It would have been very easy to race through today and be oblivious to all the beauty that surrounded me. The head and feet were yelling “Time to go home”, but the heart was saying “No, savour every second of this spectacular landscape – you won’t be back”.
Glimpses of some amazing wildlife were the perfect reason to pause every now and then, rather than just charging headlong downhill.
Day: 18
Date: Saturday, 19 October 2024.
From: Kyangjuma (3,550m) To: Ghat (2,600m)
Daily Km: 18.7km Walking Time: 6h39m
Progress: 132.47km
Ascent: 389m Descent: 1,398m
Weather: Clear, warm and then hazy.
Terrain: Down, down, some ups and then down.
Stayed At: World Expeditions Camp
General Comments:
- It is easy to forget that we have been walking through a national park for the last couple of weeks – such was the volume of people, the frequent villages, and the breadth and scale of the landscape.
- Being a national park, all the flora and fauna are protected and apparently there are even a few rare snow leopards still resident in the region. While we weren’t lucky enough to see any snow leopards, we did see a lot of wonderful bird life including large numbers of Tibetan Snowcocks and thousands of Himalayan Sparrows. All equally impossible to photograph.
- For animals high on the cuteness scale, on the way to and from Everest Base Camp, a few of our group spotted a pika – like a small vole – however they moved so fast, it was more of a brown, furry blur than something with four legs and a tail.
- Today though, we were blessed with most astounding fly over by two gigantic eagles. We had just followed the path around the side of a mountain onto a rare quiet section of a track when all of sudden we were swooped over by two massive eagles. They were so low you could almost reach up and touch them, and you could see very feather and detail of their beaks. It would have been amazing to get some photos, but it was all over in a split second.
- We all “ooohed” and “aaahed” at exactly the same time and, no doubt, all wore the same surprised looks and goofy grins.
- A bit further on, around yet another mountainside, we were treated to a small mob of thars perched on a death-defying ridge. Thars are like a cross between a goat and a deer.
- They seemed to be quite unperturbed to have so many people walking through their patch and I wonder what they thought of all these two-legged losers struggling up mountains that they can cover in a hop, skip and jump?
- Today was supposed to be all about the descent, but there were still enough stiff, short climbs on the trail to get my lungs and legs burning. I just had to content myself with knowing that the people walking towards me were in for a whole lot more pain than we were going to experience today.
- As I said previously, I tried to pause to take in my surroundings knowing that I will never be back this way again. I found that I could easily get distracted with my laser-like focus on rubbish collection (I am participating again today) rather than enjoying the walk. As it turned out, I had to stop the collecting on the really steep sections as it just wasn’t safe to bend down and pick up anything. One misstep or bump from oncoming traffic would have toppled me over the edge. I’m a Good Samaritan, but not that good!
- It was nice when a local lady in traditional dress came up to me and, in rapid fire Nepali, thanked me for picking up the rubbish. Not that I could understand her words, but I got her meaning through lots of smiling, hand gestures and finger pointing. My warm and fuzzy moment for the day.
- We made good time through Namche, across all the swinging, swaying suspension bridges once again and we arrived at the World Expeditions camp at Monjo for lunch. There we met up with another outward-bound group who, like us, were multiple days behind schedule and had had a very stressful time getting to Lukla.
- Back on the trail after lunch, a very chatty lady pulled me up and told me they were four days behind schedule and only got to Lukla via a 10hour bus ride to Ramechap, a 5hour nightmare jeep ride to another village, and then 2.5hr walk to Lukla! What a terrible way to start an adventure.
- All this does not augur well for our departure from Lukla and return to Kathmandu in a couple of days’ time. Gulp!
- This sort of uncertainty really rachets up the stress levels and is not the best way to finish (or start) an adventure. In many ways, this haphazard approach to transport is quite unprofessional and starts to erode all the goodwill that has been built up during the trek.
