Everest Base Camp Trek Dispatch
April 24, 2010 – Rest Day in Namche
Looking down on Namche
The team poses for a photo at the Everest viewpoint
This is Leila reporting from Namche. Today is our rest day and acclimatization day. Still, the team had a 6 a.m. wake-up call so that we could hike to an Everest view point. We have to go early because later in the morning it can get cloudy, and the clouds block the views. The team was very fortunate and had amazing views, their first view of Everest and all the neighboring mountains.
Then it was back to the hotel for breakfast and a stroll and shopping in Namche. Today is Saturday , so there was a local weekly bazaar. The bazaar is a big tourist attraction even though it is mostly for locals. It is very common to see lodge owners from up the valley come down to Namche to buy supplies for their lodges.
After some serious shopping, the team met for lunch at the Mount Everest Bakery where they make the best pizza in town. It was fantastic as usual. Kerri and Maya had planned to have a brownie for dessert but the pizza was so big that they couldn’t imagine ordering dessert.
Tomorrow we will hike to Thame, a village that is off the beaten path but in my opinion a must-see. We are all looking forward to it, everyone is feeling great, acclimatizing extremely well and definitely ready to start going higher.
Left: Shops in Namche sell pretty much everything you can think of; Right: A spice vendor in Namche Bazaar
Some serious decision making going on
The World's Highest Modern Hairdresser
Ljerka with Namche in the background.
Homemade pizza at the Mount Everest Bakery
Maya with the world's most delicious high-altitude pizza.