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05.17.16 Namche Bazaar
Namche Bazaar, at slightly over 11,200 feet in elevation, is a travel destination in and of itself. For a remote village in the Himalayas, it's a vivrent town with shops, tea houses, yaks and local children playing in the streets. It's also bustling with tourists crossing paths - some coming, some going. In fact, many guide services offer a 5-7 day trek out of Kathmandu that only goes as far as Namche before heading back. These treks are usually referred to as "Everest View" treks since, you guessed it, you can see Everest from the top of the city. If the weather is clear tomorrow we will set out on a two hour hike to the Everst View Hotel and should get our first good look at Sargamattha.
A Nepali child and his mother keeping shop in Namche Bazaar.
The hike here was grueling and mostly uphill from Phakding. We gained over 3,000 feet in elevation and it took us about 6-7 hours to complete the 7 mile trek. The sights along the way were amazing. We walked along a river valley with rushing glacial blue water below us and towering tree-covered mountains above us. In the distance were massive snowy peaks, but nothing compared to what tomorrow has in store for us.
An unexpected treat for me and Kimberly has been the addition of 5 members to our trekking team. Originally, we had planned to do the trek alone, with our Sherpa and porter, but our guide service had seven people sign up for the same trek, so it only made sense to combine us into a larger group. In a few short days we have already bonded and quickly learned to appreciate the strengths, talents, and unique personalities of each individual. Dan, Ariana, Dave, Mark, Sam, Kimberly and I complement each other in subtle ways and will undoubtedly rely on each other to make it through this difficult challenge. I look forward to sharing more about my new friends with you tomorrow via proper introductions. In the meantime, I'll post some teaser pics on Facebook.
Archives:
05.17.16 Namche Bazaar
05.21.16 Gokyo Lakes
05.25.16 Gorkashep
05.26.16 Everest Base Camp!
05.29.16 Kala Patthar/Tengboche/Namche
05.30.16 Lukla
06.01.16 Kathmandu: Final Thoughts
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