Stone Walls

April 16th '08

I woke up, opened my window to five big glorious mountains not yet lit up by the morning sun. There is wind blowing off the one in front of me, making it look like a mango flavoured cloud with the first bits of sun lighting the snow. I hear jok jok bells below me clanging as the animals walk by the tea house. I tried yak steak last night, but it wasn't the same as my Christmas yak steak in Litang, China. This yak steak wasn't yak steak at all but buffalo steak. The meat was lighter in colour, the patty thicker, more chewy and grisoly and it wasn't as nice of a taste. Apparently, yaks are sacred animals here in the Khumbu region and the Buddhists don't kill them. It's strange, the Buddists can't kill animals even if it's to eat but they can order some meat from the butcher if they turn a blind eye to the animal being killed.
I watched the sun rise slowly from behind a Taboche Peak 6495m and Cholatse 6335m, the rays lighting up the valley that's below me and the peaks to my right.

We stopped in Tengboche and visited a colourful monastery, with an ornate gate in front that was carved with various gods and godesses. It's similar to a huge monastery village (1600's) that I visited in Shangri-La, China, but in this one there are only 40 monks who live here. This small monastery had to be re-built twenty years ago due to a fire, and so most of the artifacts and sculptures inside are new.

Later, at a teahouse near the monastery nearly all of our group had rara noodles which are 'same same' as instant noodles with a few slivers of vegetables in it and some spices.

We're sleeping in Pengboche 3989m tonight, which is about a two hour hike from Tengboche. In the outskirts of Tengboche there are many stone walls which separate the farmland into small sections. I wondered why, such small fields and so many of them? Maybe, it was to keep the sandy dirt that the potatoes grow in from blowing away? Pete, one of two Pete's who joined our group from New Zealand guessed that the walls were to separate the land that people owned, or to keep the animals out. Eoin, (my old wrestling coach and the man in charge of the trek) said that when the villagers were clearing the land, they made the walls instead of carrying thousands of rocks and stones further distances.

Big Pete one of the two kiwis named Pete who joined our group and goat (little Pete), (they later joked that they were lepers and made up a handshake), told me that the South part of New Zealand can get snow and temperatures go as low as -15! That's nuts, it only get's to maybe -5 on Vancouver island in the winter and we're from the legendary igloo country of the world. Anywhere on the island you're no more than 15 miles from the sea and most people own a boat.

Me and Lhakpa were sharing a smoke when lightning and thunder broke out outside. Unfortunately it wasn't a big storm like I was hoping for, only last ing a few minutes but I was so excited! Lhakpa said to me "Why are you laughing now? ". The storm made me think of Alek. I wish that he could hold me tonight. Even though we fought a lot I still miss his extreme personality. Everyone that I'm traveling with now it seems that they readily accept Canadian society. I miss sleeping in a tent and cuddling, having conversations where I don't have to hold my opinions or views for risk of offending the people in the group. Maybe, I'll just say them anyways. I feel so guilty for getting to eat better food than our porters and Kami our sherpa guide. I guess it's just reality that everyone isn't in the same economic level, but I don't like reality. On the up side, I'm bonding well with the girls in our group namely, Lhakpa (sherpa), Renata and PAm. Renata shared her life with me and so did Pam. Sarah is a hard shell to crack, in a way she's like Stacie Anaka, not very open to people about their emotions and quiet. Theresa is a sweet heart but we haven't talked much.