Teahouses- The Personal Side of Everest

Teahouses are each day's journey's end. We are welcomed outside each unique home by our two lovely porters, always smiling, curly haired, Da Wa, and humble almost mute, Nim Sung Gay. Usually they have our bags already neatly laid in our double share private rooms. These rooms vary in luxury but always include a bed, mattress, blanket, and pillow. Not much action happens here (literally above 4000 m any 'action' is not reccommended) all the action takes place in the dinning room.

The dinning room is the hub of a teahouse. Along all four walls is bench like seating with colourful tibetan coqueted carpets as cushions. Tables sit infront of the benches and in the center a small wood burning stove creates warmth. After a long day's hike this is where all nationalities seek common comforts. A hot pot of lemon tea, some great food (plates of carbohydrates - no meat the whole trip due to poor storage) and an enegetic card game. Endorphone filled good cheer generally generates much laughter that trancends language barriers and the smell of sweaty feet.

On one occasion our little group mingled with the Korean entourage that planned on summitting Everest. They had yaks, 200 porters, camera equipment, and enough beatiful North Face equipment to clothe an army. They would plug in a laptop and ROberta and I wee transported back to Korea with the latest "K-pop" songs. Roberta and I did not make any good friends with the Koreans themselves but the Nepalese ambassadors that were with them were introduced to the card games "shit head" and "pig."

Another memorabe night at a tea house involved me teasing our porter Da Wa that he should dance. The outcome to my shame involved 7 Nepalese porters siging a taditional love/folk song and clapping while I had to jig around. Ohhh DEAR!! I think the German family in the corner had never seen anything like that before!

Along the trail we also made friends with others who were doing the same route as us. THere was James and Malvina from Ireland. THey gave us great advice about our upcoming THailand trip. THey were so down to Earth and shared our passion for travel/food that it was always a joy to speak with them. THen there was Kiwi, Pat, who I think was part super hero as nothing seemed to bother him. He could trek the whole day, eat lunch and then trek further the same day just to acclimatize. He was also great for a good game of cards.

The ones we bonded with the most I would have to say were our porters. Da wa and someone were always laughing about something. He played many a card game with us and was always saying midly crude things in Nepalese. ONe night I was playing cards with a group of 6 porters while Da wa tried his best to Marry me off. The most special night would have to have been the last night when Dawa invited us to his home in LUkla to meet his family.

Dawa lived on the third floor of a building in a small room. THe room consisted of a wood burning stove in a blackened corner for the kitchen a bed in the other corner and a mat on the floor. Here is wife, 11 month old, and 6 year old all lived. His daughters were adorable. His wife gave us tea and Da wa being the entertainer he is had three friends over also. At one point he literally had them all lined up and asked me or Spencer which one I should marry. He was totally joking... but what does one say?? THen the dancing/siging began me and da wa danced while everyone dang. THis time I was more successful and got one of the random boys dancing and Spencer and Sasha. It truly was a special evening. We gave our porters our gifts (things we didn't need) and then they topped us off in setiment the following morning when they gave us lucky prayer scarves. We were blessed to have such fine porters and we will never forget them!