Day 4 of Mount Everest Base Camp Tour (Tengboche to Phakding, Sunday March 22, 2015)

This morning I get up around 5:45. The room is pretty cold, so I decide to dress up quickly (as yesterday I put some of my clothes into my sleeping bag to have some warm underwear in the morning…). As next step I decide to check the weather conditions outside. It is chilly (around -10 degrees) but no clouds and the sunrise over Lhotse and Mount Everest is simply fantastic. This morning is as beautiful as yesterday. After a good breakfast (I try out Tibetian bread) and some last pics with Dorjee, Randy, Jim and the porters it’s time to say goodbye.

Tengboche, 6am - surise over Lhotse and Mount Everest with Nuptse Wall:

Tengboche, 6am - the beautiful view of the entire Khumbu Valley from our lodge; including Ama Dablam:

My breakfast this moring: Tibetian Bread with cheese:

Breakfast room - so cold that you can see you breath in the cold air:

Beautiful Tegoche monastery (gompa) after sunrise:

 

As I have to catch the plane back from Lukla on Thursday and as the Lukla airport can easily turn into a bottleneck due to unstable weather conditions, Dorjee advised me to trek back the entire route from Tengboche to Phakding today. This is usually a 2 day tour but I try to make it in 1 day (should be doable as it is mostly downhill). My porter and I start around 8am and as we almost alone and as we are well acclimatized now, we walk pretty fast. This time we take the direct route below the Mount Everest View hotel, but the views are almost as terrific as on the upper trek. As the path is almost even and as the temperatures are still moderate (15 degrees in the sun – not too cold, not too warm, almost no wind) the trek is like a wonderful walk in the park. It is so much fun to walk here and to enjoy the mountains. I hardly realize how fast we are and after 2,5 hours we are already in Namche Bazaar. Here we decide to stop and to have some tea.

Morning in Tengboche with Everest View - Video:

 

Last picture of our 'dream team' and time to say goodbye:

 

Khumbu Valley in the morning sun:

Out lodge in Tengboche with some Himalaya giants in the back:

On the way back from Tengoche:

 

Steep descent from tengoche - with Porter carrying an entire wooden door up (!):

 

'My Porter' Acte on the way back to Namche:

The wonderful hike (this time the 'main route') from Tengboche to Namche: 

Back to Namche aroud 10:30am:

 

Around 11:30 we continue our way down to Monjo and to the entrance gate of the Mount Everest National Park. Now I realize how steep the ascent to Namche Bazaar is! On the viewpoint in the middle of the trek we stop to take the last Mount Everest pictures – goodbye, my friend; the last days have been unbelievable and far, far beyond my imagination. We cross again the high suspension bridge, trek down to Monjo and further towards Phakding. Now we are trekking already 6,5 hours and somehow I get tired. It’s cloudy now and no longer as beautiful as it used to be. Finally, finally, finally we reach Phakding where we stay in the same lodge as a couple of days ago. The people there can’t believe that we trekked the entire way from Tengboche to Phakding in one day only! After a good meal I decide to visit the ‘Liquor Bar’ again and to order a well-deserved beer.  Later in the lodge I have good discussions with a German girl and her husband from Nepal and some Canadians from Montreal. Most of the trekkers are really interesting people and as tomorrow will be quite easy I stay longer in the dining room as usual. Around 10pm I finally decide to go to bed

The trail back to Phadking with the high suspension bridge in the valley:

Pracer wheel close to Namche on the way back:

Last view of Mount Everest - sad to say goodbye!:

Yak train carrying the equipment to teh Everest Base Camp for a Korean expedition:

Finally back tp Phadking and first beer in front of the 'Liquor Bar':

Excellent Nepali 'Dal Bhat' at Namaste Lodge in Phadking: