Visiting the Rinboche in Tengboche

Local time: 08 April 19:30
Location: Tengboche
Altitude: 3850m
Weather: Sunny until about 4pm, then cloudy 10C

Hi Everyone,

It’s Tim, still in Tengboche.

Happy Easter to everyone! Thanks to Mary and Beck Adler II we and P Temba enjoyed Easter eggs. It was a very pleasant treat!

Today was a rather lazy day around Tengboche. Our grand plans of doing an afternoon hike evaporated in an intense competition of ‘500’. Team Australia (Paul and I) has so far prevailed over Team Canada (Meagan & Dame), but it is still early days and we are expecting the Canadians to mount a strong comeback.

Last night
Last night after dinner P Temba entertained us with stories of his past expeditions, experiences and travels. We were captivated by P Temba’s recount of his long friendship with Sir Edmund Hillary. So far we have learned from P Temba that:
– His father provided logistics support to Sir Edmund Hillary’s original expeditions.
– He was a founding pupil of the Sir Edmund Hillary school in Khumjung in 1960.
– Was heavily involved in Sir Edmund Hillary’s construction of Lukla airport.
– Has stayed with Sir Edmund Hillary at his home in NZ.
– And is a past board member of Sir Edmund Hillary’s Himalayan Trust.

Each day we learn more about P Temba and continue to be in awe of his experiences and achievements.

Also, we figured out that P Temba and Lakpa are more widely traveled through the United States than any of us, save for Steve who heralds from Washington State.

This morning
This morning we were woken at 5:00am by the sun to a fantastic view of Everest. Unlike yesterday, the skies were perfectly clear with endless views of Everest and the surrounding mountains. I think the posted photo taken while I was lying in bed says it all. This view really brought home for me just how special this trip is and how memorable this will be.

FedEx delivery
Atilla was very excited to receive a package of climbing equipment. Normally a delivery would not warrant a mention. This particular package however traveled from Hungary to Kathmandu via an express mail courier. Mohan from Asian Trekking picked up the package and placed it on a flight into Lukla. From Lukla a porter picked up the package and walked it overland to our lodge here in Tengboche. It was quite a surreal experience to witness the porter walking into our dining area and delivering the package to Attila. The porter left Lukla at 4pm yesterday, stayed overnight part way, and arrived this morning at 9am. An amazing feat in itself.

Visit with the Lama
At 10am we visited with the Lama. P Temba knows the Lama well and was able to arrange this visit for us. The Lama for this monastery is also the Rinboche, the senior Lama for this region. We each purchased katas and had them blessed by the Lama. It was great to be able to experience this important part of Nepalese culture.

Tomorrow
Tomorrow we will hike to Pheriche. It will be a 400m gain in altitude and the next day we will progress to Lobuche. No news on the members expedition bags.

Your Messages:

Sara,
Good luck with the trip – it sounds great. Paul tips for acclimatization are:
– Drinking lots of water
– Walking at slow and steady pace is preferred to a faster pace with more breaks
– Allow rest days, especially after over 500 metres in altitude gain.

I hope this helps – let us know how your trip goes.

Katrin and Corinna:
Rudi was very happy and excited to receive your message! We are happy to pass your messages on to him.

Billie:
Lakpa was sitting right next to us when we received your message. He was really happy to hear from you and explained to the group his connection with you.

Gordon:
Thanks for the good wishes.

MC:
We still don’t quite understand the porter strike either. In any case it appears we have enough porters to transport our trek bags. The expedition bags are still in Namche where the lodge owner is organizing yaks to transport them to basecamp.

Michele and Bill:
It was great to meet Pat. He is definitely doing well with all the technology. We will see him in base camp. The exact day Paul attempts to summit will depend upon the respective team plans and acclimisation progress.

Hey Andy:
It was our first decent look at Everest. The flight into Lukla gave us a brief glimpse of Everest, but yes the Everest View hotel gave us our first decent look. From Namche, Mt. Everest did not look the biggest as it was the furthermost away. There is no doubt now though, from our current location, which mountain is king.

Hi Dad & Mary:
Hi to everyone. Rest assured we are being very careful. The Easter Bunny did visit and was thoughtful enough to bring the small eggs that will not break in our bags 🙂

GPS Fans:
The GPS is great. Although we didn’t turn it on today as our card game would probably not be very interesting on Google Earth. Unlike the photos we select, we have no idea from our location how our trekking looks on the website via Google Earth. It is great to get the feedback.

Hi Jacci J, Great to hear that everything is going well with you guys. Paul.

Hi Beck (Adler II),
Thanks for your message. It is good to hear news from home. Sounds like you have really been roughing it. Glad to hear you are having a great time. I hope I don’t cramp your new lifestyle when I return 🙂 Dame

Hi Fiona, Well done on making it to the final 3 for the business plan competition. Paul.

Mira:
You win the award for the most messages posted in a single day! Thanks for your interest. I leave Nepal around April 23rd.

Till next time,
Tim