- It puts our guides in a very awkward position as they want to finish the trip on a high note with a bunch of happy hikers. It is the Head Office inefficiency and bureaucracy, plus the unpredictable nature of Nepali business operations and equally unpredictable weather that throws all planned arrangements out the window.
- Watch this space!
#travelinspo #EverestBaseCampCircuit #multidayhikes #adventurebeforedementia #longdistancewalks #Nepal #teahouses #WorldExpeditions #epicadventures #greatoutdoors #crosscountry #exploreonfoot #exoticdestinations #hikingadventures #yaks #Sagarmatha #remotevillages #mistymoutains #Kyangjuma #mountainclimbing #EverestHighway #Namche #tentlife #monasteries #floraandfauna #nationalparks
Life...one big adventure 
Oh my goodness, those images of the wildlife are amazing. Especially the snow leopard. Looks like you’ve had an epic trek and one that you’ll feed on for your lifetime. Inspirational, Mel x
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Unfortunately they are not my images, Suzanne – just the best that I could borrow from the net…and Yes, it’s an adventure that just keeps on giving! Merry Christmas to you and the Squire. Melx
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It doesn’t matter that they’re not your images and you didn’t actually see the snow leopard what you did see was incredible. Have a relaxing Christmas, Mel x
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Absolutely!
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Seeing cool birds really elevates a travel experience (wink, wink).
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I see what you did there! 😉
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Aren’t pikas just the absolute cutest? We have them here in Colorado and they’re my favorite mountain animal!
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They are definitely cute and damn fast too! It was impossible to get a photo of them. 🙂
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An awesome adventure, bittersweet to see end. Thanks so much for taking me along Mel.
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My pleasure, Fred. Thanks for the company.
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Fabulous photos, Mel! I haven’t had time to keep up with you the past few days but I’ll backtrack this evening. See you later!
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Thanks, Jo. No pressure. Have a good day. x
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Hoping you got out without too much waiting, I’ll wait and see. 😀
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🙂 – it is definitely not dull or straight-forward over there! 🙂
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Tahira and Picas are never seen at lower altitudes, but Golden Eagles and other mountain eagles come down to the plains in winter. I’m surprised that you are still seeing them up there at this time. Maybe not all of them come down. If I ever do the base camp, it will be for this.
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Ah, thanks for the insight. It was just outside of Namche when we saw the eagles, so perhaps it wasn’t cold enough for them at that altitude for them to think about moving on.
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Coming down looks to be much quicker than going up. Did you feel the difference in the altitude?
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Absolutely! It was the most amazing feeling to be able to walk more easily and not feel like you had a clamp on your chest! Oxygen is so handy! 🙂
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The return journey sounds as though it may be a re-run of the start. Let’s hope I’m wrong.
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….watch this space. 😉
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Nepal is such a lovely place, the people are amazing
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Agreed and agreed. It is a favourite of mine.
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We were also surprised each time we saw wildlife, especially in such a busy area. At first I was very jealous that you saw a snow leopard, and then I read. The flights are disorganized and a concern, but that’s travelling in a 3rd world country. We had much worse headaches in Pakistan. Sorry this one is in spam I assume 🤣 Maggie
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Yes, I found you in spam! 🙂 But at least I found you! And Yes, ‘going with the flow’ in Asia is the only way to go! Merry Christmas to you Maggie and Richard. x
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Merry Christmas!!
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and many happy adventures to you both in 2025. x
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It’s amazing there’s so much wildlife despite the people. I would have been so knackered by this point, I’d probably have walked straight past!! 4 days behind schedule on the transport!? Eeeek, that would definitely add a layer of stress that’s for sure – I hope you made it home safely and on time @-)
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Stopping and looking at wildlife and wildflowers was the perfect way to catch your breath, even if only momentarily. Merry Christmas, Han and wishing many merry travels in 2025. Mel
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Amazing indeed!
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The whole thing was absolutely amazing.
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That pika is super cute and your experience with the eagles sounds amazing!
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It was the icing on the cake!
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