Everest trek - Day 7 - Dingboche to Thukla

4350m to 4600m (+250m)
5.0km - 2 hours

100th post on this diary!

Almost no sleep last night. It didn't seem like an issue not being able to sleep, it was just some more time to kill, but in silent darkness. My brain felt fresh and wide-awake - I'd read that sleep deprivation was common but had assumed it would be intensely annoying and groggy. I listened to podcasts and music all night! Helen and Dave were also having broken sleep patterns.

There's two possible paths out of Dingboche; one is a gentle climb but longer, from the top of the town; the other is short and steep. We chose the latter which was an exhausting three steps, stop, get breath, three steps, stop, get breath, three steps... and so on to the Stupa. The weather was overcast and windy again, we wondered if we would ever see any mountains! Once past the Stupa and on the ridge the walk is a nice, open, steady climb. Far below on the left are the river and Penriche. We sat down to let an enormous group of trekkers, porters and guides overtake us.



The land is mostly barren now, but if  you look closely there's millions of beautiful tiny flowers carpeting the land!

The path follows the river up, and at the end of the valley is the rocky end of a glacier, a natural dam for a crystal blue glacial lake. Our brief dog companion today was George, who soon decided we weren't interesting enough and went the other way. The path turns right and meets with the river. There's an interesting bridge here, the first section being okay but the next part (which is sometimes washed away) is no more than two thin planks, so requires a little more balance. Over the bridge the path then heads into the three-building "village" of Thukla - the Yak lodge, the restaurant and the Sherpa lodge (no tourists allowed!).

End of a glacier - glacial lake just visible

That bridge!

Thukla

Fluffy exhibition yak!

We had some lunch (I had an amazing Sherpa stew) then the rains came. Also here were Tom, Verena, Martin and the friendly South African couple we'd seen in Dingboche. The South African man had an impressive watch with GPS, an altimeter and many other functions - I was a little jealous of his statistic collecting abilities! He'd received a weather report that the weather was going to break the day after tomorrow - this was great news if true! Two ladies came out of the rain into the restaurant, they'd been to base camp the previous day and said it was snowing, and they didn't see a thing. One of them said she had to try and sleep sitting up at Gorak Shep as she felt like she was suffocating while lying down. The South Africans said farewell, put their packs on and bravely melted into the mist, wind and rain!

Me, Verena, Helen, Dave, Martin, Tom, lodge owner

Our original plan was to stay two days in Dingboche but we read a good acclimatisation schedule suggesting one night in Dingboche and one night in Thukla. It's not immediately clear but there's two types of accommodation at the Yak lodge; one in the old building tucked away behind the restaurant (50 Rupees) and the other is in the more obvious new building (100 Rupees). We didn't see the old building and stayed in the new one but it seemed unfinished, and the toilet was bad! Also staying here were the monks from Tengboche monastery - they were heading to Mother Everest for an annual Puja.

The evening was freezing so the lodge workers popped some Yak "pancakes" into the stove - we all gathered around, scared to leave the warm and get into freezing beds!

Yak powered warmth

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Off the coach, using my Scottish companions previous KL knowledge, we headed for Bukit Bintang.  The place he'd been to before was full so we ended up in a place called i2inn. The room was tiny; you could just about fit the bunk bed in! The internet was dead, and when I mentioned it to reception they didn't want to tear themselves away from the cricket! The next day I checked out and moved to a 24 bed (yes, 24!) bed dormitory called Fernloft in Chinatown, which was MUCH cleaner, much cheaper (20 Ringgits), much friendlier, and the internet was good. If you're considering a stay in a 24 bed dorm be aware that at any time of the day there's always someone coming, always someone going, always someone awake, always someone snoring... you get the message. I strongly recommend earplugs and an eye mask!

Fernloft - 24 bed dorm

I like to walk around cities, camera firmly in hand. There's many great walking cities in the world, London being one of the best. There's normally enough to hold my attention from place to place but I didn't get KL. Roadwork diversions, building sites and endless main roads left me feeling bored. I know people that love KL so I've put it down to shell-shock after being on remote beach in Thailand, then the relaxed, small-town feel of Georgetown. One day I shall return, and love it!

Car fire

The Petronas towers: for years I've wanted to see them. They're such iconic objects that it's one of those 'am I really here?' moments when you arrive. Masses of shiny steel and glass soaring into the sky. The actual need for such things are questionable but you can't deny that they're an amazing feat of human design and engineering. I reluctantly stumped up the $18 for a visit to the top and the view was astonishing, but the tour a little clinical. I wanted to see the real guts, like the offices and working spaces. We were only taken to the plain top deck, then to the empty sky bridge.

Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

I much prefer Saigon as the city name (no disrespect to Ho Chi Minh intended) and this is our last stop in Vietnam. After some mildly "meh" beach breaks it feels good to be back in the city. We arrive in a cracking storm in the evening. I love 'em, I could sit for hours watching the skies for piercing forks of light and feeling the ground-trembling rumbles of thunder. Off the bus it's wet, but we don't have far to go to the hotel (Hoang Kahn - $15 per night / triple room) which has already been sorted for us by Emily who came the previous day.

