Day 7: Sleeping in a bed is so much better than a sleeping bag. Woke up with empty stomach, en it is the time for a buffet breakfast. Plenty fruits with a yummy danish, I feel alive and energetic. Read couple of articles about Nepal politics: the fundamental of Nepal political framework doesn’t make sense to me at least (http://t.cn/RiQULMt while Nepal’s protest does make sense though (29 parties jointly run a federal government is tantamount to fragmenting the country). While I was wondering those big issues, my friend Prabin called me saying the political parties demonstration stopped and the traffic is back to normal. 
It is the time for my culture tour today. Siddhi is 74 years old retired college professor, takes tour guide job to enrich his retirement life. We made the first stop to swayambhunath stupa where the locals call monkey temple), embraced big wisdom bell and wished for some realisations and enlightenment. 
On our way to the next stop, I bought my self two beautiful pashmina shawls and a set of kallaite jewellery. Don’t judge me here, I am a girl or I should call myself a madam.
The next stop is rather a fascinating journey. We suppose to visit Patan Durbar square. Because Saddhi lives around, he invited me to visit his house and meet his wife and his family. How wonderful is that. Followed him to the narrow streets in Patan and watched him greeting to his neighbours somehow brought me the old time when I was young in my home city. It was the warmth and closeness. Saddhi, his wife, his two sons and their families live in the ancestral 5 storey house with a small garden. He describes himself a middle class in Nepal. Well I think he is very humble. 

His wife asked me to taste their home-brewed white spirit, well taste like Moutai, not bad! Saddhi said the spirit is for family celebration. Dhanyabad, Saddhi!
Our very last stop is the Nepal’s largest Buddhist stupa: Boudhanath. Standing on the roof, listening to chant sutras, watching devout disciples together with the thunder storms, I sensed and felt the moment. 
Sitting in the hotel lobby waiting to be picked up to the airport, guess my Nepal journey ends here, but the journey searching my inner sacred place will be never ending. 
Never Ending Peace And Love! I will be back.

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Day 6: I didn’t have a good night sleep last night. The teahouse I stayed in Lukla is not that comfortable also I kept thinking one more night only then I don’t need to sleep in the sleeping bag in the damp and freezing cold room. I kept my fingers and toes crossed, hoping the early morning plane will be taking off on time.
Well it works, the sun was out the shiny mountains kept smiling at us. We waited waited until the first sight of the plane. On the way back, it was not that scary but when I saw the pilot operation manual is just placed right in front of me, I couldn’t help staring at the pilot for 10minutes.  
It was my first visit to Kathmandu during the daylight. And I was shocked!!! It just so grey and full of dust. When Probin introduced Thamel region (we were talking last night that I want to visit that place because every site says Thamel is the place tourists need to go), the only thought I had is how I am going to spend next 36 hours here?! He must know my hesitation. Then he said: Yan, if you have time today we can visit neighbour city Bhaktapur. It is the culture capital of Nepal. You will find mandala painting school and the pottery shops.” I mentioned to him that I want to buy a mandala painting, a yak bone monkey and elephant. 
Turns out I had great time in Bhaktapur squares today. Saw the earthquake damage to the temples (after 4 years, the squares still look like a construction site); met with Jyoti the owner of mandala painting school; greeted to a senior master because he spent 50 working days on one small piece of Kalachakra mandala painting that I love and supported to the painting school, also knowing one piece could take him number of years to finish; visited local people’s dwellings and of course found the monkey and elephant.
Maybe the monkey brought another challenge to me. By the time I finish the facial and massage, I saw the note from hotel reception saying tomorrow there will be some demonstrations form political parties called a Valley Bandha and it is anticipated some traffic disruption and asked the guests to stay inside hotel. At the same time my private tour guide called me to postpone the tour to 11:00am…… I am not overly concerned because I believe tomorrow will be another fun day. 
“Life is full of challenges, challenges are what makes life interesting, and overcoming them is what make life meaningful” – quote online; keep smiling and only I need right now is a good night sleep not in a sleeping bag.

