Nepal - Kangchenjunga trek
Day 16 - Kambachen to Phole
Damp morning in Kambachen (again!). Descent to Ghunsa. The landslide crossing easier than expected (I thought that the descent would be tougher). Lunch in Ghunsa and walk on to Phole. More pleasant temperatures but cloudy and some drizzle during the night.
Day 17 - Phole to Amjilassa
We depart in light rain which stops after about 30 minutes, leaving the trail to Kyapra slippery and treacherous. After lunch, long descent followed by some undulations and a steep ascent again before an easy descent to Amjilassa. It is still cloudy. The walk today passed through pretty wild dense forest, almost no habitations. Everyone has had a good walk today and is relaxed because it is warmer (relatively speaking).
Day 18 - Amjilassa to Sakathon
A steep descent (easy because the ground is dry) then follow the river. We arrive at camp by 12.00. It is warm and sunny and everybody enjoys a good wash and laundry.
Day 19 - Sakathon to Chirwa
A bit of up and down but nothing steep. Arrive at camp in warm weather before 12.00 ad spend the afternoon playing with local children.
Day 20 - Chirwa to Phurumba
Nice walk more or less following the contour of the hills (it makes a change from ups and downs), great terraces. On our arrival (about 14.30) in Phurumba it starts raining heavily but by dark everything is OK (so no problems with leaking tents in the night).
Day 21 - Phurumba to Sukethar
Not passing through Taplejung but going directly
to Sukethar. We get
to Sukethar in late morning. Busy camp as there is a large Dutch group
(we had crossed them in Kambachen, they were doing exactly the same tour
in the opposite direction). Noisy camp, a return to civilisation feeling.
It rains quite heavily most of the afternoon.
People are happy to get back
to Kathmandu tomorrow.
Day 22 - flight back to Biratnagar and Kathmandu
or so it should have been. Various circumstances (weather then technical problems) delay the flight by 3 days so we are very very glad when a plane can finally land and take us out of Sukethar (which by now feels more like a refugee camp than a village).
