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Victoria Falls, Africa

Ahhh….to be back in Africa. I do have a special affinity for this beautiful, but challenged, continent. So rich in resources, beautiful landscapes, awe-inspiring animals and amazing people often compromised by corrupt leaders and governments.

The plan was to initially visit Victoria Falls for several days before proceeding with our safari plans in Botswana and Namibia. The group consisted of myself, Anna, Teresa, Lorraine and Scotty. After yet another overnight flight, we landed in Johannesburg. We were only staying there briefly before we connected to a flight which would take us to Victoria Falls. I am not the biggest fan of Johannesburg international Airport. The facility itself is modern and certainly matches the standards of other airports around the world. It does not, however, match other airports in terms of customer service. It is a huge airport and they seem to go out of their way to make it difficult for you to determine where you need to go for your connecting flight. I suspect this is done to support the local airport economy of unsolicited “porters” who wish to take you to the appropriate booking area for your connecting flight. As soon as you exit the baggage claim area you are often assailed by numerous “porters”, who can be quite aggressive and do expect payment even though you tell them up front that they will receive none. The other problem is the unhelpful “customer service agents” who show little enthusiasm for their jobs. We were aware of these challenges from previous visits. However, this time, we were not quite prepared for the experience we had!

Firstly, Lorraine could not get a straight answer as to whether her checked bags would be checked all the way through to our final destination of Victoria Falls. What she was told when we departed in Heathrow did not seem to match what the baggage customer service representative told her in Johannesburg. The bags were actually checked through, but, in Johannesburg we were told they were not so we wasted a good 30 or 40 minutes waiting for her bags to arrive at the carousel needlessly. Because we arrived so early in Johannesburg, Teresa had booked a day room for just a morning so that we could get some rest and a shower before we boarded our plane to Victoria Falls. Because of the aforementioned delays, we decided that there was no reason to use the day room so Teresa went ahead and tried to see if she could get some reimbursement with the late cancellation. Despite her best efforts, she could not. Ouch! We took a bit of a financial hit on that one!

Lorraine, Anna and I then tried to find out where the check-in desk would be for our next connecting flight to Victoria Falls. Scotty was not present as he was arriving on a later flight. When we got to the check-in desk for our next flight we were told with absolute confidence by the ticket agent that we would be boarding our next flight at gate A00. It sounded strange, but, we believed what we were told. Because we had some time, we found gate A0 and assumed this was the correct gate to board our next flight. Even when we talked to the customer service agent at that gate she told us it was the correct gate but we could not check in at that time but would have to come back 45 minutes prior to departure to check-in. Interestingly, when we were there we noticed several other travellers running like their life depended on it to get to that gate. The gate was just closing for a flight. One gentleman stated angrily “someone gave me the wrong information and that’s why I’m late, you had better let me onto this flight or there is going to be trouble”. There were arrival and departure boards at this end of the airport but none of them listed our flight or gate number! We decided to go for breakfast at a restaurant which was located close to this supposed departure gate. As we were walking back we again noticed several travellers running! This seemed to be the norm at this airport and at that time we even had a chuckle about their predicament. Little did we realize! We tried to contact Teresa by cell phone to find out where she was so that we could meet for breakfast and also go to the appropriate gate together. We had no luck. After breakfast and as our departure time was rapidly approaching, we proceeded back to gate A0. To our shock the gate and surrounding area was completely deserted and in fact the hallway just after the gate closed. Yikes! We realized there was a big problem. We compared our tickets-they all had the same flight number and gate number (cryptic gate A00) but the boarding times were different. This clearly was an incorrect gate. Guess what? Like many other travellers we had seen, we were now running feverishly like our lives depended on it! I was really concerned that we were going to miss our flight so I ran ahead as Lorraine and Anna followed. As we proceeded out of this end of the airport we were able to find a flight to Victoria Falls at Gate A24 which was boarding. Even with running it took about 20 minutes to get there. I ran up to the agent and explained the situation as Anna and Lorraine had not arrived. The gate was closing. She looked at my ticket and said “this is not your flight you have to go back to Gate A0”. I could not believe it! I told her that this could not be the case. It is true that the flight number for the departing Victoria Falls flight was not completely the same as the flight number on my ticket. She was adamant. I dejectedly started to go back to tell Anna and Lorraine who had not arrived. Thankfully, at that point I ran into Teresa and Scotty who were very relieved to see me. They stated “where have you been our flight is boarding shortly”. I told them our sad tale. It turns out our correct departing gate was A19 which happened to be almost immediately adjacent to the gate I had just tried to board. I could not believe the last customer service agent did not know this. Anna and Lorraine finally arrived and we were all able to finally get on our flight. In the end we determined that gate A00 does not exist. It simply is something they put on the ticket when there is not an assigned gate. You think they would’ve told us this! In the future, if at all possible, if I can avoid connections through Johannesburg I will try. I love traveling and the wonderful places I get to see, but, these sort of experiences really detract from it all.

