April 29, 2007

"Writing about climbing is boring. I would rather go climbing." — Chuck Pratt

Entered the Khumbu valley ever so briefly today. I wanted to see the third stuppa that we had missed the day before so Kaji decided that we would descend into the Khumbu and make our way to Tangboche from there. I can't say that there is much that distinguishes the Khumbu from any other of the valleys I've been in other than what lies at its head. I did get to see several yak calfs, and they are quite cute. Our hike started in the alpine tundra and ended in lush rhododendron forests, quite the contrast, and at first all the colours were a bit overwhelming after having only really seen shades of grey, white, and brown for the previous 2 weeks. We encountered a couple of americans just outside of Dingboche. When I first spotted them at a distance I thought they must be American or British as one of them was wearing a down parka despite it being 10oC. However as I neared them I saw a Canadian flag and knew that something was up as no selfrespecting Canadian would be wearing a down parka in those temperatures. As it turned out they were American and didn't want anyone to know that fact and so they sewed a canadian flag on their pack. I just hope Canadians don't get a bad name because of americans doing this.
Kaji and I visited the monastery in Pangboche and will visit the one in Tangboche this afternoon when it opens to visitors, this is the monastery seen in the Everest IMAX movie and is one of if not the most important monastery in the region.
I just stood outside under the night sky . The stars and moon were so bright and the scene that unfolded before me was beyond description, simply out of this world. The stars, too numerous to count and the mountains, Everest, Lhotse, Ama Dablam, Kantega, all basking in the moon light, simply breath taking