Day 3--Namche Bazar

 The view of Namche Bazar and Nupla and Kongde peaks from our bedroom window, all for $3 a night!

Today was a day of acclimatizing and rest in Namche Bazar, not that we lounged around all day.  In the morning we hiked to a visitor center on the top of the hill above Namche where we took in an astounding 360-degree view of the Himalayas.  Mt. Everest and Lhotse loomed in the distance snagging storm clouds in the vicinity.  The visitor center had an impressive display featuring the Everest region and the Sherpa people.  Being a museum junkie, I enjoyed exploring the exhibits.  The Sherpa mannequins were particularly eye-catching.

From the visitor center we stopped at a hotel complex called Sherwi Khangba, housing a lodge, restaurant, campground, Buddhist stupa, a recreated traditional Sherpa home, and a photo collection.  Walking into the Sherpa home was like stepping back in time.  It reminded me of Old Bedford Village, a collection of colonial homes in Western Pennsylvania I used to visit with my family.

Traditional Sherpa home at Sherwi Khangba cultural museum

Inside the home... Nima has a thing for touching museum artifacts

Then he makes me do it...

Again and again.

Every family has a sacred room like this in their home

On our way out, past the drying yak dung

Next we went into the lodge to see the photo gallery.  The highlight of the photo collection was the Sherpa wall of fame, featuring a comprehensive collection of photos of Sherpas who had summitted Mt. Everest since the first summit by Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary in 1953.  Nima pointed out a great number of friends and acquaintances on the wall, including Pasang Temba, whom I recognized as a friend we had met on the first day of the trek.

We had tea with this guy yesterday!

The big cheese Sherpas, with Tenzing Norgay Sherpa the biggest cheese of them all!

On our way back to town we stopped to visit the village school, which was a total treat for me.  We had run into one of the teachers earlier in the day, and being a friend of Nima’s, she had invited us to stop by.  It is a small but well-kept campus with possibly the best mountain view on earth.  Though we tried to be unobtrusive, the younger children were excited to see visitors.  My little pal Tsering, who drew my portrait last night, was especially tickled to see us.  

Namche School

Interesting tidbit: What we call the star of David is a symbol for education in Nepal.  Additionally, what we recognize as the swastika is a symbol of good luck here.  I sure do like that better.

Tsering Wangyal spots us...

And alerts his friends!

 We ran into Ang Chhiki bringing lunch to her son, Tsering Phinjo

Another highlight of the day was taking a hot shower, the first since Kathmandu.  Ahh… to be fresh and clean—what a luxury! 

At lunch we met many more friends of Nima, including the mother and mother-in-law of Jen, a friend from Meritage.  In addition to milk tea, she brought bottles of wine, scotch, and soda, as well as dozens of eggs as a welcome gift for Nima.  Gideon and I got a kick out of the forceful hospitality around here.  It smacks of American “Southern Hospitality”—eat, eat, eat, more, more, more!

Jen's mother-in-law

A friend of Nima & Mingma, and Jen's mother

Now it is time to be treated to another dinner, this time at Khumbu Lodge, the home of little Tsering, and his father Pemba, an old friend of Nima.