Namche Bazaar

Having dragged my sorry ass to Namche Bazaar, of course my hotel is at the very top of the town. I gratefully dropped my bags in my room, took advantage of a western toilet (!!!) and then did some exploring.

Namche is gearing up for the high season by building more guesthouses but right now it's quiet as we are still in the monsoon. It's quite the thriving place because basically and expedition or trek involves passing through it twice and almost everyone stops off for a day to rest.

So I wandered around for a bit and stumbled on something almost unbelievable. A konditorei. And it was open!

You know I got up those stairs with the swiftness. I managed to get a proper cup of coffee with milk made from powder (not from a bloody nak) and raisin bread. Shangri La indeed!

When I got back to my hotel, I'm having a quick smoke outside when who do I bump into but Guy and Emma from the computer room at the school in Lukla! I told them about the bakery and when they didn't believe me produced the bag with the other half of the loaf and invited them to have some. The poor things were in bliss having not had western bread in months. We quickly agreed to have dinner together and also to meet up at the bakery for a naughty cup of western coffee in the morning. I also passed them a few goodies - 3 snickers bars, some Tesco mixed nuts with raisins, Cadbury chocolate covered raisins and a packet of pork scratchings. They were astonished at my food preparedness with him dropping to his knees at sight of the pork scratchings.

Having had a ghastly dinner (I really detest all nak-related products now) my guide gave me the bad news. Although the next day was scheduled for rest, he was encouraging me to go on an acclimitisation hike - 5 hours and 500 metres altitude! ::faint:: To encourage me he pointed out that if the weather was nice I would be able to see Everest. I begrudgingly agreed "if the weather is nice" as my plans for a massage went out the window.

Well, don't you know today dawned with crystal clear skies.

Bloody unheard of during monsoon. ::grumble::

So right after breakfast I dashed to the shops to get a new backpack - one more suitable to trekking. The one from voltaic is fine for commuting but not at all appropriate to trekking. Then back to the hotel to pack the new backpack and grab my walking sticks.

I was still in so much pain from the previous days so didn't do the full 5 hour insanity, just to the top of the ridge (which still took me an hour in my condition). And it was worth it. I have now actually seen Everest with my naked eyes.

I just wish I'd gotten a decent shot of both me and the mountain. ::sigh:: Here's the best of a bad bunch.

And you see that valley behind me? I trekked that mother!

Then tottered down the hill, checked out a sherpa museum, then collapsed.

Mongju to Namche Bazaar

The hike from Mongju to Namche Bazaar is the most gruelling of the trip I am told. It's basically all up and down until you get to the banks of the Dudh Kosi River (Milky River), at which point it's all up. And up. And up. Just switchback after switchback so you can't even see how much farther there is to go. There were times when I wanted to just fall to my knees and say "Jesus, take me now!" and other times when I thought it might be more expedient to just rip my guts out and fashion a noose. Honestly.

Five. Bloody. Hours.

Along the way we crossed the worlds highest suspension bridge. Those of you who know me know that I'm terribly afraid of heights but I was so utterly exhausted and without hope that I honestly couldn't have cared less if it had broken with me on it.

I can understand why Namche was mistaken for Shangri La as it was heaven to finally arrive.

Lukla Part Deux and walk to Mongju

So, after my last post I explored Lukla bit further, checking out the market (even I was challenged to find anything I wanted to buy), the local lama school and the primary school. There I met Guy and Emma from Bath who were setting up a computer room for the kiddiewinks but challenged to get the PCs up and running with all the moisture.

I also sent off postcards which, if they arrive at all, will take several months. ::grin::

Finally back to the lodge for a dhal bhat dinner and thence to bed. Which was awful and freaky. I was the only trekker so the only person in the guest lodge. After a certain time the electrics ae turned off so if you want to pee or have a crafty cig in the middle of the night you have to do it by flashlight. Which attracts the bugs. Ugh.

