Day Nine--Back to Tengboche

Ahh, to have the hardest behind us--what a glorious thing!  Nima, Gideon and I were all smiles this morning, although I was still totally worn out and had woken with a fat lower lip for some reason (sunburn, or did Gideon clock me in the mouth in the night?).  We had a leisurely morning packing up our bags at the lodge in Lobuche starting our descent to Tengboche at 9:15.

It was a long day, Gideon calculating that we walked nearly ten miles, but it was mostly downhill, and boy, what a difference that makes.  Despite the fact that we were going downhill, on average, we were still exerting ourselves at high altitudes.  My head pounded for the first half of the day, but lunch of soup and tea helped ease the pain.  Gideon and I had the realization that our headaches may be due more to exertion and low blood sugar than altitude, especially considering that a carbohydrate blast seems to cure us of our ills.

Our descent to Tengboche led us down through a wide glacial valley, past the towns of Thokla and Pheriche and then down along the cloudy-blue river to Shomare for lunch. 

Lots going on in this photo... click to enlarge.

Gideon and me heading home.  Just kidding.

Later in the day we came across a musk deer while walking through a rhododendron forest.  This smallish deer is unique because, rather than having antlers, it has long canine fangs, almost like a vampire. 

We also spotted a pair of Daufe pheasants, the Nepali national bird, the male of the pair being one of the most colorful and beautiful birds I've seen. 

By 5:15, we were at our home for the night, the Tengboche Guest House, happy to be at a warmer, lower altitude.