Rest Day in Namche Bazar – April 21

What a rest day it was! Andrew joked that something may have been lost in translation between the English and Nepalese language, because we hiked up to 12,500 feet to the Namche airport after visiting the Sagarmatha National Park and museum. The hike was good to help us acclimatize in preparation for our climb to Phortse tomorrow.

Sagarmatha is the native name for Everest. True to its name, the Sagarmatha park indulged our first view of Everest. A mountain goat wandered up to nibble on the tender greens nestled in the rocky ground. Dawa fed the goat some fried corn nuggets bought at the market earlier that morning. We had a friend for life! The goat posed with us for a number of photos and Andrew named him Charlie. Check out the video footage of Charlie nuzzling his head and horns on me, just like a house cat. (Stay tuned – Wifi is very limited, so picture and video file sharing is near impossible.)

The Namche airport was created by bulldozing a flat strip above the village. It really only facilitates helicopter landings and take offs. Apparently the Russians use this airport for transporting materials for a military base they are building up in the hills. A woman was selling hand knitted hats, mittens and booties. Jorunn hopped right up on the bench beside her and began knitting as well. Too cute. I bought a stocking cap for both Kurt and myself. I thought it would be good to give back to this woman who works so hard to make a living up there in the hills. It was especially gratifying to see her making the items before my very eyes!

Lunch was Sherpa stew, specially requested by Gary. It was one of the best meals I have had so far on the trip! I asked for seconds. After lunch, team members chose to pay 500 rupees ($5) for a hot shower (600 rs. for a hot shower with towel), shop or rest. The local Liquid Bar offered a free movie at 3 pm called the New Sherpa, which the rest of the team went to see.

I chose to go to the Sherpa Barista cafe, which is owned by Tashi Sherpa’s friend and was said to have good WiFi. Up in the mountains, access to electricity and an Internet connection will cost you, and even still, it may not work. In most lodges it will cost about 500 or 600 rupees ($5 or $6), and fast internet seemed to be a steal at the Sherpa Barista cafe for 200 rupees ($2). I hadn’t had any contact with Kurt or anyone else back home since before we boarded the flight to Lukla and I hoped to work on this blog. No such luck with the Wifi but I was grateful to have electricity in my room and running water so high up in the hills. It is amazing what we take for granted in the United States.

At dinner, we celebrated Vegas Scott’s birthday, which was just before the trip. There are two Scotts in our group, so since one is from Vegas, this is how we differentiate between the two. Vegas Scott’s sister, Lisa, brought table decorations and bought almond cookies from Namche for the celebration. The lodge owner’s daughter, Sunam, fell in love with the flowery Christmas lights Kathy had strung on our hotel floor, so Kathy traded her a song for the strand of lights. This girl with a beautiful clear voice sang us a popular American song, which I’m sure I should know the title and artist, but I spend my recreational time gathering gear and training for treks to Mt Everest. It was a very sweet song and a great night overall of camaraderie and celebration.

• Little things:
  No toilet paper in the toilet. It goes in a bin next to toilet.
  Toilets don’t have toilet paper, you must bring your own.
  Most toilets are squatting pans or holes cut in a wooden plank suspended over the ground.
  Flushing toilets often do not actually flush. There will be a tank of water and pitcher next to the toilet, which you can use to scoop water into the bowl to force a flush.
  Carry soap and hand sanitizer because if there is a sink, it will not have soap.
  Toilets are sometimes called W.C. for water closet.
  Some are only a “short” W.C. and some are “long” W.C. (You figure it out)
  Laundry means sloshing clothes around in a plastic bag or bucket with soap and water.
• Sherpas fill your water bottle with hot water before bed to add to your sleeping bag for warmth.