11th April 2008 - Dawa Steven Sherpa

It was a second acclimatization day for us at Pheriche so I had a long lie in until 9:00am. It was really nice to have a long rest. After breakfast we decided to go to Dingboche for our acclimatization walk as well as to use the internet at the cyber cafe there.

The walk was easy - we crossed over the ridge from Pheriche and arrived in Dingboche less than an hour later. I tried to get reception for my mobile phone the entire time we walked but to no avail. The internet cafe was equally frustrating as I couldn't upload/email a single photo. What was interesting though was that the lodge with the internet, Peak 38 View Lodge, has two parabolic solar cookers! The owner of the lodge told me that Dingboche had six of these donated by a German man who had an NGO in Kathmandu. These were more technically better pieces of equipment compared to the one we brought to use at base camp. Most notably, they had a fiberglass skirt and other additions to block wind and increase stability. But basically they were no different than our own. I was very encouraged to see that the technology is already in use in the Khumbu and what's more, it seems to work successfully. Apparently the cookers are great for boiling water, cooking potatoes (the main staple food in the mountains) and for making stock from bones for soup and stew. In fact, the lodge owner told me that he has never had better tasting stew in his life.

I was told that the two cookers that the lodge owned saved them over 100 liters of kerosene per trekking season - more than 200 liters a year! Not only does this mean less dependence on imported fossil fuels which damage the environment and health, but also a direct saving of 200 liters kerosene worth of money. The parabolic solar that the lodge possessed cost 20,000 rupees plus transport and porter costs. That seems to be the main obstacle to spreading its popularity. Still, at today's prices for kerosene, one would recover the investment cost of the cooker in less than a year. Furthermore, the solar cookers that I brought and are commercially available in Nepal cost 13,000 rupees; a little bit more affordable. If I can prove that it works at Everest base Camp, then perhaps it will give these ingenious devices a boost.

While returning from Dingboche, Au Pertemba and I walked past a rubbish pit. The rubbish was being burnt and the black smoke was disgusting. Most of the rubbish was plastic and tins but there was also a lot of paper, which could be easily recycled. What a shame!

When we arrived in Pheriche, we met a happy looking Charles who had caught up with us from Tengboche. He looked strong and said that his stomach was fine. A little later Bill, Amy and Lori also arrived. Finally the team is starting to reassemble.

At Pheriche we have been doing a lot of reading and even watched half a movie to pass the time. Rest days can be tiring!