Day 6 - Up we go! Namche Bazaar to Portse Tenga

Tuesday 14th October

I have drawn the lucky straw this evening and have a tent to myself. Better now that later when it is colder I think!. Our camp this evening is down in a valley next to the river. To night I will be rocked to sleep by the roar of the rapids. Today was a big day! We climbed up to nearly 4,000 metres by lunch time (from 3440 metres). The pathway was very narrow, dusty and in places very rocky. So you really had to watch your step. There were times when you just focused on putting one foot in front of the other.

Our Sherpa's monitored our progress and were constantly encouraging us to drink,(to assist us with acclimatising to the altitude). We had regular rest stops, which gave us the opportunity to take in the awesome scenery. The day was clear and sunny so we could see the tops of a number of mountains, including Everest!

There were a couple of times today where I did feel a little light headed, however this evening I feel fine. Just very tired!! I won't need much rocking tonight.

This afternoon after we had settled into our tents we all met in the mess tent for afternoon tea and biscuits. Mani joined us and entertained us with some Yeti tales. He is a non believer, but with a bit of encouragement he did tell us a few of the local tales. Tomorrow we are going to be passing a hut which the locals believe is the sight of where a man was killed by a Yeti. Oh! spooky stories and I am alone in my tent tonight. No worries. I am so tired I am sure it isn't going to be a problem.

Day 5 - Day of Rest - Before we get into the serious trekking

Monday 13 October.

The Bliss of sleeping in a comfy bed!! Our happy Sherpas, knocked on the door at 7.00pm with steaming cup of coffee, closely followed by our bowl of hot water for washing. Then it was down for a hearty breakfast of porridge, omelette's and pancakes, washed down with hot milk coffee!!

Luckily our chief Sherpa (Mani) had a morning walk up to a lookout above the village planned. I can't believe how much I am eating!!

After our morning walk, we took advantage of the sun and spread our "frilly bits" (or not so frilly bits) out in the sun to dry.

After lunch our delightful host Mrs Sonam Sherpa guided us through The Sherwi Khangba Centre , a museum and cultural centre established by herself and her husband. The cultural centre displayed an interesting collection of newspaper cuttings, historical photos and stories of the Sherpa's and the local area. Lhakpa Sonam Sherpa is an accomplished photographer and many of his photos of the area were displayed as well. Some of these pictures can be seen on http://www.sherpa-culture.com.np/CulturalPhotoGallery-images.htm

Visiting the museum, reading the stories, and seeing all the pictures of Sherpa's that had died while climbing the mountains, brought home one thing to me. We hear a lot about the climbers from all over the world that have climbed, conquered or perished in the Himalayans. However we don't heard about all the Sherpa's who have been there supporting these climbers, and their equal achievements. It was very sobering to see the wall of pictures of Sherpa's (some very young) who had perished while supporting climbing groups.

After the tour of the museum a few of us decided to venture down to the village. It was fun wandering around the narrow winding streets, looking at all the colourful stalls selling a variety of souvenirs, trekking gear and supplies. We all purchased last minute items such as suncream, chocolates, and warm hats as these items would be much harder to find over the next few days.

After dinner, Mani gave us the usual "after dinner information session" of what we were to expect the following day, and it was off to bed ready for a 6.00pm start.

Day 4 - First Big Test, Monjo to Namche Bazaar

Sunday 12 October

Today was our first test, climbing for about 5 hours and going up around 700 metres. The first part of the trip we made our way along the Dudh Kosi to its junction with the Bhote Kosi (Rivers). There were lots of milky green boiling rapids and we crossed another couple of quite long suspension bridges. The last three and half hours was a slow trudge up and up. However, I found if you just took it slowly, and got into a rhythm it wasn't too bad.

The trail was very busy with trekkers and villagers bring goods back from Namche Bazaar. There were many groups of villagers herding jokpu (cattle) heavily laden with market goods. When we arrived at the village of Namche, we climbed up through the village to the Hotel Sherwi Khangba. This delightful hotel and restaurant was established by Lhakpa Sonam Sherpa. His amazing wife manages to cook hearty meals for trekkers, clean rooms, wash and dry trekker's clothes, assist with charging batteries and phones, accessing Internet, providing hot showers and towels. On top of this she provides tours and information sessions on the Museum that she and her husband have set up in honour of the Sherpa's that have lost their lives in the Himalayas. She was like a traffic policeman directing peak hour traffic, always with a smile on her face.

The bonus of staying here was the short requite from sleeping on the ground, a wonderful cosy dining room. Then came the exciting bit!! hot showers!! for only 200 rupees (money well spent!! it was divine to feel nice and clean).

We spend the afternoon in the library, some of us played a rather rowdy game of cards while others caught up on emails etc. After a hearty meal of mushroom soup, Buffalo stew, veggies and rice we all stumbled up to our rooms to recover from our big day. The zzz's were pumping out very quickly.