Day 22 Manang to Thorung Pedi – 20th July 2009

I couldn’t sleep last night… Not sure if it was the spicy food the pass few days or the high altitude. My stomach was playing tricks on me… I felt like indigestion and felt slight aching at the position just above my stomach.. I kept burping thru the night and felt like puking… Sat up so many times just to get the air out of my stomach… Than it started to get more uncomfortable till I could not breath… I had to sit up and try breath in so hard just to catch my breath.. My goodness!! I’m feeling really bad and so frustrated that tears just rolled down my face… Ramli didn’t know what to do and sounded helpless … I gave up finally and went to the toilet and try to clear my stomach to stop that irritating burping… So all my macaroni soup came out and I felt better after… Phew !! Tried to sleep but the walking today just keeps me awake.. I kept thinking I cant be able to do it… It is a climb up 1000m… I am so going to “DIE”

Finally day light came and got ready for the most dreaded climb of the trip…. When I went down we met Lars first as he was already leaving for his climb to Masokanto La base camp.. A different and much more arduous route then us… He asked if I was feeling ok as the French ladies heard someone puking the night before… OH MY GOD!!! I am so so so embarrassed!! My goodness!! I just replied I’m ok thanks for asking, I am having some problem with my stomach maybe due to the spicy food….

Headed downstairs for breakfast and saw Wendy and Dawa already leaving the hotel.. And Wendy asked if I was alright… I replied the same yup I’m fine thanks.. And in my heart I am thinking … Does she know too?? My goodness!! Sat down and Hari was beside me and he asked if I was okay as I looked different as my eyes seems a bit bloated… Should be water retention due to the high altitude I said.. and I am telling the truth about this, it wasn’t cause by my tearing …Then again he asked the same, did I puke the night before blab la… my oh my… Yes Im okay I replied again and due to blab la bla… Still waiting for breakfast and cant wait to get out, Anna came out and asked the same question but with a real worried face.. My goodness again I was thinking but I felt the love from these friends that we just got to know the pass days… It is real nice to know that even new friends can care so much for a person even they barely know each other… “That’s what friends are for” I guess …

Finally everyone left and we finished our breakfast and went on our way too.. Todays climb up at exactly 900m and for the “fast womans” it will take about 4 hours max and for us I guess maybe 10hrs??? Wahahahahahah Slowly but surely we will arrive…

Prayer Tablet

Goat head ?

I struggled so much going up, got to stop so many times as my lungs seems not to be taking in much oxygen.. I kept getting out of breath very easily… Ramli was doing fine even carrying some of my stuffs in his bag to lighten my burden… My bag now maybe about 5kgs only.. But still it felt like it weighed 10kgs… The way uphill was quite bad but compared to the first two days this is not so bad but only the breathing part.

Climbing up up and away

We stopped at Yak Kharka at 4018m for lunch and met Wendy and Dawa also... Finally half way there… Had spaghetti with mushroom and it wasn’t nice… I ate only half and pass the rest to Ramli.. He had Dhalbhat which tasted better.. Rested for an hour as usual and went on our way..

Wooooh the next last league of the journey is terrible… I had to stopped every 15 steps while going up the steep steep hill… Help me please!! I cant breath…. Slowly slowly I tried my best to go up and finally and I mean finally!! We arrived at Thorung Pedi base camp at 4450m around 1700hrs… This time we are the last to arrive… And when we saw the French ladies and got to know they arrived at about 1230hrs at the base camp.. My they are really “FAST”

Break time after a steep climb

Thorung Phedi

It is so high and the weather is so so cold… Freezing … After we checked in I just sat at the bed too tired and too cold to move anywhere… Ramli had to help me take off my shoes and cover the blanket so I could lie down and rest for a while before dinner at 1930hrs… Without resting enough there was a knock on the door to inform that dinner was ready… Alamak cant I just have it in bed.. It is so damn cold outside.. Help!! NO choice had to walk out to the dining hall … I ordered noodle soup (instant noodle) with omelet.. The noodle was overcooked and again I could not finish my food and had to pass to Ramli.. I could see he was quite angry cause I have not been eating so much since Manang… Hopefully it gets better… I guess I’m just not built for the cold weather and high altitude…

After dinner chatted with the French ladies, Dawa and Wendy about Love and some other topics… Before everyone could get their chance to comment the owner informed that they are closing up as the power will be out soon… We said our goodnights and went to our room to rest for the night and for me dreading for the next day as we need to be up by 0300hrs and leave at 0330hrs to climb up to Thorung La pass at 5416m… Again I am super “DEAD”