Day 2. Monjo – Namche Bazar, max elevation 3400m

We woke up at 5.55 am, had some Tibetan bread for breakfast and started walking to Namche Bazar ( 6 km, 2,5 h ). First, we started to go a bit downhill and descented to a river valley where we walked beside the river that flows down all the way from Tibet. We stopped to admire a big suspension bridge that hung above us and to rest for a while beacause from there, it was only uphill. ( The bridge was also used in a scene in the movie ”Everest” ). 

So, we started the ascent and on the way we saw Everest for the first time (in the first picture)! A little bit after 10 am we reached Namche Bazar. Namche is the biggest village in the Khumbu area. It used be an important trading town for the Sherpa people. There are still locals living there, but now it’s mostly a trekking town with a lot of lodges, shops, cafes and bars. Here we would spend 2 nights to acclimatize to the altitude.

The rest of the day we spent just reading and playing cards. There was also some bars that showed movies. So we went to this place called Liquid bar to see a documentary about Sherpas and their work on Everest expeditions. 

Day 3. Namche Bazar, max elevation 3880m

For the acclimatization it is usual to walk up and get back to sleep low. For that our porter had a rest day, and in the morning we just took some water and wind jackets with us and started to walk straight up. Starting with what felt like thousands of stairs. At the beginning heartrate went up and we were both out of breath, but luckily it got easier pretty fast (though still not easy). There was a small military base beside Namche and apparently the soldiers run this route every morning (as do school kids that live near Namche). Our route went pass a little farm house and a helicopter landing site. Almost all the way we were accompanied by a street dog running by on our side. We ascented a total of 400m in two and half hours to Everest view hotel to have a tea. Unfortunately, Everest was hiding behind the clouds but we got a good view of two other mountains, Lhotse and Ama Dablam.

After the break we started to descent back to Namche. On the way we stopped to visit a nearby Sherpa museum with a traditional Sherpa farmhouse. There we learnt a few things about their culture: Yaks are very useful animals in the mountains. They are not used just for transportation of goods but Sherpas and also local people all around Khumbu use dried yak shit for heating in winter. Local people use yaks also for their milk and make butter and cheese out of it. Interesting fact about butter was how big part it had in Sherpa celebrations. At weddings butter is spred on the heads of the couple. Also a big fire is made with butter and hard alcohol to vanquish evil spirits during festival. 

In the museum there was also a hall of fame section of all the Sherpas that have climbed to Everest. Sherpa culture was our theme for the day. Later we went again to the Liquid bar to see a another documentary about Sherpas.