Category: Nepal

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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
More on Nepal (13 posts)

Highlights

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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