Deboche
One thing that never fails to amaze me is the enormous contrast between day and night (or sun and shade) temperatures. The last few days we’ve been walking in T-shirts, but once the sun goes in, the layers go on. We’re now sitting in a lodge at Deboche, and most people have two or three layers on (the Sherpas are wearing down jackets), even inside. We’re hoping they might light the stove before dinner, but the bedrooms are going to be cold tonight.
I slept better last night than I did the night before - probably due to it being the second night at the same altitude. It certainly wasn’t because of the evening’s entertainment - I lost horrifically at cards, and the guys were still laughing about it this morning!
Another thing which could have affected my sleep is the fact that I’ve started taking Diamox, a drug that’s supposed to help you acclimatise more quickly. I’ve never used it before, but Ian was talking about it the other day and said that if it helps you sleep better at altitude then it was worth thinking about. After a rough night on Wednesday, I decided it was worth a few Rupees.
The route from Namche this morning wound gently along the side of a steep slope, occasionally climbing or descending, and occasionally passing a little stupa. After a while though, it descended rapidly and by lunchtime we were several hundred metres lower, crossing yet another suspension bridge.
Just over the bridge, we stopped for an early lunch, and some of the team bumped into a mate of theirs who’d just climbed Ama Dablam. He said the mountain was in great condition, but added to the other people saying it was colder than usual.
During the afternoon we walked very slowly up to Thyangboche monastery. Some of the guys had a look round, but Rich and I visited it a couple of years ago so headed on down to Deboche with Pasang, our sirdar (chief Sherpa) and brother of Nima Temba, the sirdar on our trip two years ago.
The lodge seems ok - I’ve just had a hot shower, but am now sitting in a fleece, a primaloft jacket, a woollen hat, and a big down sleeping bag, trying to stay warm.