The day started with a beautiful view of Machermo Peak. After breakfast, we headed to Gokyo. The hike is "Nepali flat" after leaving Machermo (i.e., many ups and downs, with little elevation gain). The hike follows the Dudh Kosi which is milky due to the glacier sediments. Just before arriving to the First Goky lake, we found a clear stream; an indication of a nearby lake (sediments accumulate at the bottom of the lake so the outlet of the lake is clear.
The first lake is really small. Not really a lake, but a pond. After short hike, we arrive to the much larger Second Lake which is surrounded by large peaks with Cho-Oyu towering in the distance. Both First and Second lakes have hundreds of cairns built around them with some of the cairns having small money offerings. One could get a dollar or two if you are willing to suffer the wrath of he gods.
From Second Lake, a short walk brought us to the larger Third Lake where the lodge is. This is a much larger village than the previous ones, so the lodge was a lot nicer. Given that I'm the only male of the group, I've been getting a private double room, while the girls are sharing. In Gokyo, I got a special treat as I got a room with a double bed.
After arriving, we had lunch and I convinced the girls to go up the ridge to see the Ngozumpa glacier. This is a rock covered glacier that we will cross in two days. When we got to the top, we were surprised about how massive the glacier was and the number of lakes on it. As we were hiking on the moraine, we could hear continuous cracking and rock falling on the surface of the glacier.
For the rest of the afternoon, we played Uno with the guides and one of the porters. Although they play a lot of cards, this was the first time they were playing Uno. It was interesting to see how they were helping each other and how little they will care about showing their hands.
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