Pumori Climbing Expedition Dispatch
October 14, 2009 – First Views of Everest
It is Leila Silveira reporting from Pangboche located at 4000m/13,123ft. Today we had a really early wakeup call in Khumjung, 5:30am!
We were served bed tea and washing water in our room and were expected to have our bags ready by 6:30 am when breakfast was served.
The film crew had permission to film and
photograph inside the monastery during a Puja
We did it and the team was on schedule. By 8am we left the lodge towards Tengboche and Pangboche. The weather was absolutely fantastic, really clear with blue skies and we woke up with amazing views of Ama Dablam and Thamserku.
I left a little bit ahead of schedule with Mike, Lovinder and Aenea. The film crew was right behind us and we met them a few times along the trail.
Once we arrived in Tengboche, we had a clear view of Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse and all the big mountains surrounding them. It was absolutely fantastic to reach the top of the Tengboche Hill. After our last turn on the hill, we were facing the Tengboche Monastery and Mt. Everest. We couldn’t ask for more, we had it all!
Due to the excellent weather we decided to have a picnic outside for lunch. It was great to lay down on the tarp, take off our shoes and stretch our legs. We had another tasty lunch and right after lunch we had to rush to the monastery where there was a Puja starting.
We were inside the monastery for at least half a hour and then we did a quick visit to the Tengboche bakery where we ate brownies, croissants, and a few pies before we hit the trail. We made our way to Pangboche, Ang Temba’s home.
We were welcomed by Yensing, Temba’s wife. It was great to see her; especially for Ang Temba who had been away for the past 3 ½ months from home.
We had another great dinner; on the menu was sushi with real Japanese wasabi. We were happy to relax. After checking the entire team’s oxygen saturation I am happy to inform you that we have an extremely well acclimatized team. We are still dealing with a few stomach problems but nothing to be concerned about.
Tomorrow will be a shorter day in terms of hours of trekking and we all are looking forward to our visit with Lama Geshi.
Left: Mike getting hydrated and ready to attack the Tengboche Hill
Right: Aenea giving Lovinder a quick shoulder massage before starting the climb up the hill
The climbing team arriving in Tengboche
Jamie was filmed and photographed upon arrival in Tengboche, the famous monastery in the background
Sara is excited to see the mountains views and Everest for the first time
Our picnic lunch!
Being at the Monastery when a Puja is taking place is quite a unique experience