EBC Day 7

PLAN: Macchermo (elevation 4410m); walk approximately 3-4 hours.

The plan is to ascend slowly through the Dudh Koshi valley - as you can see from the image above they will walk along the Dudh Koshi river, but higher up in the valley. The guide in the itinerary states that although they will probably find the walking easy, they might start to feel the effects of altitude in even the smallest hill.


So they should start to be above the tree line and the hillsides turn brown and barren, with only the odd small cluster of juniper ("they're MY juniper bushes!" for you Python fans) to break it up. So a bit of contrast now it seems to the snowy mountains and blue sky they have been seeing.


After lunch there is an option (bet they take it) to take an excursion across the rocky moraines (A moraine is a rock formation that was created by the movement of a glacier; the glacier would have deposited rocks and stones as it moved) to the base of Kyojo Ri (6168m) and Macchermo Peak (6073m).

And this is where they have to keep their wits about them...they have to keep their eye out for the Yeti!!! Dah dah DAAAAAAH! It is here is 1974 that three yaks were killed and a Sherpa girl was badly injured when trying to fight off a hairy ape-like creature.

EBC Day 5; The Royal Wedding

PLAN: Khumjung (3780 metre elevation); walk 3 hours.

Leaving the Sherpa capital Namche Bazaar, the trail heads up the ridges and views of Ama Dablam can be seen. Everest can be seen on the horizon before they descend through the rhododendron forests to Khumjung “The City in The Clouds”. This is where Sir Edmund Hillary built “school house in the clouds” and famous Khude hospital.

On the way they will pass through terraced fields where they might see the colourful Imphient Pheasant, the national bird of Nepal.

They should be able to visit the Khumjung monastery where they’ll be able to see the famous ‘scalp of yeti’…it looks like it’s one of those unexplained mysteries. Apparently Sir Edmund Hillary , in 1960, went on a yeti-hunting trip to gather evidence of the yeti. He bought back what they said was the scalp of the yeti. Independent various scientific reports have come back stating that it is either from a yak, a serrow (type of goat) or a bear!

Incidentally, Yeti seems to have come from the word, meti, (bearing in mind local dialects) meaning bear. Tibetans fear and worship the bear as a supernatural being! Stuff of legend!

When I spoke to him today he mentioned that he had been to the monastery and has taken lots of photos for me.

They are all in love with the place and the surroundings and hubby in particular is planning to get us all to go at some point. Their guide had told them that the youngest he's taken trekking this far was 2 and a half years old!!!

I was so excited to speak to him that I can't remember some of what he said! If it comes back to me I'll amend this post.
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News from back home:

The kids and I spent the day at Champagne Charlie's, watching the Royal Wedding. Heartfelt, smiley and happy! What a lovely ceremony.

I remember where I was when Charles and Diana married in July 1981; at my grandparents house in Gillingham. I can remember we were all in the front room watching the television and there was an air of anticipation and excitement. My mum was pregnant with my sister, who arrived almost a month later.

So as I remember this, I'd like my kids to remember where they were...maybe. As I was explaining it to Bear, it sounded like I was recounting a fairytale! And that in itself got me all over-excited!

And surprisingly my 5 year old boy sat a) longer than I expected and b) longer than his sister!






It was whilst we were here that I managed to get through to hubby. So everyone managed to a say a big hello to him.
A little background on DH; sitting watching the Royal Wedding would be a very very bad nightmare for him. He's ex-forces but doesn't have an interest at all in the Monarchy. You don't have to really, to be in the forces, I don't think. Anyway, they have not watched anything at all on television on their trip so far.
Until today.
When a local woman working in the Tea house came into their room, and switched on the set...and there was the Royal Wedding being screened. Oh, the irony! Where in the world could my husband be to get away from it?? Not even on the way to the highest part of the world!