I took a tour out to to the Cu Chi tunnels, about 1 hour out of Saigon. These 121km of tunnels were used for defensive and offensive purposes as well as supply routes, and living. The Americans couldn't penetrate with ground force (there were booby-traps everywhere!) or ponding the area with bombs dropped from B-52's bombs. On entering you're given a sticker and shown a quick anti-American video from that time, then a demonstration of some of the gruesome traps, then our guide shows us the holes and entrances they used, inviting us to have a go. However, a girl got stuck and it took a while, and four people, to pull her out, so we didn't get a go.

Now you see him...

Me and about 4 others did all three tunnels, getting progressively smaller until you're pretty much crawling on hands and knees. There are exits at the end of each tunnel should you wish to bail out. How the VC spent all that time down there in that heat and darkness I'll never fathom! As soon as  I was out into the fresh air my body exploded with sweat. I don't think I've ever sweat that much in such a short space of time.

While all this is happening you can hear gunfire from the range. After the tunnels you're taken over there and shown the array of weapons that you can fire, for a meaty price. I've never done anything like this before, and never will again so stumped up 350,000 dong for 10 shots of an AK-47, the Russian made, Vietnamese weapon of choice. It's quite unnerving being led to the firing range; the guns are deafening. As I walk down I've not had a chance to pop on my ear defenders and the Australian chap before me is mid-way though his 10 shots on a monster M60. Anyone that knows a little about guns would know that this is the American daddy of hand-held weapons, its insanely loud thumps instantly gave me tinnitus. I quickly put on my ear protectors! The weapons are attached to the the rails which is almost a shame but understandable; what's to stop a tourist turning around and killing the first ten people in sight, or indeed breaking their shoulder with the savage recoil? I squeeze the trigger and fire my 10 rounds, at a distant target on a huge dirt mound; slow at first, then BAM BAM BAM BAM *click* (empty). I have no idea if it hit it (the target or the dirt mound!) but it was fun, and an adrenaline rush! I head back to the holding area, collecting a full metal jacket on the way, with a big smile on my mush :)

A to the muthafuckin' K home-boy, A to the muthafuckin' kayyyyyyyy

The bus dropped some of us at the war museum on the way back to Saigon, where I met up with Talitha and Emily. The museum has a particularly interesting war photography section on the top floor - you need to have balls of steel to be a wartime photographer. London born Larry Burrows is a particular favourite, he took some powerfully striking shots before the helicopter he was in was shot down over northern Laos (incidentally not far from where I'm writing this diary now). In the museum grounds there's a selection of American war machines (no Vietnamese though, oddly enough) and I'm instantly drawn to the Huey, where Talitha ops for the big black fire-spitting tank.

One day this shall be mine

Hoochie and the war machine

Every evening we're out on the street. There are people everywhere, perched on tiny plastic seats, spilling out onto the road. There's now a large group of us, collected from various parts of Vietnam (mostly Emily's Ha Long naked party cruise!). This is pretty much the evening theme for the next few days! Bia hoi is cheaper than water and flows like water. We don't move except to make space for more people or to shuffle under the canvas when the rains come or to go and see Emily do a couple of impromptu gigs in a nearby bar. Good times :)

Hue, Vietnam

After the mission getting to Phong Nha we wondered how to get out. Luckily there was a pre-booked minibus direct to Hue, from the farmstay. At 6am a swish mini-minibus dropped us to the decrepid main minibus. We were the only westerners on this loaded bus and had to bounce around at the back while the bus growled down the bumpy road, all windows open, melodic horn to blaring! I like these journeys as they're a lot more memorable than easy, comfortable ones. Talitha over-hydrated before embarking and half way through the journey desperately needed the toilet. We stop at a garage and the driver refuses to let her go, as it's a quick fuel stop. He informs her that we'll stop in five minutes time, to the sympathies of the other passengers. Fifteen minutes later we stop and Talitha bolts!
An hour later and we're at the Hue bus depot just out of towm. We ignore the motorbike taxis and hop on a crowded local bus, bags and all, prompting some discussion and pointing from other passengers. We squeeze off and sweat our way across the bridge to Hue backpackers; our home for the next few days.

The bus - once the crowds departed

Hue backpackers (they also have a branch in Hanoi) has everything the discerning MC Hammer-trouser-westerner could want: beer, grungy (grungie?) guitar music, burger and beer (beerger) nights, fish & chips nights, curry nights, drinking games, many flavoured vodka shots (one called arse), pretty barmaids and silly t-shirts for sale. We settle into the comfortable dorm, meet our new roomie, Ozzzie David, then scoot off down the road in search of food.

HQ

Our first culture stop was the citadel. Now pretty much flattened from the French then Americans it's not much to look at but has a fascinating history and some amazing carp in the entrance pond. Out the back entrance we carry on the walk around the city walls, grab a sweet coffee and stroll through the markets before heading back to western headquarters.

