Tangbouche…
By Marshall Thompson
Today we arrived in Tangbouche, the home of the most important monastery in the Khumbu Region of Nepal. We arrived in time to attend
the evening prayers. After removing our shoes and filing into an ornate prayer room, the monks began to chant. The chants are very rhythmic and dissident resulting in an almost infinite amount of variation – like the sound of a river. It was very beautiful. My one complaint was the smell coming from my feet and from the feet of my fellow travelers after walking all day in the hot Himalayan sun. At one point, a young monk walked around the room swinging a smoking censor and I wanted to ask him if he could do a second pass. Still, it was a great thing to see.
Back at the lodge, Apa has a new fan club. As I walked in for dinner I met Vicky from Australia. She and a group of her friends have been “stalking” Apa up to base camp this year. I talked with Vicky for a second until Apa walked in casually and sat by the fire. “There’s Apa now,” I said, urging her to go talk to him. “I know,” she said, and just sat there in awe. After dinner, one of the nice Australian ladies broke the ice and they’ve been talking about their families and kids ever since. It was a good day.
That sounds like such a wonderful experience. I love the photo as well. Thanks for posting.
Thanks for sharing. I enjoyed my visit to the monastery last year. We didn’t get the chance to attend during prayers, but it was still one of the highlights of my trek.
Hi Marshall,
Great to finally catch up again, I agree with you, Thangboche is amazing, glad you owned up to the stench because we could also smell something (maybe the lack of shower facilities along the way). We did make it to Base Camp and actually caught up with Apa on our way back down,(stalk, stalk, worship,worship) needless to say, more photo’s! A very contented and calming man, I wish you guys all the best and hope all goes well the Eco team. Will eagerly keep track of your efforts and be assured, the rest of our group are watching and tracking you all as well. Good luck