We eventually arrived in Victoria Falls without further incident. It was good to be back. I had been there once previously. While I loved Zimbabwe the previous time, the presence of so many Army officials with guns and checkpoints really coloured my view. It seemed to be different this time. I did not see as many armed Army personnel and the people were much more engaging than my previous experience. We were delivered to our hotel, the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, which was absolutely beautiful. It also had a very good restaurant and excellent service. We had wonderful views over the surrounding savanna as well as a pool [which we were happy to use that evening] and most importantly, poolside service for gin and tonics! It was a great place to relax and that evening we had a wonderful dinner there. It had a nice patio off the bar area where we could view and photograph the beautiful sunsets. Perfect! Teresa had her own room, Anna and Lorraine were sharing a room as well as Scotty and I. When I was unpacking my bags I noticed that I could not find my shaver. On a previous trip with my friend Richard, we had the experience of his video camera being stolen. I was sure that the baggage staff at the Johannesburg airport had stolen my shaver. The cost of the stolen shaver did not really bother me. It was the ides of stealing that did. I mentioned the stolen shaver several times during my trip and did make some disparaging comments about the airport workers. It just seemed to add to my negative opinion of Johannesburg.

Beautiful sunset from Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, Zimbabwe Africa

Beauty even in a dying banana tree leaf- Victoria Falls Safari Lodge. Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe Africa

Over the next several days we enjoyed all Victoria Falls had to offer. Of course, the highlight was Victoria Falls itself. We had a wonderful morning visit with a good opportunity to take many photographs. There was a wonderful walkway with numerous vista points looking over the falls. Most enjoyable. Later in our Victoria Falls trip, Teresa and I also took a helicopter ride over the falls which provided a completely different perspective. Our cameras certainly got a good workout. Of course, there was also the opportunity to do some shopping. Victoria Falls is very touristy but does have some nice shops. We initially tried to shop at some of the shops run by local townspeople. There was a huge selection and great prices that you could bargain on, however, Lorraine, Anna and I simply could not deal with the aggressive selling tactics of the proprietors. We left in search of quieter, and more expensive, shops. We determined it was a fair price to pay to shop and relaxation. Teresa and Scotty were much more resilient and were able to survive shopping in that environment and got some great gifts at much better prices. Anna, Lorraine and I found some great products at a particularly good shop and also did some damage to our pocketbooks! I even had an orange [a colour I seem to have a strange affinity for] crocodile bracelet custom-made that day as they did not have my size in the shop. The sales agent even took me to the shop where they made the products and introduced me to the individual who would be making the bracelet. We made arrangements for it to be delivered to my hotel later that day. A quick funny story. Later that day when we arrived back at the hotel, we received a phone call in our room, which Scotty took, stating that the bracelet had arrived and could be picked up. I went to the front reception and they looked at me blankly as I told them I had just received a phone call to pick up this product that I had purchased in town. They had heard nothing of it. I must admit I was a little miffed. After the experience we had in the Johannesburg airport I really started to wonder about Africa. Could they not get anything right? I told them in no uncertain terms they have to figure it out and then get back to me when they found the product. I went back to the hotel room and talked to Scotty who was quite clear that he was told the product was ready for pickup but also stated he was not really informed where we could pick it up. We had just assumed it would be at reception. I found the receipt with the contact information of the shop I had purchased the bracelet from. I brought it back to them so that they could contact the shop directly and find out who they gave it to. The receptionist looked at where I had purchased it from and said “wait a minute”. She walked over to their own little gift shop and talked to the fellow who was there and asked him about receiving any deliveries from the shop. Of course, he had the bracelet. I am glad it all worked out but he should have let us know where it could be picked up when he contacted us by phone.

