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We woke up in the clouds, literally. The cold had come and I quickly went outside to feel it. Today is going to be a different challenge. Refresh, change (lots of layers), pack, breakfast, stretch and away we go. Our journey to Dingboche began.
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Onward upward we continued. In under 30 mins we were pleasantly surprised as Ama Dablam with its two ridges and ‘lonely hiker’ came into full view. In an instant we turned our heads to Everest with its white cap (called a banner cloud) and welcoming smile. Nuptse, in front, was still forming an impregnable fortress. Another beautiful sunny day and we quickly shed off our layers as our body heat increased. The hike to Tengboche was underway.
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The rhythm continues. Fueled with porridge and Nepali (masala) tea (and maskana biscuit from home), we headed out for our day of acclimatization climbing up to Sayangboche then back down to Namche Bazaar.
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Phakding (2626m) to Namche Bazaar (3370m)
The rhythm started – washup, change, pack up, breakfast, stretch and go. And, hopefully some writing too – battery and connectivity permitting. Day 1 was a smorgasbord of helter skelter rushing and running. But, that’s behind us. In the first few minutes of the hike the banner, courtesy of Bokkie, our group leader, who’s determined to take it to the top, would come out for a group pic. I’ve heard we’ve so far raised almost R80k for a worthy cause – school shoes for learners especially in rural areas.
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Just after midnight 19 of us and 2 guides loaded our duffel and back packs and climbed into two combis for a 5-hour drive to Manthali to catch our flight to Lukla so that we can hike to Phakding. It was a helter skelter Sunday prior to departing as we had a morning tour, completed last minute shopping, pre-tour induction and packed unpacked packed repeat our luggage to stay within 15kgs. None of us got much sleep.
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