I was ready on time for our 9am kick-off. What followed was utter utter misery. It was chuckking down with rain and I had on way too manu layers covered with bloody waterproof salopettes AND a blooming poncho. Yeah it kept the rain off but I was still soaked through from my sweat! I just could not shed my heat so finally I said screw it and took off the poncho. Then that wasn't enough so I took off my jacket and then further my top layer so I was down to bra and under shirt on top. Which scandalised my guide but I told him it would be a bigger scandal if his client died from the heat.

After 3 hours of gruelling labour we stopped for lunch in Phakding (no sniggering in the back!). Blessed relief! To tell the truth, it's not the climbing/trekking so much (although that IS pretty tough) but the backpack that's the killer. After lunch they took pity on me and relieved me of said bastard backpack and I was able to complete the final 3 hours of torture. The only thing that got me through it was teh thought of a cigarette at the end. And, of course, Bletchley. ;-)

So we spent the night in Mongju (2850m alt.) where I had a warm shower. Bliss! But I couldn't eat any dinner. I was feeling out of sorts and felt a headache coming on. Although I went to bed, I just couldn't shake the pain and at 10:30pm I finally admitted to myself that I had mountain sickness so took a Diamox and a few hours later the pain was manageable enough that I could sleep.

Namche Bazaar

Astrid reached Namche Bazaar this morning and will be spending the rest of today and tomorrow thee acclimating to the altitude and resting.

(More details shortly)

Off on the Road to Everest (wasn't that a Bob Hope movie?)

Of course not but it should have been.

First day's trek.
Hours of strenuous walking uphill (not backwards, not in high heels; that's next trip with corporate support). The summer temperatures on the lower slopes combined with exertions of walking uphill left Asti broiling and she had to shed layers of outerwear for relief. No worries, temps will rapidly drop with the rise in altitude.

When I spoke with Asti a few minutes ago they had reached shelter for the night and were relaxing before bed. Since they try to get a very early start to each day and the trek is so exhausting, bedtime is usually around 7:30pm. The home-made cookies (oatmeal peanut butter with rum soaked raisins and dark choc chips) carefully carried from London were a hit with the Guide and Porter as well as Asti.

Asti said the most striking scenery of the day's trek were the many waterfalls; they were particularly dramatic due to the continuous heavy rain the past week. However, the rain had other sadder consequences - landslides. Reportedly 6 people died in the landslides and as they climbed they had to walk past the crushed houses still covered with tons of dirt and boulders.

On a happier note, Asti said they're taking lots of photos and will reach Namche Bazaar tomorrow where she should get her first clear, close up view of Everest.

Asti sends her love to family and friends.

Dispatch from the Himalayas

Spoke to Asti in Lukla on a daily phone-in at 2pm UK time (7pm Everest time). She's still looking for a sim but no joy so far. She sounds great. It's raining in Lukla so she bought a poncho large enough to cover her and her backpack.
Tomorrow morning they'll head out on foot to Namche Bazaar - a 2 day hike, I'm told.

Greetings from Sunny Lukla!

Everything has been smooth so far. Was met at the airport and transported to the Hotel Manaslu to dump my fear then went walking through the Thamel district. I'm gonna have to do a load of shopping there on the way back. Jewels, pashminas, yak wool shawls, it's all gorgeous. Had a fab dinner at the Nepali Chola with lots of singing and dancing but called it an early night and was tucked up by 9pm for my 4am wakeup.


Good thing too! We got to the airport and were checked in before 6am for a 6:45 flight BUT they don't stick to scheduled like that here. They had a full complement and a weather window so at 6:15 we were in the air in a tiny little twin otter plane. Apparently there have been no flights to or from Lukla for the last 5 days and ours was the only flight that has made it so far today.


So, the flight was actuially pretty good. Amazing glimpses of the landscape betwixt the clouds. I didn't whimper or gasp even once and didn't tale any xanax. ;-)

I've dropped my bags at the lodge run by my guides family, made lifelong friends with their dog (who is the cutest little thing - like  a mini-house-yak). I called him a little booboo in the baby talk that I reserve for cute little doggies and have now learned that booboo is the local word for breast. ::blush::

Downer in that I have zero connection on phone or wifi/kindle. I'm going to send the phone number for my guide (who is on a different network) to my mother so that she can take my daily blog updates when I'm away from the internet.

Toodle Pip!