Victoria Falls mist, Zimbabwe Africa

Livingstone (statue)…..I presume! Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe Africa

Victoria Falls mist, Zimbabwe Africa

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe Africa

Wet stone and Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe Africa

Stone and Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe Africa

Soft Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe Africa

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe Africa

Three lovely ladies (Teresa, Lorraine and Anna left to right)- Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe Africa

Egret at Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe Africa

Man in the mist- Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe Africa

Misty view Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe Africa

Steve posing- Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe Africa

Anna cruising for photographs. Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe Africa

Flower macro photograph- Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe Africa

Crocodile- Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe Africa

Aerial view- Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe Africa

Aerial view with rainbow- Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe Africa

Aerial view- Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe Africa

Aerial view with rainbow- Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe Africa

After shopping, we had a fantastic lunch at a very nice courtyard restaurant surrounded by beautiful flowers that we just had to take photographs of. There were also some crocodiles in a nearby pool- another photographic opportunity. We walked around Victoria Falls for awhile and then took the bus back to our hotel. Teresa caused some excitement at the hotel that afternoon. Unbeknownst to the rest of us, Teresa had a favourite blue top that had gotten somewhat wrinkled. She determined the best way to deal with the situation was to steam out the wrinkles by turning her shower to hot and closing the bathroom door to build up the steam. This worked very effectively. Unfortunately, when she opened the bathroom door to retrieve the unwrinkled top all of the steam came rushing out and set off the fire alarm in her room. Scotty and I were not aware of this as we were down by the pool. Lorraine and Anna were in their room relaxing when they heard the alarm and the commotion. They came out of their room as several of the hotel’s male employees were rushing by. Lorraine and Anna asked them “what’s going on?”. They stated they had a fire alarm from room 10. Room 10!!! That was Teresa’s room! Everyone rushed over to her room and were relieved that there was actually no fire. We did not let her live this down. The top did look good…..especially unwrinkled!

The night before departing for Botswana we had a most fabulous dinner experience at the Boma-Place of Eating [that means restaurant]. This restaurant is located on the same grounds as the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge. It is a short walk over. We had previously booked reservations which are required at this restaurant. We did not know what to expect all we knew was this was the restaurant that we had committed ourselves to eating worms in! The Boma Restaurant specializes in a superb selection of traditional Zimbabwean dishes and is renowned for its warthog fillet. It serves a traditional four course meal with starters from the kitchen, soup from the campfire, substantial barbecue buffet served on cast-iron plates with a wide selection of salads followed by a choice of delicious desserts. The adventurous are enticed with local delicacies such as Mopami worms and game stews. After dinner, there is traditional drumming and dancing entertainment. The food was superb. We agreed the warthog off the grille was a definite highlight. Yes Anna, Lorraine, Scotty and I participated in eating the Mopami worms [it did not taste like chicken….Anna said it tasted like dirt!] and have the certificates to prove it. We had so much fun with the drumming [there is something primal about drumming] and even more so with the dancing. I have a propensity to develop a very loose pelvis when I am dancing. I had ample opportunity to display this with Teresa as we started the dancing festivities and were encircled by the other guests. A great time was had by all. What a wonderful way to end our Victoria Falls experience!

