November 2

When I got up at 6 AM, the clouds had broken up enough to give views of the surrounding mountains. It was clear that this situation would not last long, so I hurried to take a lot of pictures. Tengboche is said to be one of the most beautiful spots on earth, and now it was possible to see why. The view of Ama Dablam behind the monastery was especially impressive. The tip of Everest could also be seen above Lhotse's ridge. I returned to the lodge and had Tibetan bread with jam and a cheese omelet. A young American lady was having serious altitude problems. She went to bed with a headache and nausea, and it got worse through the night. They planned to descend to Pangboche today, and then see if they could continue. Pangboche is ahead on the trail, but at a lower elevation, since it is in the valley. The mountain climbers had decided to return to their base camp today for a final attempt. The leader's girl friend would wait for them at the lodge.

Tengboche monastery with Mt. Everest (left) and Ama Dablam (right)

After breakfast, I climbed to the chorten high above Tengboche. Then I came down and visited the Sherpa museum behind the monastery. The signs inside were in English as well as Nepali, and the museum was as much to teach the locals about their history as to inform the tourists. Upstairs in the monastery, a monk stood inside a window blowing a seashell horn to announce the beginning of a ceremony. The ceremony was open to visitors, and I sat inside and watched.

Ceremony at the Tengboche Monastery

There was a lot of chanting, and the monks would occasionally ring bells, beat the big drums, and blow noisy horns, two of which were several feet long. The monks began by drinking some kind of liquid. A large pile of food had been assembled in the corner, and was the object of some ceremonies. Young monks attended to candles around the walls. They were only children, and were barefoot, but there were small straw pads on the floor that they could push around under their feet to keep them warm. The floor was very cold even through my wool socks. The monks ranged from very young to very old, and wore red robes. The one who stood in front and presided over the food ceremonies had a large yellow hat. At one point a very young monk tried to get out, but could not open the large door. I tried to help, but it was stuck. Eventually someone opened it from the outside.

I stayed until I became cold and hungry, sitting on the floor, and then returned to the lodge for lunch. I ordered a yak cheese and vegetable pizza, which was delicious. There wasn't much to do after lunch. I thought about taking a shower, since the lodge advertized hot showers, but it was too cold to undress in the drafty outdoor shower stall behind the lodge, overlooking the valley. Another snow storm was moving in, and soon we were in a cloud.

For dinner, I ordered mixed fried noodles, with yak meat and vegetables, and a bowl of garlic soup, with milk tea. Another person ordered a pizza he couldn't eat, and I got most of it, as well as the climber's girl friend's extra French fries. I would go to bed very full tonight. Outside, just before bedtime, I saw that the sky had again cleared, and a lot of stars were out. The lights of Everest View Lodge were visible down the valley. I slept well tonight.

Copyright Scott A. Yost, 1994. All rights reserved.