Day 2 The climb to Namche Bazar

The first surprise of the day was the startling view outside our room.  When we had arrived to the guesthouse last night, the clouds had already rolled in for the evening.  We had no idea how high the mountains were just outside our window. 

After dressing and packing our bags, we headed downstairs for a delicious breakfast of oat porridge (the best I've ever had), eggs and toast, as well as milk tea and coffee.  A little carb-loading was necessary for the hike that awaited us today.  One of the dangers of trekking at these altitudes is AMS, Acute Mountain Sickness, or altitude sickness.  Gideon and I both have had bouts of altitude sickness in back the States, Gideon while in Yosemite, me in Colorado, and it is no fun.  One way to avoid AMS is to drink lots of fluids and to eat a high-carbohydrate diet.  No problem!  Bring on the noodles, cookies, oatmeal, and granola bars!

Domai, sister of Mingma (Nima's wife)

After breakfast, we strapped on our daypacks and hit the trail.  The first part of the hike led us through a few small villages and over more suspension bridges until we reached the entrance of Sagarmatha National Park.  We showed our trekking permits and park entrance ticket, obtained back in Kathmandu with Chindi, and entered the park.  The most challenging stretch of trail awaited.  Up, up, up we went, gaining nearly 2300 feet in altitude, taking us to 11,200 feet.  The hike was intense, but the sky was blue and the sun was warm.  It was perfect hiking weather.

This is one of Gideon's famous timed photographs where he sets the camera on a rock, pushes the delayed-release shutter, and hurtles over rocks and boulders to get into the photo.  Unfortunately, this time he tripped on a rock, twisting his ankle, thus the pained expression.  (Click to make it larger.)

Ahh, that's a bit better.

 Sagarmatha National Park entrance gate

It was around this time that Nima called to me.  "Emily, I have some music for you to listen to," he explained.  I thought maybe he had a sudden urge to serenade me.  I wasn't going to argue—he sings and whistles all the time.  I was a bit surprised when Nima got out his iPhone.  He set it to shuffle and handed me the headphones.  Nepali pop music became my hiking companion for the rest of the trek.  And what an amazing difference it made for me.  The rhythm of the music allowed me to find a rhythm in my steps and in my breathing.  Before long I was in a Nepali hiking trance, trekking steadily like yak up the steep, rocky trail.  Now, I have to admit, my daypack was very light today, as Nima had insisted on carrying the laptop, the heaviest part of my load, as well as a few water bottles.  I had to remind myself of this when I'd take breaks and wait for Gideon and Nima to catch up.

Just around the time we needed a pick-me-up, we were greeted by Chindi's fifteen-year-old godson, Buddha Raj.  He was sent to meet us along the trail by Chindi's wife.  He brought a backpack of cold Cokes, water, and cookies.  Bearing treats like this, he was instantly my new best friend, even more so since he insisted on carrying my daypack for the remainder of the hike.

Nima and Buddha Raj

Around lunchtime, we decided to check in at Meritage.  Nima got out his cell phone and called the restaurant back in Sonoma.  "Hello, I'd like an order of pasta with prawns," he teased.  We passed around the phone and got to speak with Rosemary and Emily (MLP).  What a fun treat!  Even in this modern age of technology, we were impressed that we were able to chat with our folks back in California as if they were just a mile or so down the trail.

A bit further along the trail, we got our first glimpse of Mt. Everest off in the distance.  It was excellent to know that we were peeking through the valley at the top of the world, but it was a bit surprising how relatively small it looked from this vantage point compared to the peaks looming so high right overhead.  Another thirty minutes up the trail, we got a better view of Everest (a.k.a. Chumalungma—Sherpa for Mother Earth), but it was still far away.  It made me realize that we have a lot of trekking ahead of us...

Our first glimpse of the highest peak in the world, from a distance

Around two in the afternoon, we arrived in Namche Bazar, the largest Sherpa village along the trail.  It's a relatively wealthy mountain town catering to the trekkers with many restaurants and lodges.  The buildings are set in a horseshoe shape on terraced steps lining the mountainside.  Just beyond the town the earth drops off a few thousand feet to the river gorge below.  On the other side of the gorge sheer cliffs rise all the way to Khongde Peak. 

The Shangri La Guest House and Restaurant

We made our way to Shangri La Guest House and Restaurant, Chindi and his wife Chhiki’s cozy lodge.  We were welcomed with a hearty lunch of noodle soup, followed by yak steak, rice, fresh greens, and crunchy little dried minnows.  I was so hungry that I ate up without a thought to the dozens of fish eyes staring at me.
After our meal, Gideon and I headed to our room for a nap.  I guess the hike had tuckered us out; we conked out for an hour and a half.  Buddha Raj came to check our pulses (just kidding) and to tell us to meet Nima for a walk.  We were surprised that during our nap the clouds had rolled in and completely obscured the mountain views. 

We spent the next few hours wandering through the town, heading to the higher terraces to gain a bit more altitude before coming back down to for the night.  This is another important preventative measure against altitude sickness.  In our wanderings we encountered many more Nima fans, including the mayor of the town.  We took tea at Khumbu Lodge with friends of Nima.  I became fast friends with the four-year-old son of Pemba, the owner of the lodge.  It took a good fifteen minutes for me to get the little guy's name, but eventually I was able to pronounce Tsering Wengyal Sherpa to his satisfaction.  As my reward, he drew my portrait.

Click on the photo to enlarge.  Can you see my ponytail, earrings, and headband in the photo?  How about my fluffy torso and my strong hiking legs?  Nice!

After our visit at Khumbu, we made our way back through some light hail to the Shangri-La for dinner.  More noodles for me, followed by tea, tea, and more tea.

And now my bed calls.  Goodnight!