Kyongjuma to Thame: Big mountain & valley views + relaxing hike in the forest

Kyongjuma @ 3,630m to Thame @ 3,800m (dist: 15km asc: 770m dsc: 550m)

My night was again restless. Initially due to a fly and a moth (both in nirvana now), but again due to altitude and jetlag. Few weird dreams such as having quintuplets … nightmare idea that would certainly end my travel plans! Beyond that I feel strong – head, heart and stomach doing just fine. Not everyone is that lucky. Having finally received my second bag last night, I enjoyed a breakfast with Rügenwalder & dark rye bread. Nice change and all amidst great views of Lhotse and Ama Dablam.

Today’s hike turned out to be a beautiful one under blue skies and not too hot Nepali sun (at least in the morning). Easily the best day out yet. First we hiked up some 200m altimeter into Khumjung (home to Sir Hillary school).  Right after the scenery opened up with amazing views of Everest, Lhotse and Ama Dablam.

We passed loads Mani walls (religious inscriptions) and small temples until we got to the airfield in Shyangboche. There a chopper was busy delivering mainly industrial cargo like cables etc. After a brief tea break (mint & white/milk tea as usual), we moved on and spent the best part of the hike to Thamo walking through a pleasant forest.

I shared the walk with different team members, who one gets to know better each day. Be it Berny (also took a break from finance few years back), Zena (coming to the end of her break, loves hiking yet also adores Las Vegas with two separate trips ahead in 2017) and Stephen (where everyone in the family is a photographer … explains his skill & passion).
During lunch at the Alpine lodge (Thamo) the hosting lady popped by with her 7month old girl. Tim had a little toy with him – how considerate! Smiles all over. The lady is called Ang Chuttin Sherpa. She won the challenging Everest marathon on her first attempt (despite often stopping on the way to chat with family members based in villages along the way). Having attracted attention of sponsors wit her achievement, she went on to run in Singapore, Berlin etc. Quite amazing! By the way … the food is excellent!

After lunch we had about 90min walk left up and down the now more narrow path along the valley. Highlight were several large buddhist paintings near a bridge across a stormy stream. Somewhere on the way we then lost the dog that had followed our group since the morning (maybe aided a little by the German sausage I shared with him). By 4pm we reached the valley view lodge in Thame. A nice village with many walls build of loose rocks. Very tidy overall.

The rooms were clean and had a toilet ensuite. The shower wasn’t working (initially) so many people resorted to having a bucket of hot water prepared. I just used the sink and cold water. It was fine.

Once refreshed, we all shared the first of the German cakes I brought and played ‘Kniffel’. No wifi availability changes team dynamics. I won though Berny made a huge comeback for second spot and Blake just didn’t get the Kniffel (worth 50 points) he’d needed for a win (and actually finished 4th against expectations). Some of the guys enjoyed a game of frisby outside using the large flat square outside (unusual up here).