Longponga, the first of the Gokyo Lakes

When I first set my eyes on the lake, I have to do a double take. The clear, still, dark blue waters of the lake appear illusory in this world of hard, uninterrupted gray-brown rock, boulder and stone. With a second glance, it fits in. This is no oasis, this is the sharp blue edge on the steel that is the soul of Khumbhu. Numerous cairns fashioned out of rocks and pebbles stand all around the lake like gravestones, making me feel that I am standing in the highest semetary in the world. I have to watch my step, for fear of upsetting a chorten, and inviting the wrath of a mountain spirit. There is no habitation here -- the only village is far away, by the more inviting green waters of the third lake.