Thursday Oct. 7, 2010. The Rules of the Dingboche Hotel!!

Yes, language was a bit of a barrier but surprisingly, there were many in the Himalayas that spoke very good English. Just to give you a bench mark, $1.00 Canadian was approximately equal to 70 rupees. The average salary for a Sherpa is $200 annually. This fine would be approximately $25.

Hilary in the middle with her sweater made from Yak wool. We both bought one in Namche to keep us warm. They are hand made and are lined with fleece. Notice the Sherpas with the jackets and scarves. This is how they slept!

Water was a big issue. In Canada we were told boiled water and/or treated water was safe to drink. When we arrived in Nepal we were advised to drink only bottled water. This 40 cent bottle of water in KTM became a very pricey $6.00 bottle at Base Camp. . Some people were showing signs of altitude sickness.

Hydration Tips for Altitude: The Sherpas told us to drink lots of warm liquid to help with the altitude. Drink lots of tea and soup. Try to drink at least 4 liters of fluid/day.We were served garlic soup a few times. I had only seen this once before....with the Russians at my husbands camp in French River. I didn't eat it then but I did eat it on the Trek. Many did not eat it but I believe there was a reason the locals ate this soup. It probably helped to kill some kind of bad bugs in the water/ enviornment.
Altitude affects your appetitie. Many were not eating and this was also contributing to people getting sick. I seemed to be the only one still eating a lot!!:) This part did not affect me!!

We are now at Dingboche after a nice day of Trekking and are at 14,985 feet. These pictures give you an idea of how damp and cold it was. This is how we dressed inside the Tea Houses.

Leaving Phakding with beautiful skies ahead.
We would lose the tree line today but some vegetation was still evident on the trail.

Leaving Phakding 2 more members of our group would decide to stop their climb. Both also had pre-existing health issues and realized it was a safer decision to stay at lower altitudes and wait for us to return. The pressure was on for the rest of us.

The porters. The stick they carry is actually a seat for them to rest. Many are paid by how much weight they carry. We saw some pretty sad sights that I didn't capture on camera. Men carrying far too much weight for their body size. In one scary moment we saw 4 young men carrying a generator up the mountain. Our Sherpa was so shocked he kept staring back at them to make sure they were OK. Shepas start as porters and that's how they get to know the trails and become experts in weaving in and out of the Trekkers and managing the uneven ground beneath them.