Trekking day 2, 9th of October.
The trek today brought us from Phakding in 2650m to Namche Bazar in 3450m. Only 10km but it took us 7 hours including lunch – several places with continuous climb or stairs. Not too exhausting but we also have to walk slowly to avoid height sickness – but also to enjoy the trek. The recommendations for avoiding height sickness are: walk slowly, drink 4-5 liter of water, eat plenty, and get a good night sleep. Most of us also take Diamox to improve our chance. The side effects can give a funny tickling in fingers but only for some 10min at a time. I also had such feeling in toes and face but no other side effects during the trek.
It was cold in the morning so wore three layers, but quickly became sunny and had to remove layers so only walking in base layer shirt with long neck (besides trekking trousers). We passed over a couple of suspension bridges before lunch and were close to the river at all times. Today, we also started seeing mountains above 6000m with snowy peaks – very beautiful towards the blue sky and other greens. There were also several waterfalls along the path.
We entered through a check point for entering Sagarmatha National Park with signs of drone flight not allowed. I had read about such from home, and that it is not easy to get the necessary permits – and quite high fines and troubles getting caught, so I had also left the drone at home (would also have been tricky to find the additional 2kg of space in already too heavy luggage). During the full 12 days trek I did not see any drones in the air, so not too disappointed about the ‘lost’ shots and videos.
From one of the suspension bridges we could see to Jorsalle where we had ordered lunch. It reminded me of Rivendell with the buildings next to the river, mountains, and waterfalls nearby. We order lunch from the morning so it’s ready when we arrive.
Our trek also let us over a very long suspension bridge of 100m and probably also 100m above the river – quite a view from out there, and the bridge was very stable with only little movement. But don’t try to pass when the Yak oxes are coming your way
The last part of the trek to Namche Bazar was through forest, and we continuously came closer to the skies. Many carriers overtake us with heavy burdens, but we were able to overtake an elderly carrier – with 70kg on his back!
The entrance to Namche (Bazar means town) was quite spectacular – a large city considering the location. Placed in an arch with view to mountains (if there is no sky cover). Passed next to a temple and a small stream which made several praying wheels spin. The town is full of small streets selling trekking and mountaineering gear, but also souvenirs and merchandise. Quite a highlight to see this town – also known as the portal to Everest.
