Friday 10/23
We left Namche today. Our plan is to head up the
valley and visit the major monasteries of Tibetan Buddhism
here in Nepal, cut across to the next valley over, head to Gokyo and then back to Lukla. Everest itself holds little
interest for me and therefore I will bypass the base camp. There are many yaks and dzopchuks (the male of the cross
between a yak and a cow, also called a Zert) on the trail
and Germans everywhere. I prefer the yaks. Just
too many of us trekkers.
The large trees were left behind as we headed just past
Thyangboche Monastery to a small home that Dawa wanted to
stay in.
The monastery at Thyangboche burned down a few years ago.
This caused such an international outpouring of sympathy,
that through the efforts of the international community,
it is being painstakingly replicated. This monastery was
and is very important to the Sherpa community because it
is the center of Tibetan Buddhism in Nepal and the home of the
spiritual leader for the Solu-Khumbu region. Ironically
after standing for over three hundred years, using candles
for light, it did not burn down until electricity came. It
burned for five days. The Gompa must have been beautiful and
soon will be again. It is an easy place to be spiritual,
nestled amongst the mountains.