The next morning we were driven by transport van to the Kasane Airport in Botswana [after crossing the border which was much simpler compared to the last time I was here] to board a small plane and fly to our pickup point with Brian Gibson, the best guide in Africa, which was a dirt airstrip in the wilds of Savuti. We did run into one glitch. On smaller planes weight is everything. We had all brought a lot of gear and unfortunately the pilot stated we could not take it all in one trip due to weight constraints. All of us had to take gear out of our bags and place it into two additional duffel bags that were provided by the airline which would then be delivered the next day to us. In terms of safety, this was completely acceptable. However, the situation did produce some negativity in our group which I sensed. There was some question about whether we were appropriately informed of the weight restrictions. It’s funny how things work. As I was taking things out of my bag to place into the additional duffel I found my shaver tucked into my hiking boot where I had safely placed it! I held it up in victory which produced a lot of laughter in my travel mates [after my numerous disparaging comments about Johannesburg and the airport workers] and rapidly dissipated any negativity we felt at that time. We boarded the small Cessna airplane in good humour and had a wonderful flight over the Botswana savanna. There is a completely different experience in flying a small plane compared to the large jets we usually fly. Would Botswana live up to the high standards we had previously experienced? Teresa had named our tour this year “In search of the Leopard” because of our failed attempts to photograph a leopard on our previous trips. She had even made up T-shirts, which we were all wearing that morning, to poke a little fun at our guide Brian, who was intent on making sure that we got to photograph leopards this time. Would it happen?

Category:

General, Photo Gallery, Video Clip

Annapurna Sanctuary Base Camp- Part 3

Remembrance Day November 11, 2011 was spent descending from Sinuwa, 2360 m down more stone steps, crossing the river and then ascending another couple of thousand stone steps back up to Chhomrong. Of course, we had to stop again at the bakery to pick up some more chocolate rolls and enjoyed the wonderful sunshine. From Chhomrong, another steep descent involving rocky steps brought us to the beautiful village of Jhinudanda, 1780 m. The trek only took about three hours. Heaven. This village had a resort feel to it and the guesthouse was palatial compared to the ones that we had stayed in over the last several days. I was also back to having my own room which was worth its weight in gold. There were a lot more flowers and vegetation at the lower altitude. The weather continued to be warm and sunny. What a wonderful place.

After lunch, we descended several hundred meters from our guesthouse to the Modi Khola and enjoyed a wonderful soak in the hot springs for three hours for medicinal purposes you understand. What a great prescription! There were two separate pools the upper and lower and the water was quite warm and felt wonderful after so many days of trekking. There were quite a few people however this did not detract from the experience. The guide and porter really seemed to have been looking forward to this particular experience. They really seemed to enjoy themselves. After soaking for about 30 minutes I informed some of the bathers in the lower pool of the virtues of going into cold water like a true Canadian. They were shocked when I hopped out of the pool and carefully stepped down the stones and immersed myself into the cold rushing nearby river. I then quickly climbed back into the hot pool to experience that wonderful tingle. Soon everybody was trying it. We all had a good laugh over this folly. I also met up with Barbara and Paul from Okotoks again. We ascended back to the guesthouse afterwards. After a wonderful dinner a wonderful sleep was had.

November 12, 2011, the next morning, we left Jhinudanda and crossed New Bridge and arrived at Landruk, 1565 m, well ahead of schedule. Because we arrived so early I really felt we should go onwards to Dhampus. The guide agreed. The hike was lovely and there was little ascent and no significant stone steps. Yes! There was a more formal trail and beautiful small villages along this route. It was a wonderful hike. I think in retrospect this would have been a much better route to ascend to ABC as opposed to the Nayapul ascent as it would have bypassed a lot of the stone steps which are not particularly enjoyable to do. The evening was spent at a reasonable guesthouse where I met two lovely young women doing some volunteer work and trekking as well. Krishna and I played cards with them into the evening. The weather that day had started to cloud over but it did not really matter with the trek coming to an end. That evening we had a return of mist and fog and it certainly created a ghostly feel to the evening.

