Week 15 – Back down to lower ground

Nepal (Gorak Shep – Lukla – Kathmandu)

After the night at 5,200 m we hiked back down towards the valley. We had reached our goal, EBC, and even climbed a bit higher to 5,500 m. The descent on the first day was very pleasant and went quite quickly. Our destination was Pangboche; in the eight-hour hike we covered a good 15 km. As on the way up, there were lots of yaks along the trail. They aren't wild but belong to local farmers. The milk of the females (nak) is turned into cheese or butter, and the butter is often used to make tea. Black tea with salt and butter is called butter tea.

We arrived in Pangboche in the evening and were once again the only trekkers at the lodge. The next day we went straight to Namche, where we stayed at the same place as on the way up. For lunch we ate meat for the first time on the trek. At this altitude meat usually comes from goats, buffalo or yaks. Because it's hard to keep animals at these heights and food is scarce too, meat is correspondingly expensive. Instead of dal bhat we had mutton soup – goat meat soup.

On the way I saw a young woman who seemed to be being deloused by other women. That wasn't the case, though – the other women were pulling out grey hairs. Just as with us, having grey hair at a young age is frowned upon.

On Saturday afternoon we arrived back at our starting point, Lukla, in the rain. There we learned that the other traveller who had more or less accompanied us as far as Dingboche, and had developed altitude sickness symptoms there, had to be rescued by helicopter. Besides severe headaches and blurred vision, she had started coughing up blood, and fluid was collecting under her skin. In Kathmandu she was eventually diagnosed with both pulmonary and cerebral oedema. Her ascent had been as fast as ours, but individually too fast for her. She's fine again now, with no lasting damage.

The weather stayed rainy, so we had to stay another day in Lukla, as no planes could land at the 2,800 m airstrip. In the evening we met other travellers we also knew from Kathmandu. Together we drank tongba, a slightly alcoholic Tibetan drink made from fermented millet and hot water. However it may sound, it's very tasty.

On Tuesday morning we caught the first flight to Kathmandu. Arriving in the capital without any notable events, we dropped our backpacks at the hostel. Then my Nepali friend organised a motorbike and we rode to Dhulikhel. Motorbikes and scooters are the most common means of transport. Unlike in Europe, only the rider has to wear a helmet. In the past it was different, but somehow nobody stuck to it. In Dhulikhel, about an hour away, we visited Kathmandu University. My companion showed me the campus and the halls of residence, and we met some of his friends.

The area around Kathmandu University is a bit more rural, so it's fairly normal for cows and goats to live on campus.

After a day in Kathmandu we went back to my friend's home town, Bharatpur. I used the time there to organise and plan my volunteer work.

Next week, after more than five months together, my travel companion flies back to Germany. That'll probably be the last report, as I think what comes after won't be that interesting. We'll see 😀

Journey from Germany to Nepal - EBC Himalaya / Lukla / KTM Week 15Watch the video on YouTube