Work it... yea, more hips... MORE HIPS

David tells us that it's his birthday today so we have a burger and wash it down with a few Huda and festival beers (it is beerger night after all). We inform the staff and they very kindly sort a delicious cake and sing happy birthday as only the Vietnamese could. The cake gets munched by everyone in the bar and we continue with the drinking, buying David a shot of arse (vodka and fish oil) to really send him on his way! Hic.

I've been left partuicularly numb in the religion region since leaving India. Apparently only 20% of Vietnamese are active Buddhists but Hue is touted as the spiritual capital of Vietnam so i'm expecting to see something. We hire bicycles and head off in the specific direction of a temple & pagoda, to a complete fail (some issues with the Lonely Planet map guv!). But this is not an issue. My favourite days in cities have always been to go with no plan. In this case we found some hyper-local backstreets, giant Catholic graveyards, a huge warrior statue and a vegetarian restaurant that gave us some pork!

"vegetarian" restaurant (the food was delicious)

Waiting for the train...

When I pop my clogs I would like a statue of me - this size.

Where's Hoochie-Minh?

Breaking from the random cycle routing I could see a temple from a hill, so decided that would be our next destination. An hour later, and a bike race with some local kids, we find a deserted back-street leading to what seems like an extremely Buddhist area containing a Thai Monastery, a temple, some large Buddha statues, an incredibly lifelike waxwork of "Hoa Thuong Ho Nhan" (I hope I have that correct) and some plastic wild animals. I cannot find any information about it on the web. Maybe someone reading this might know?

Writing above the Monastery entrance

Hoa Thuong Ho Nhan & me. Same Same!

Many mini-Stupa'

Vietnamese kiss: day 3

Ella, Sri Lanka

A resident of Ella on the bus with stumps for legs and a weeping hand (he'd been to the hospital) wished me luck on my travels, a one-eyed man let me have a cup of tea for free and a Sri Lankan man called Roy supplied me with a gem of a room. Maybe my faith is now restored?

Getting off the bus into the cooler hill air of Ella I knew I'd like this place. The lush green hills surround this cute little town. Little cafe's and shops line the tiny street and people are super-smiley. Excited by the photo opportunities I sweated my way up (backpack and all) to the nearest vantage point, much to the amusement of tuk-tuk drivers (whom i'm boycotting). Up at the Ambience guest house the views are magnificent, down Ellas gap with Ellas rock on the right and little Ella on the left.

After gazing for ages I make the descent to try and find a guest house in my budget. Most places are overpriced because you have a view from your balcony or air conditioning. I just want a small room, good price. Fourth place i'd looked at: too expensive. Further down the street a Sri Lankan chap called Roy pops out "Room sir? Good price" The price is in budget (£14 for two nights) so I have a look. He leads me into some kind of palace thing with columns, then up stairs with big Japanese paintings at the top. As he opens the door he says "Room quite small sir". Expecting the worst the door opens into a GIANT room.

The mosquito net covers both beds

I ask Roy "Why so cheap?" and he just says "You're lucky". Once paid and Roy gone I sit in the little throne in the corner and wonder what on earth possessed someone to make such bad use of space?? There's a little table and two chairs, one double and one single bed. A throne, two sun loungers in the ceiling to floor windows and an en-suite. I'm still in wonder now, two days later! Was this the man on the buses doing?

Me on my throne, surveying my kingdom

Once I'd gathered my thoughts I came across the next bonus. Fast wi-fi, very close. This is how I've now managed to upload all my photo's to date (you may need to befriend me on Google+) and update this blog, pretty much to where I am now! (I'm sitting in this palace). 

Sampled the famous garlic curry at the Rawena palace hotel that evening, kinda wish I'd taken my camera but was charging the battery. And I didn't think that it would be such a spectacle of 15 dishes, with fresh lime soda and large bats flying around the open restaurant. 

Next morning up at 6am. Packed biscuits, water, bananas, oranges and chocolate for the walk up Ellas rock. This isn't a walk by English countryside standards. There's no signposts, you have to walk along railway tracks, across a rickety bridge, through head high reed fields, tea plantations, forests then a steep rocky top section. I was lost in the reed fields when a "farmer" popped out of nowhere to show me the way. I was glad, as I was on my own with no-one else about at that time. He lead me to the top to an incredible view, and super-fresh morning air. 

We stayed at the top for ages. He told me that his name is Javaheda (that's how it sounded anyway!) and he is actually a farmer, and produced tomato seeds - a sure fire sign of a farmer. I gave an approving nod and we had some food and drink. He didn't seem so sure when I pulled Monsta out of my bag though.

Quick jaunt down and I offered him 200 rupees for the help and walked off back down the tracks towards town. The rest of the day was spent doing the same, but in various other not quite so strenuous monkey infested walks then relaxing in the palace finishing the photo uploads and drinking tea.