November 13, 2011 was a very short descent hike from Dhampus to Phedi, 1130 m. It was extremely humid from the night before and we had a very steep descent on rocky steps. With my hiking boots and Vibram soles it was practically treacherous. I almost fell several times and we really had to slow down in order to avoid an injury or fall. We arrived back at the highway at 0845 hrs which officially ended the ABC trek. It was a relatively gruelling trek and we finished a day early. We had covered approximately 125 km and probably climbed close to 10,000 stone steps, total elevation gained was 8065 m and total elevation descent was 7641 m. The total caloric output was huge probably in the range of 18,000 kcal. There is no way you can eat enough food to keep up. Hence, weight loss occurs. Overall, it was a great experience despite some of the challenges I have listed. Certainly, it whetted my appetite for Everest base camp.

Annapurna Base Camp Elevation Profile

A taxi picked us up and drove us back to Pokhara. After a nice lunch and probably the best Nepalese Dal Bhat I have had (and I am proud to say that I ate it with my hands- no cutlery- in the true Nepalese style) we had a free afternoon. We decided to rent a boat and had a leisurely paddle on the Phewa Tal to a small island to visit a Hindu temple and then onwards to be dropped off on the opposite shore of the lake to climb up several hundred meters of stone steps (I never seem to tire of this) to a beautiful Peace Pagoda with wonderful views of Pokhara. It was a wonderful afternoon. We took several pictures up at the pagoda. Another wonderful experience was having Ganesh and Krishna sing a local song about Pokhara while we were paddling on the lake. I used my camera to video Krishna singing and will include this in this post for you to enjoy as well.

Almost every Nepali seems to be able to sing well. It is obvious singing brings them a lot of joy. That evening in Pokhara we had a wonderful meal at a beautiful restaurant and enjoyed each other’s company. The next day Krishna would be leaving us and we would have a different porter for the next trek.

November 14, 2011 we took the tourist bus back early in the morning to Kathmandu. I so wished I would have paid to have another private hire taxi ride instead. The bus was in poor condition with absolutely no suspension, very noisy with a bone jarring ride. It was a truly horrible experience. However it is a relatively inexpensive way to get back. Believe it or not it took approximately 7 hours to get back to Kathmandu. The roads were congested and along the way there was a major crash which completely plugged up the road between a bus and a truck. This is a common occurrence. We did have a lunch stop along the way. I also gave Krishna my camera to play with during the journey and to take pictures which he seemed to thoroughly enjoy. When we arrived in Kathmandu we took a taxi to a different hotel where I said goodbye to Krishna and gave him a big hug. I really grew to like this fellow. Even though his English was limited his bubbly personality came through and he had a real joyous nature. He seemed to warm up over the 10 days and was much more interactive with me compared to initially. I think that porters are often discouraged from interacting too much with clients. I am so glad I did not ascribe to this policy. I tipped him well and said farewell. I would continue to have Ganesh as my guide for the next trek. Everest base camp had not worked out due to poor weather in early November. Would I be successful in getting there on this second attempt?

Category:

Elevation Data, General, Video Clip

Crazy Kathmandu

I actually arrived in Kathmandu November 1, 2011. The flight from Paro, Bhutan only took approximately one hour but unfortunately I did not get a view of Mount Everest on the way in. The airport was an experience in itself. After landing, there was an extremely long and very slow line in order to get your entry visa. The process was done manually and involved several agents inexplicably. This process actually took much longer than the flight from Bhutan. Once I was through I was able to finally exit the airport and was greeted by about 2 million taxi drivers all wanting my business. It took me a while to get through the crowd but I eventually found Ramesh who was organizing my Nepal trip as well as Ganesh my guide for the next one month.

Driving from the airport to my downtown hotel was also quite an experience. This was the first time I was in a very large Asian city in a developing country. I was simply not prepared for the crowds, the cacophony of continual blaring car and motorcycle horns as well as the general filth and lack of sanitation. It was quite overwhelming and I must admit I took an immediate dislike to the city. It was such a shock from the tranquility and beauty of the high country of Bhutan. Animals were seen roaming and freely defecating everywhere and I saw throngs of people picking through garbage for useful items. The level of poverty was shocking. I tried not to display my shock to my very pleasant hosts who were most friendly. Ramesh, in particular, spoke extremely good English with a Canadian accent.

