Everest Base Camp Trek Dispatch

April 24, 2016 – Kylie Reports for “The Dream Team” from the Village of Khunde

Here’s Kylie’s daily report, along with some photos taken by Ang Temba.

Good Evening from Khumjung! We just finished a comforting meal of momos (dumplings) and rara soup (similar to Top Ramen but for some reason it tastes much better in Nepal). Today was a beautiful day in the Khumbu but first I should mention that we got snow last night in Thame! It was surreal to be sitting in a little remote village, watching the snow fall against the mountain range in the backdrop. Because of the snowfall and rain, this morning was the most crystal clear, pristine sight thus far on our trek. Not a cloud in the sky! We were genuinely all in awe. Before we departed Thame, we met with a former climbing sherpa who makes a living creating Thanka paintings despite losing all of his fingers due to frost bite. I was immediately inspired by his determination, a shining example of the strength of the human spirit and what it can overcome. Needless to say, my dad and I are taking home some awesome souvenirs.

On our trek today, we were able to visit the hydro-power center that provides power to about five or six neighboring cities in the Khumbu. After a few more hours of peaceful walking with sun above our heads, we arrived to Ang Temba's hometown of Kunde and then to our final destination for the night, Khumjung. Our teahouse is placed right in front of the Edmund Hillary School. This prompted conversation about the children who attend this school, some of them walking one hour uphill to attend school every day. My dad and I are sincerely impressed with this effort, as we remembered back to how in Southern California some would drive the 5 minute walk to school. We had the pleasure of visiting the local monastery this afternoon as well, which uniquely houses a yeti head, a mysterious creature living in the Himalayas. We are thoroughly enjoying learning about the Sherpa culture and were so honored we could visit one of their holy places.

Tomorrow, the Dream Team (we have recently dubbed ourselves, the Dream Team) are taking off to Pangboche and staying at Ang Temba's lodge. Each day really brings a new adventure and you can tell how excited we really all are when we meet for breakfast with smiling faces every morning. Namaste and goodnight!