November 12

This morning, Lal brought me tea and a basin of warm water, and I attempted to wash my hair for the first time in about a week. I still had not quite gotten my appetite back, and could eat only half of the scrambled eggs and chapatis I ordered for breakfast. I had, however, gotten my strength back, and had no problem climbing the steep hill out of Machhermo. We passed a couple of groups, and arrived at Fangka in a half hour. Fangka has a new lodge, and we stopped there for tea. Then we passed the same people we passed earlier again, climbing gently up the valley. Soon we came to a steep climb up a wide cascade coming from the first Gokyo lake. The trail crossed between relatively dry places, climbing up boulders to the top of the cascade. The small lake at the top was shallow and mucky.

We passed Julie, the older lady I met in Dingboche, on her way down from Gokyo. She said the food poisoning problem at Gokyo Resort had been solved, and that it was worth staying there, because it was the nicest lodge. Julie was alone, and I did not notice her porter, but must have passed him also at some point.

Gokyo on the lake

The second Gokyo lake is large, and has a beautiful turquoise color. I stopped often to photograph it, and Lal became cold waiting for me, so I let him go on ahead. He could get us a place in a lodge. The third lake was even more beautiful. I passed a prayer flag on its shore, and then noticed Gokyo ahead beside the lake. It is a fairly large town, the largest so far in this valley, which surprised me due to the high altitude. There were many inns. Lal greeted me as I passed the first walls coming into town. He had found room in the dormitory at Gokyo Resort, which is the fanciest place we have stayed yet on the trek.

Gokyo Resort is very new, with solar electric lights, and a menu featuring a wide variety of western selections, including spaghetti and large pastries stuffed with tuna and vegetables. The main attraction is a warm sun room, with windows covering three walls and the ceiling, where almost everyone was sitting. I went there and drank a tea Lal ordered. I didn't care much for the tea here, so from then on, I ordered it with lemon. The sun room had some plastic lawn chairs with backs, which were a welcome change from the usual benches. I sat in one that Lal brought me, and stayed there most of the afternoon.

The manager of the Gokyo Resort had an unusual appearance for a Nepali, especially in the Khumbu region. He had a full beard and glasses, and wore a Washington Redskins cap. His general appearance was rather western. He brought out some of the tuna pastries I saw on the menu, which were very popular. They were very big, and if I were sure of my stomach, I would have tried one. Some people complained that the large beans in them were undercooked, and picked them out. Someone else had the spaghetti, which came with almost no sauce, but apparently just a dab of ketchup. Tomato products are rare here. I ordered noodle soup for lunch, and then sat in the sun a while drinking lemon tea. When it started to get cloudy, I went outside to the lodge store to buy snacks for tomorrow's climb of Gokyo Ri, which we would have to do very early to avoid the clouds which already obscured the views when we arrived this morning, before noon. The store had a wide selection of items, including Lindt bars for 200 Rs, or $4. I bought a couple of Cadbury bars, some `Temple' biscuits with nectar cream filling, and a few postcards, although they could not be mailed here.

As the sun set, everyone moved into the warm lodge, which became crowded. I ordered dal bhatt for dinner, which some Nepalis told me was excellent here. It would be too much to eat, but should be healthy, I thought. The man and woman from Alaska, who I met in Dole, sat at my table. They were playing cribbage. They had come up from Tumlingtar, a route which sees few tourists, and is still rather rough. They said it was interesting, but once was enough. There were few inns, and it was sometimes necessary to stay in homes. The sanitation was very poor, even in the inns, and there were often bedbugs and other insects in the bedding. The recommended staying an extra day in Gokyo and walking past the fifth lake to a tower with good views. It was a three hour walk. I would have to think about it, because if I didn't stay an extra day, I might be able to catch an early flight out of Lukla, and have more time in the Annapurnas. The Alaskans were both teachers, and used to teach Indians on a remote island in northern Alaska.

Two other Americans were staying here as well, and were also teachers. The man was originally from Alabama, but now lived with his wife in California. They had been trekking in Pakistan before coming to Nepal, and said conditions there were much more difficult. They got sick frequently from bad food, and it was very hot. The wife was often harassed by Pakistani men, who would sometimes follow her when she had diarrhea to watch her go to the bathroom.

The dal bhatt did turn out to be very good here, although it had some of the same undercooked beans that were in the tuna pastry. There were some home-made potato chips on top. At least I think that is what they were. The color was slightly pink, but they looked and tasted like warm, fresh potato chips.

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