Ramesh, the tour operator

My hotel was located in the tourist district of Thamel, Kathmandu. This area was full of trekking companies, trekking stores, arts and craft stores as well as numerous restaurants and most of the tourist hotels. It was absolutely packed with action and people. It is part of Kathmandu but not representative of the true culture of the city. In this area it was more common for me to be greeted with “do want to buy and smoke some hash?” as apposed to the proper Nepali greeting of “Nasmste”! After getting settled in my hotel the plan was for my guide Ganesh to take me out to Hanuman-dhoka Durbar Square a World Heritage Site Monument Zone. This was located in the heart of the ancient city of Kathmandu and is a complex of beautiful temples and shrines both Hindu and Buddhist. Most of these structures are built-in the pagoda style embellished with intricately carved exteriors built between the 12th and 18th centuries. It is a living open museum of Nepal. I tried out the video function of my camera and have included a short clip of a dance performance we saw that night.

We were able to walk to the Square from my hotel and during this time I learned the fine art of navigating people, motorcycles, rickshaws as well as cars which all seem to move en masse in a beautiful chaos. One has to be quick-witted and surefooted. I am happy to say I survived the process.

After visiting the Square, Ganesh took me out for my first Nepali dinner. It was absolutely delicious. At this point I was still not brave enough to eat with my hands which is the Nepali style. Sleep came easily that night despite the loud rumbling of the nearby Nepali dance bar blaring out music into the late evening.

November 2, 2011 was a full day of touring three other World Heritage Sites located in or nearby Kathmandu. These included Bhaktapur, Pashhupatinath as well as Boudhanath. We also toured the Monkey Palace to finish off our day.

Bhaktapur has the status of being the Cultural Capital of Nepal. Geographically it is shaped like a conch shell and geometrically designed into the Tantric fabric shaped Shree Yantra, it dates back to the early seventh century A.D. and is spread over an area of approximately 7 km². Approximately 80,000 people live in this particular location. Many arts and crafts including painting, carving, masonry, bronze-casting, jewelry-making and pottery continue to be actively practiced here. It is also where I purchased my Mandela Thanka. I believe I paid more than I should have (I have subsequently learned how to bargain more effectively) but it is a lovely piece and if you do not know what it is you will just have to come over to my house to see it once I have it framed.

The Pashupati Temple is one of the most venerated Hindu temples in the world. It is an international center of pilgrimage and Hindu devotees from all over the world come here. The holy complex extends along both banks of the sacred Bagman River. The main temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and houses a lingam or his phallic symbol. This is also the location where many Hindus cremate their loved ones when they pass on. We witnessed two such cremations. One can also find numerous “holy men” in this area. They are fascinating characters dressed extremely ornately and colourfully. They own no possessions and spend most of their time in meditation and prayer but are always open to being paid to be photographed. I passed on this opportunity as I generally do not believe in paying to photograph people. The architecture is quite spectacular in this area. Non-Hindus are not allowed into the actual temple.

Boudhanath contains the great Buddhist stupa. It is a jewel point in the center of a natural mandala, a store of sacred energy. It is one of the most important places of pilgrimage for Buddhists. It towers above a small Tamang village that since the arrival of Tibetan refugees in the 1960s has become the centre of a thriving town of monasteries, craftsmanship and businesses. It is the principal centre of Himalayan Buddhist worship and studies in the Kathmandu Valley.

The Monkey Palace certainly lives up to its name with a large variety of monkeys roaming freely amongst several artisans. There are also innumerable handicraft shops selling goods. The location affords a full view of the metropolis of Kathmandu. Unfortunately, the day we were there it was quite smoggy and foggy so we could not fully appreciate the breadth of this very large city.

