Lhapra

Leaving our packs behind in Junbesi, we decided to take a short break out of our trek and instead took a morning stroll up to Thubten Choling, the largest Buddhist monastery in Nepal. A huge untroubled community of nuns and monks living harmoniously in a 3000 m village embellished with intricate colourful ornaments. I have to say, it's the first time I've ever visited any place of religious significance and realised that this could easily be a salvation for its members. We saw the prayer wheels inscribed with mantras rotating due to the cleverly engineered flow of water, while robe-wearing monks roamed between vibrant buildings amid tranquil chiming and all the children seemed to be learning to make pottery at school. After wandering questionably into a very holy looking building, we found a place to buy some prayer flags, beautifully hand painted postcards, and a notebook handmade with an ancient paper making technique. It was such a peaceful place, and honestly, I'm not religious myself, but if I was, Buddhism would be the one for me. (And we did also buy toilet paper there, so maybe that'll make my holes holy after all?)

Returning to our lodge in Junbesi, we each devoured another of our favourite pizzas yet and some cadbury's we'd wangled at a shop, before making haste in the heat onward on the trail. A stuffy ascent sent us up to Phurtheng, where I decided to stop to enjoy the view over a cup of tea. Here, the host of the teahouse was a very sweet guy, a Sherpa who had lived there his whole life, and entertained our stop by explaining the extent of the traditional route and how the sections from Jiri had suffered hugely in business since most people now choose to fly into Lukla. One thing about him, just as is common with many Nepalis, was just how humble he was, placing his hands together almost in prayer and grinning with a huge smile in response to every 'namaste'. Ending the day with a further down then up through a valley via a hanging bridge, we have called it a day in Ringmu, where a busier teahouse continues to wane our wearies.Read more