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Dingboche Recovery

Travel Nepal Ebc Hiking

The group split up this morning. Steve, Alice, and DB headed out early for Chukhung, continuing the Three Passes route as planned. Nicholas, Pokin, Po On, and I stayed behind in Dingboche. Pokin’s doctor had asked to see her again today, so we weren’t going anywhere.

Group photo on the trail above Dingboche before splitting up
Last group photo before the split. Everyone’s smiling like this is fine and normal and not the moment the trip changes.
Nicholas and Pokin selfie in the lodge dining room with ornate mandala ceiling
The lodge dining room had a gold mandala ceiling. At 4,410 meters. Someone made choices and I respect them.

The Room
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Since we’d be here another night, here’s what home looked like.

Pokin sitting on bed in lodge room looking exhausted
Pokin. Beat and discouraged. She knows what the doctor is going to say.

Lodge bathroom with toilet and sink

Room layout showing bedroom and bathroom doorway

A private bathroom at this altitude is a luxury. It’s not heated, the water isn’t hot, and there’s a bucket and scoop for when the plumbing has opinions, but it’s yours and you don’t have to walk down a frozen hallway at 3 AM. Worth every rupee.

Wandering Dingboche
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With Pokin resting, Nicholas and Po On went out to explore and do a short training hike, roughly as far as Pokin and Po On had gone the day before. I went along, obviously.

View of Dingboche village from above with Ama Dablam behind
Dingboche from above. ‘Hotel Good Luck’ painted on the roof. They’re going to need it at this altitude.
Horse standing near a Buddhist stupa with prayer flags
Found some horses wandering around the stupa. Just doing their thing.

And then we found another one. This one was a different color, a tan that reminded me of someone back home. A certain lucky horse from Hong Kong who would absolutely not shut up about how GREAT the altitude feels.

Naturally, I had to ride it.

Nicholas helping Sumi onto a horse on a trail overlooking Dingboche
Sumi Bear, mounted cavalry. Nicholas is helping me up. As he should.
Three yaks resting in a field with snow-capped mountains behind
Yaks doing absolutely nothing. Living the dream.
Yaks being used to plow a field in Dingboche
Not all yaks get the day off. These ones are plowing a field by hand. Or by horn, I guess.
Snow Lion Lodge and French Bakery Cafe in Dingboche with stupas on the ridge
The Snow Lion Lodge and French Bakery. Because what Dingboche really needed at 14,000 feet was croissants.

Cafe 4410
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We ended up spending a good chunk of the afternoon at Cafe 4410, a place owned by a friend of DB’s. It’s named after Dingboche’s altitude in meters, and it’s surprisingly nice inside. American-styled, fairy lights, actual ambiance. Not what you’d expect between a yak field and a medical clinic.

Nicholas and Po On parked there with ginger lemon honey tea while laundry got sorted out. A rest day that actually involved resting. Novel concept.

And then Po On did something wonderful. She got me hot cocoa.

Po On holding Sumi at Cafe 4410 with an elaborate hot cocoa topped with marshmallows and whipped cream
Hot cocoa at 4,410 meters. Marshmallows. Whipped cream. Chocolate shavings. A wafer stick. Po On, you are a legend.

Not just any hot cocoa. This thing came in a mason jar with marshmallows, whipped cream, chocolate shavings, and a wafer stick. At 4,410 meters (14,469 feet), in a village accessible only by foot or helicopter. I don’t know how. I don’t care how. It existed and it was mine.

Three trekkers relaxing at a cafe table with warm drinks
Cafe 4410. Warm drinks, good vibes, a ‘Good Morning’ sign on the wall. Almost forgot we were in the Himalayas.
Two plates of momos with red chutney dipping sauce
Momos. Two plates. Two styles. Pokin’s favorite, and honestly, they’re growing on me too.

Back to the Doctor
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The nice thing about the Mountain Medical Institute in Dingboche is the pricing model. One consultation fee covers your exam, all medications, and any follow-up visits for the same condition. You can keep going back.

For foreigners, it’s $75. For locals, $1.

Nicholas pointing at the price board inside the Mountain Medical Institute
Nicholas pointing out the pricing. $75 vs $1. The universal healthcare gap, printed on a piece of paper at 14,000 feet.

Clinic reception with cloud-painted ceiling

The follow-up wasn’t encouraging. The doctor said Pokin’s condition was stable but not improving. The ten medications he’d prescribed were holding things in place, but the fluid in her lungs wasn’t going away. High altitude pulmonary edema doesn’t get better at altitude. It gets better at lower altitude. He recommended she go down.

Going higher was off the table. Staying put was buying time at best.

The Decision
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So now we had a problem. Pokin needed to descend. The obvious destination was Tengboche, back to that heated room at The Himalayan where they’d stayed a few days earlier. It wasn’t too far, it was significantly lower, and she could rest properly.

But who goes with her?

If Nicholas went with Pokin immediately, Po On would have to continue alone with just a non-English-speaking porter. She wasn’t sick, but altitude was hitting her hard, and sending her up to higher elevation by herself wasn’t great.

If Nicholas took Po On up to Lobuche first to reconnect with the rest of the group, Pokin would have to descend to Tengboche on her own. Easier terrain, but still a full day’s hike at altitude with bronchitis and fluid in her lungs.

Neither option was good. They’d figure it out in the morning.

Tonight, though, Nicholas had other plans. The stupa was still up there. The sky might cooperate. And this time, he wasn’t going to let a little fog stop him.