My initial dislike of Kathmandu was certainly tempered by these beautiful locations and the histories behind them. Perhaps I could come to actually like Kathmandu but time would tell. I was actually relatively tired after all of this touring but enjoyed a wonderful meal with Ramesh, Elsie James and her daughter. Elsie and her daughter had just completed a health camp to assist some of the very poor and orphaned children in Kathmandu. It was very touching to hear of their experiences. Unfortunately Elsie’s husband was quite gravely ill at home and they would not be staying for the entire month of November as planned and were able to book urgent flights out to Calgary within a few days to be by his bedside. My thoughts and prayers went with them. I went to bed early as November 3rd I was due to attempt to fly out to Lukla to start the Everest portion of my trekking in Nepal. Of course Lukla is infamous as one of the most dangerous airports in the world to fly into and flights are often canceled due to poor weather as the pilots are required to fly into the airport by visual approach only and not instrument. Would I make it?

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Category:

General, Photo Slideshow, Video Clip

Bhutan Trek- Day 4

October 27, 2011 found us awakening to a beautiful sunny day with no wind. Fantastic- what a gorgeous campsite. It had cleared up overnight but was quite cold last night after the gale force winds that blew in as we were just going to sleep. Our mission today was to trek from Tshelu Tshokha Ya la to Bachu approximately 15 km or seven hours away. Today was a very strenuous trek day. We started with an uphill pitch (what a surprise) which brought us along the shores of Tshelu Tshokha Lake. This is a very picturesque lake which is surrounded by a huge rock wall. On one side of the lake there are erected pillars for making offerings to a deity Akhoe Gyem (a Bon practice). Apparently during the months of September through to October many pilgrims from Haa and the Paro region trek here to make their annual offerings. It was a perfect place to put up some of the prayer flags we had purchased in Thimphu. We did not see any blue sheep on the nearby rocky slopes. Too bad. Prayer flags are often placed on the top of mountain passes, over bridges and streams so that the prayers can be blown or carried by the water far down from their origin in order to spread the prayer message-such a lovely concept.

Bev was relatively ill last night with gastrointestinal symptoms and was vomiting. She was well taken care of by the staff. They really watch out for you here. She was quite weak so for the steep pitch up from Tshelu Tshokha lake they provided a mule to assist her. What service! I think the rest of us were a little bit jealous that we had to hike up the very steep and rocky pitch. They placed her looking backwards at times on the mule which was apparently a better position for the rider and mule alike.

Her husband Dave also had some gastrointestinal symptoms but these were starting to settle. Nothing infectious which was reassuring. I developed an irritated cough but nothing serious. I think it was more annoying to the other trek participants more than anything. Lorraine and Jill are quite sure I have some underlying tuberculosis. Ha! One thing you learn in life is that sometimes hard work is rewarded. When we reached Gompa Teng at 4356 m we were were rewarded with a clear view of 4 snow capped Himalayan peaks off in the distance. What a moment. We were able to view Mount Jhumolhari as well as Mount Kanchen Jonga. I cannot remember the names of the other two peaks. We were given yak cheese at the top which was very hard and stayed that way.

We then descended along a very steep, snowy series of switchbacks through rugged rocky trails to get to Gor Tsho 4130 m, another beautiful lake where we had lunch and more spectacular views of Mount Jhumolhari and then continued to descend until we reached a stream. Looking back at the switchback we were all amazed that we had actually come down it. We renamed it the Khumbu ice field II- it looked every bit as treacherous. The trail then gradually ascended along the stream and after crossing it on the right there was another steep uphill path leading to Bache Dingkha 4325 m. At this point Bev was placed back on the mule to have a leisurely ride into camp. The staff had gone ahead to set up camp and actually brought one mule back up the very steep pitch so that she could be assisted. We continued to be amazed with their commitment to our comfort and safety. We then continued to hike for another 90 minutes to reach our next camp at Bachu 4135 m. This was another big trekking day- I think everyone felt this day with so many height gains and losses.