Set off early from Kyangjuma with still no signs of mountains as the weather is cloudy, damp and cold. The first part of the walk is an easy downhill to the river followed by a steady climb up rock steps and a gentle ascent into Tengboche.
The monastery here is very special and we had the privilege of attending a Buddhist service which was led by the head monk from Kathmandu. We stayed for about an hour although the service went on for four hours. Cymbals clashed, trumpets boomed, bells were rung, drums were beaten and woodwind instruments similar to clarinets were blown.
The monks told us there had been no flights to Lukla for two days because of bad weather. They blamed the Hindu festival of darshan during which time, lots of meat is eaten. The monks were praying for the souls of the dead animals and predicted that the weather would change after two days because of their prayers. My travelling companion thought that perhaps they had seen a weather forecast!
We said 'goodbye' to our dzhos and 'hello' to the yaks which would now carry our luggage. Yaks are used at the higher altitudes and they can withstand the cold. Yaks have much thicker coats than dzhos and cannot live at altitudes lower than 4000m.
Eleven years ago, I experienced altitude sickness at Tengboche so I am rather worried about tomorrow's walk.
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