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Thyangboche Monastery: Simply Spectacular
Thyangboche - Monday, May 1, 2000
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Hi Mountain Zone, I'm calling you from Thyangboche on Monday afternoon, the first of May. It's begun to rain softly here. The group is just now arriving, walking into Thyangboche. Here's what's happened since I called you from Thame yesterday morning, we stopped at Thamo and visited the Hillary School. Our sirdar, Pasang Rita, has been on the board of that school. In fact, he was chairman of the board at that school for a while. We stopped and visited and enjoyed talking to the teacher and visiting a bit with the children before we moved on to Khunde last night.
This morning we got up in Khunde and walked, very early in the morning, up to the Everest View. We had fantastic views. For the first time as an entire group, Everest, and of course the three summits of Lhotse, the spectacular South Face of Lhotse, Ama Dablam. We sat around the Everest View Hotel and enjoyed that view, enjoyed Cokes and tea. It was Ross' birthday today, so he bought Coke and tea for everyone including the Sherpas, and we enjoyed the morning sun up there on Ross' birthday.
Yesterday, in fact, was Robin's birthday and she was surprised by a chocolate birthday cake, which was cooked by Pemba and his cook staff, complete with some candles and a little happy birthday greeting in white icing on top of the cake. The Sherpa staff may think that we just like their cake enough that we're all going to start having birthdays. But in fact today really is Ross' birthday, so I wouldn't be surprised if a cake shows up here again tonight.
It's great to be here at Thyangboche at the monastery. I always have a little bit of a mixed feeling when you roll in here: this place is crowded, it's dusty, there's not much camping space. It's up here on this spectacular shoulder of this ridge that comes off Kantega; it's a really special spot — has been for generations. The monastery itself has only been located here since about 1911; it's not a very old monastery — like the Thame monastery, we visited yesterday — but a very spectacular, famous location. Of course, the whole world wants to be here.
There are tents everywhere, camping spots are a bit dusty, you roll in after a long trekking day and then sometimes it's a bit disappointing just because of the crowds here. But it is one of the most, if not the most, famous Tibetan monasteries, Tibetan-Buddhist monasteries, in the world. The location is spectacular. When we're up early tomorrow morning, when these clouds have lifted, and we're looking up the valley I think we'll know that it's worth it and we're happy to be here.
— Wally Berg, Alpine Ascents Guide and MountainZone.com Correspondent
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