. We visited a small museum in rebuilt section of the Royal Palace. We walked through the old city visiting Taumadhi Square with Nyatapola Temple, Pottery Square and Dattatreya Square. In the evening, we strolled around watching locals celebrating a holiday (?). We returned to Thamel by taxi.

Golden Gate, entrance to Taleju Temple Complex

Naga Pokhari (Royal Bath) in Taleju Temple Complex

Yaksheswor Mahadev Temple (Pashupatinath Temple)

55 Window Palace in Bhaktapur Durbar Square

Sculpture at the entrance to National Art Museum

Family ceremony in Yaksheswor Mahadev Temple

Tadhunchen Bahal, home of living goddess Kumari

Pujari Math building with peacock windows

November 22, 2018December 13, 2021

Nepal, day 23 & 24: Kathmandu

We spent two days visiting different parts of Kathmandu, walking from temple to temple, but also watching people going about their daily business. The streets were crowded. On the first day, we walked from Thamel to Durbar Square and back, no way to remember all the street names. On the second day we traveled to Boudhanath by taxi in the morning. The stupa was our favorite place in Kathmandu area, so peaceful. Then we walked over to Pashupatinath to meet new friends, a Polish couple we met in Lukla. We tried different restaurants in Thamel in the evenings.

November 20, 2018December 22, 2022

Nepal, day 19-22: Thame-(Namche)-Monjo-Lukla (Trekking Day 16&17 and escape from Lukla)

Relaxed and with nice weather, we continued to walked down beautiful and quiet Bhote Koshi valley. To Namche for chocolate cake at Namche Bakery and then down to Monjo, where we stayed for the night in the same lodge as on the way up (Mount Kailash Lodge). Thame to Monjo is ~13 km. The next day, as we walked another 13 km to Lukla, the weather was still good and we heard all the planes in the air – encouraging sign as we were hopping to fly out of Lukla early next morning. No luck, the weather got worse and we got stuck. Got to the airport before sunrise, checked in and went through security, and spent the whole day there – not a single flight arrived or departed that day because of clouds somewhere between Lukla and Kathmandu. Cargo helicopters were flying, some people payed for helicopters, but still were not able to fly out that day. Groups were rebooked for early morning flights next day, but individuals couldn’t change their tickets until ~4 pm and we got only late 10 am departure slot. Stayed in an overpriced and not so friendly lodge (moved to a different one for the second night). On the second day of waiting for our flight to Kathmandu, we also went to the airport at sunrise, but we’re not able to switch to an earlier flight. Clouds were on and off and flights were way behind the schedule. With our late slot we had no chance. After watching how people flying cargo and passengers operate at Lukla, we decided an escape at any cost (perhaps not the $500 they were asking for helicopter flight) was our best bet, although some flights were coming in (and going out).

Lukla airstrip

Landing at Lukla airstrip

We took an offer to fly to Ramechhap, a local egg and fuel hub, to put our feet on the ground in the lowlands. Five-hour bus ride to Kathmandu completed the adventure. The bus ride required constant active management, business models of the driver and the passengers were divergent. Despite some hiking fatigue setting in, we missed the high mountains already.