Day 7. Rest day at Dingboche (14,271'/4350m)
Yay for a rest day; I feel pretty crappy today. I have a vague headache and my stomach doesn't feel great either, but mostly I just feel really bagged. It's probably a combination of my ongoing cold and the altitude. I didn't sleep as well last night. At first I was really cold - I even had a thick blanket on top of my sleeping bag and I put socks on for a while (which is pretty unusual for me). Eventually the blanket came off. The Diamox must be kicking in; I had to get up to pee 3 times during the night. My cough is still there but there is pretty much no phlegm. The coughing, though, takes a lot out of me.
I went for a walk down "main street" after breakfast. It's interesting how they have built up walls of stone on either side and laid down a lot of stones for the surface; a lot of work! Surprisingly (to me, anyway) there are still lodges advertising internet access, etc. A helicopter landed close to the lodge this morning; apparently an emergency evacuation. After my little walk I had to have a wee lay-down and then found it really hard to get motivated to get back up again. But - I managed to get up again around 10:30 and joined Paule & Dennis for a very slow walk up to the various chortens on the ridge. Just when I think I can't possibly get any slower, I do....
Back to the lodge for lunch. It looks like everyone is having a fairly lazy day. Except the Nepalis, that is. Sangye is off to Gorak Shep to bring the dining tent back to Loboche because it seems we won't have access to a lodge there. Dawa went back to Tengboche to do some shopping for vegetables. He was back by noon!! Another guide is off to Loboche to scout out a camping spot. Meanwhile us tourists are gasping for breath just to get out of bed!
The weather has definitely changed. I think the shorts can be safely packed away for good. It was quite windy here today - time for a coat and hat. I'm really not looking forward to the cold weather from here on.
I didn't do much after lunch. I played a game (from Lenka) with Dennis and Liba, read a bit, and coughed a lot. I had apple pie for dessert. It tasted great but was too much. I mustn't be feeling well.... In the afternoon I went to Mama's Bakery with Liba, Paule & Dennis where I had tea and a brownie - thanks Paule! The bakery was run by a Tibetan and we had an enlightening (for me) discussion on Tibet. I really had no idea of the history. Liba shared her story of her trip there in 2009.
Vera gave me a puffer that was supposed to help with my cough. I am to use it 3x per day for 4 days. We'll see if it helps........... I coughed a lot through the night and had another crappy sleep. I feel sorry for anyone else in that wing. I'm sure I kept a few people awake; sorry...........
It seems that a lot of my thoughts here are about how crappy I feel. However - the experience is amazing so far. The people, the terrain, the sights, the exposure to something so very different and genuine. How I'm feeling is a small price to pay.
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