Everest Blog: Day Two Of The Trek

Day Two of the Trek

I wake up feeling better. I’ve slept on a foamy on a small bed with quilts because my duffel bag that I was suppose to have, went ahead with the rest of the group. I try to eat breakfast, but can only handle just a few teaspoons of porridge. Dalai, our host, was very concerned about my health. The people of Nepal are so sweet. As we get ready to go, she lights a “Sangpong”, a metal perforated urn stuffed with juniper needles and sage. Smokes curls from it like incense. It hangs from three chains connected by a ring that she holds and swings while music plays with the chant Ohm Ram Kham Sum, which is a purifying chant.

She walks through the whole teahouse swinging it as the incense drifts after her. She swings it a few extra times where I upchucked the day before, I figure getting rid of those bad spirits. We hike on and make better time. We stop at the next tea house for tea where other tourists are sitting on the deck and the owner, an elderly Nepal lady in traditional dress, walks towards me and yells “How’s your diarrhea?” Tim has told her about us and that we’re a day behind. We discuss the “Sangpong”, and she says she’ll get one made for me to purify our home. They have to be made up in the mountains at a monastery and it takes two weeks, so she’ll have one made right away and sent to her. I’ll pay her for it on our way down. I can’t get over how kind these people are. We trek on and make it to where the rest of the group stayed the first night. We’re one day behind the group that has now trekked to the Namche Bazaare.