Day 5 Sete to Junbesi

	Sete	Junbesi
Latitude	27° 34.64N	27° 34.86N
Longitude	86° 26.55E	86° 32.94E
Altitude	2,569 metres	2,691 metres

Ascent	1,002 metres
Descent	880 metres
Time (excluding rests)	8 hours 20 minutes
Distance	10 kilometres

The cafe just before the Lamjura La. Why not stop for a latte?

The Tragchuk boulder

Junbesi looks just like a valley in Switzerland

There's a gompa instead of a church

But the lodges look just like chalets

Junbesi's Stupa has a modern addition...

A hammer and sickle flag

The yaks of Junbesi deposit their dung on house walls - be careful where you stand!

Yak dung impact detail

     Today the Everest Trek crosses the Lamjura La at 3,571 metres - today is one of the biggest days on the trek.

The chorten on the Lamjura La marks the entrance to the land of the Sherpas

     Begin the 1,000 metre ascent by following the rough path uphill. After 15 minutes pass a little cave. Pass the Chompa Lodge which is a mule stable - the poor mules are used to carry loads over the pass - the mules' hooves make the path hereabouts very rough.

Ponies at Chompa Lodge waiting for their loads

     Pass a tea house [27° 34.63N 86° 27.24E 2,879 metres] (1 hour). Continue through the rhododendron forest along the gently rising rock strewn path. Pass a mani wall at the entrance to the small village of Dagchu (1 hour 25 minutes). The village of Dagchu is strung out along the crest of the ridge and consequently has far better views than Sete. There are a number of lodges:

• Sherpa Lodge
• Peak Guest House
• Sonam Guest House
• Maya Tamang Guest House
• New Everest Sherpa Lodge

     Another mani wall marks the edge of Dagchu [27° 34.64N 86° 27.58E 2,959 metres] (1 hour 40 minutes). The path drops downhill slightly past a duck pond, then starts uphill through the rhododendron forest. Reach the Numbur Lodge 3,120 metres (2 hours).

     After 10 minutes pass a prayer wall on the crest of the ridge. Reach Goyem Village [27° 34.45N 86° 28.19E 3,175 metres] (2 hours 25 minutes) where there are a number of impressive lodges:

• Duda Kund Lodge
• Sherpa Lodge
• Tashi Delek Lodge

     Continue along an eroded trail to reach a tea house, the Kala Pattar Restaurant [27° 34.38N 86° 28.49E 3,325 metres] (3 hours 10 minutes). There are distant views to the north from here of Go Nup 6,666 metres and of Go Shar 6,729 metres.

     Pass the Lamjura Sherpa Guest House and the Peak View Kare Top Restaurant. Later, as you pass the Buddha Restaurant (3 hours 35 minutes) the path begins to level out. The Everest Trek contours around the mountainside, and in April there was much mud and snow. Pass the:

• Numbur View Lodge
• Tashi Tagyed Lodge and Restaurant
• Himalayan Lodge and Restaurant

[27° 34.33N 86° 29.38E 3,504 metres] (4 hours 55 minutes).

     This group of lodges are about half an hour before the Lamjura Pass. There are few lodges between here and Junbesi - so this is a good spot for lunch. Sadly all the rhododendron trees in these parts have been felled for fuel.

     Continue past a prayer wall along the gently rising path through the remains of the rhododendron forest until the Everest Trek reaches the Lamjura La summit chorten and its prayer flags. [27° 34.70N 86° 30.03E 3,571 metres] (5 hours 30 minutes). This is the gateway to the Sherpas' Solu region - and the beginning of the mountains.

     Start downwards, and soon the open countryside gives way to beautiful old growth conifer and rhododendron forest. Cross a little stream. Continue down through the forest. You will probably meet many mule trains along this path, taking goods across the pass. Pass the Himalaya Lodge (6 hours). Fifteen minutes further along pass a tea house at 3,150 metres.

     Pass by houses at 2,900 metres (6 hours 45 minutes). Continue to follow the uncomfortable rock strewn path.

     Pass Tragchuk Gompa at 2,740 metres. There is a chorten and carved rock here with a small lodge next to it. I have reason to be thankful for the family who run this lodge. Through tiredness, I left my GPS on the gompa wall and the inevitable small boy found it. Next day in Junbesi, when I realised that I had left my GPS somewhere, after checking my notes I realised I had left it at Tragchuk. Had it been found by a passing porter, or a local small boy, I wondered? I walked back to Tragchuk to see if I could find it. I gave the family a reward when they kindly returned the GPS.

     Continue along the walled path that meanders up and down above a cliff. Pass a large painted rock, until a little lower, Junbesi is visible in the distance. As you descend to the village, pass a Gompa on your left.

     Arrive in Junbesi after 8 hours and 20 minutes and an extraordinarily long day on the Everest Trek.

     There are numerous good lodges in Junbesi.

     Junbesi is the first village on thr Everest Trek to have a village school built by Sir Edmund Hillary's Himalayan Trust charity. After climbing Everest in 1953, Sir Edmund gradually became more and more involved in the well-being of the Sherpas and performed numerous good works in the area.

Side trip to Thupten Tholing.

     About an hour and a half north up the Junbesi Khola is the thriving Nyingma Pa monastery of Thupten Tholing. It's well signposted. This monastery is another offshoot of Rongbuk Monastery to the north of Everest. In April 2002 the monastery main hall was being rebuilt as a much larger building. Paradoxically, local girls seemed to be doing all the heavy construction, singing merrily all the while, whilst inside the old gompa a monk shuffled around polishing the wooden floor with his feet.

© Ian Johnson 2003