Day 9

Day 9 – Wendy Tse & Krystal Wong

For those who headed to Khumjung, the adventure began with a steep incline of 300m. We had about 3 breaks in just 1 hour due to the intensive trek we had the previous day. When we finally indulged ourselves with the first sight of Everest, all the previous hard-work was worth it. We then walked along a narrow path to the Everest View Hotel. It was then where we truly saw the enormity and magnificence of the world’s tallest peak. Everyone’s breath was taken away by the vastness of the view. Not only did we see Everest, but we also saw other snowy peaks neighbouring it. The weather was kind to us that day as the sky was clear of any clouds which meant the clarity of our vision was immaculate. We enjoyed a small snack at the restaurant whilst soaking up the splendour of the landscape and continued our journey to Khumjung Hillary School. As it was a Saturday, the students were absent from the school. We had lunch in the principal’s office and sang the school and SB song in front of the statue of Edmund Hillary, the first person to conquer Everest. The principal and teachers looked genuinely pleased with our performance.

Afterwards, we visited the only clinic of Khumjung to deliver medication, we, the SB group raised money to purchase. Again, we sang the SB song for the staff on duty and they then showed us around the clinic. We saw that the facilities were of a normal clinic. The doctor explained to us that common sicknesses include gastric disorders (from local people and tourists) and altitude sicknesses (from low land porters). We also learnt that most of the medication supplies came from donations from the city and abroad. At that moment, we invited the doctor to receive our gifts. He was very thankful for them.

Due to the quickly sinking sun and clouds, we hastened our steps back to the village of Namche Bazaar. Slowly, our visibility declined as we were immersed in clouds. The atmosphere was as creepy as horror movies with clothes flapping desolately in the wind. An hour later, we were back at the campsite in the warm teahouse.

Our day ended with the good news that Prateek, Kristen and Mrs. Man were evacuated to Kathmandu in a helicopter. Overall, it was another challenging but rewarding day.