October 5th
We woke up at dawn, hoping for clear weather to see Mt. Everest and boy were we treated to an amazing sight! Except for a few small clouds, the sky was perfectly clear. In all directions around us, the highest mountains in the world were silhouetted in the beautiful colors of sunrise! We looked around in absolute awe and amazement not only at the picture perfect views of Everest, but at the clear 360 degree panorama of incredible and impressive natural beauty. Some of the mountains that were in view we had seen before, but never all together. From Mt. Everest to the Tengboche Monestary to the clouds filling the valley below us, everything was incredible - to the point of seeming almost unreal!
At first light: Mandi with Mt. Everest, Lhotse and Nuptse on the left, Ama Dablam on the right.
Mandi, Thamserku, and Kantega
Ama Dablam (my favorite mountain)
The opposite direction from Everest there were more massive mountains. Here, you can see the clouds advancing up the valley.
Mandi in awe of the amazing Everest views!
The sun just starting to shine on Mt. Everest!
The Tengboche Monestary
The clouds advanced up the valley quickly and within 20 minutes or so, we were in the fog. This was a last ditch attempt to do a group picture in front of Mt. Everest (you can actually see the silhouette of Everest on the left).
The Tengboche area is magical even in the fog.
6:30am - Mandi is ready to see monks chanting and meditating!
After being treated to an amazing views at first light, we were treated to a completely different and equally amazing experience. Monks at Tengboche get up around 6am and one of the first things that many of them do is gather in the monastery for chanting and meditation. We went in to the monastery and were ushered to the side of the hall where rugs had been placed for guests to sit. Then one by one - each a few minutes apart from the other, several monks filed in, sat down cross-legged, covered themselves in red robes for warmth, sipped some tea, and began chanting. The low, guttural chanting of these few monks reverberated through the room and filled it with a sound that you thought would have taken ten times as many people to create.
Feeling good and relaxed after watching the monks chanting.
After visiting the monastery, we had breakfast and the rest of our tour group headed back to Namche Bazaar. As Tengboche was the pinnacle of our trek experience, Mandi and I did not want to go so soon. We asked Grourav - our guide, if we could stay for another hour or so. He agreed that we could stay for a bit longer, and wow was it the right thing to do! A little while later the clouds started to lift and we were again treated to amazing monastery and mountain views!
The monestary with clouds just starting to lift.
The main entrance (note the monk in red near the top of the stairs).
Mandi shows you where Mt. Everest is!
Mandi with the lodge we stayed in along with Thamserku and Kantega behind her.
Crystal clear view of Everest (the best view of Everest that we saw). Good thing we stuck around!
Myself, Ama Dablam, and some lingering clouds.
Ama Dablam
Lhotse, Nuptse, and Everest.
Spinning the prayer wheels around the monastery.
Spending a little time with the caretaker of Tengboche. He was incredibly friendly and full of interesting stories about the history of the monastery.
Getting close to time to head back - you can see the trail back snaking along the side of the ridge.
One last close-up view of Ama Dablam. The hanging glacier is known as the "Dablam" (necklace) which is where the mountain gets its name.
A traditional sherpa hut on the way back to Namche.
Crossing the Dudh Khosi river.
This woman is using a mortar and pestle to crush garlic.
As always - the local kids are interested in us.
Incredible gorge carved by the Dudh Khosi.
A nice traditional lunch of Dal Bhat (rice and lentils), along with steamed Momos (dumplings).
This guy is a Himalayan Tahr (a type of wild goat).
Trekking through the foggy alpine meadows above Namche.