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Day 5: woke up in the cold, unexpected discovery did have some damage on me. Well it really matched the cold weather this morning. I was sitting in the common room for a while until it is getting really cold and Prabin hurried me. Regardless of what, I still have 6 hours 20k to go. 
On our way back, we didn’t talk that much partially because I was still clearing my thoughts partially because of the weather. It was getting worse and I know today will be a long day. Endless uphills and downhills were really tiring. My knees started complaining. 
The scenery changed quite bit under this cloudy/raining day but the region is a beauty still. When cross Khumbu River I stayed on the middle of the bridge for a minute in the fierce wind greedily look the incredibly blue and once again amazed. 

Khumbu river coming down from the infamous Khumbu Glacier, which streams down the face of Everest. It’s a special one because it’s a double one: the lower one is the old one and not in use anymore, the upper one is the one we use to hike across the Khumbu River. 
6 hours long trekking today, we finally arrived in Lukla. Prabin said I did pretty well. Normally people took 2 days from Namchi to Lukla. No wonder I feel so tired. Well compared with the two Americans I met in the teahouse tonight, I am just a kindergartener. They finished the EBC within 8 days. 8 days, how crazy is that! 
After 4 nights, my kindergarten trekking tour finished. I have seen 9 magnificent mountains, trekked nearly 70k, reached to the 3880m peak point, enjoyed Sherpa culture, met heaps same minded people cross the world. Definitely I will come back next year, finishing the EBC and Tenzing Hillary Everest Marathon! ! ! http://t.cn/RilUrG5

Day 4: guess I am really lucky that I have seen the spectacular view out of the beautiful weather in the last two days plus the half day today. 
Climbing another 500 meters today within two and half hours. The weather was still promising. I saw the mountain Kongde Ri (6187m). From there I slowly climbed up the ridge to the west of the village, following a maze of rough dirt trails through stunted pine forest, clusters of boulders and yak pastures. Eventually reached the tiny airstrip at Shyangboche (3790m). The followed the contour of the hill I saw Ama Dablam (6856m) very clearly. I was pointing at him, he is right there. And beyond to the razor sharp ridge of Nupste (7861m), and poking above it, the tip of Everest (8850m) – it is pity, she is so shy today and wouldn’t show me her face. 

Further along the ridge sits the Hotel Everest View, which, according to the Guinness Book of Records, is the highest hotel in the world at 3880m. I sat there with my cup of tea, simply enjoying the view and tranquility. 
Luckily by the time I was back to the teahouse, the weather changed rapidly flurries and snow. Sitting in the common room enjoying casual chat with others, watching the snows, reading the book, and letting my mind drifting. En, not bad for the closure of this ascending journey.

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Day 3: surprisingly I slept solid 8 hours last night. My body knows how to cope with the altitude. 
A pot of coffee with full set breakie fuelled me up. I am ready for the day ahead and I just know it will be another stunning day. 

Met with different people from phakding to namche bazaar, and most of them are either heading to the EBC or just came back from there. l will definitely go back and finish the EBC at least.
From my guide I learned that every mountain above 6000m has a name. Prabin knows every mountain’s name. Trying to collect my memory here only remember few: khumbutse the beauty seperate Tibet and Nepal; Taboche, Thamserku. Of course I am going to see Mt Everest today. When Prabin told me I am going to see Sagarmatha (well in Nepal, it is called “Sagarmatha” which means “Goddess of the Sky”) in few minutes, my heart just started pounding…… Now I am going to see her. Well here she is, she is still too far away. One day I am going to be close to her for sure.
Arrived in namche, such a colourful village. On my way to the village, I was amazed by the mountain view again! I have just never seen so many mountains that high and so close together. Prabin must know my amazement, he said he is taking me to the peak place of this village.

By this time I reached the peak point, I literally cried. No words can describe what I saw and how I feel. I just know I can’t control myself and cried……

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