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Published: April 8th 2007
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Namche! Namche! Namche!
After a predictably cold night we left Pheriche at 8.30am bound for Namche Bazaar. Most of the going was down until we got to scene of awfulness (and interestingly the amorous French couple's grubby liaison) THE WORST LODGE IN THE WORLD, Paradise Lodge at Deboche. The climb from Deboche to Tengbocke is super steep and as breakfast was now hours ago, extrenely hard with no fuel powering you on. You get really sick and tired of fighting for breath on uphill stretches. You start to feel as if you never want to walk uphill again. All worth it thought as we emerged triumphant in Tengboche and rewarded ourselves with a Veg Burger in the bakery. Possibly the nicest thing I've eaten on trek. Tasted almost Western.
Then we set out for Namche. If you recall the hill up to Tengboche had almost been the scene of my undoing on the way up. It was pretty unbelievable going down. It was STILL long and almost totally unshaded. The difference this time though however was that I was going down it. Suddenly I became aware of what my face was doing ad indeed what emotion I had started experience. A defnite bit of schadenfreude. I wasn't taking pleasure in the discomfort of people toiling up exactly, but I was feeling a wee bit smug that I had already done it and looking on the poor sods struggling up with a little pity and some superciliousness.....it was only what we had received from people going down when we were going up after all. I challenge anyone to behave differently. We encouraged those near the top, then remained ominously mute on the subject of how much further it was as we got further away from the top.
Halfway down, we got separated from Si who had stopped to take some Ibuprofen. We walked past quite a big group with a very tall, matey black chap at it's centre. It was only bloody Daley Thompson! 'Oi' he says to Phil 'I'm jealous of you mate'. 'Coz I'm going down?' asks Phil, 'Nah, coz you've got 2 birds with you' quips Thompson. Phil's day was made. To be honest Daley was pouring sweat and not looking too comfortable with the toil uphill. So there you have it. Decathlon, Shemathlon it's still a nightmare climb. Unless of course you're Sange who did the whole thing, as the rest of trek, strolling along clad in not much more that a baseball cap a light jacket, light trousers and trainers. And a saucy gold tooth of course.
Unfortunately what goes down, must go up and I had forgotten that once we'd descended to the river, we had to climb back up the other side. This situation wasn't helped when I strained to overtake a herd of cows. I put on an extra spurt, passed them then felt sick and as ifmy bowels were about to go as I fought for breath and tried to keep my lead. Unpleasant in the extreme.
By now the valleys were green again, we could see flowers and hear birds. The countryside was kind and hospitable once more. Along the way we passed an old woman collecting yak dug to burn on the night's fire. What a job. We arrived at namche and the Lhasa Guest house where we had stayed previously somehing after 4 and fell upon the small boy who works there which must have been nice for him. 4 huge white sweaty people in dire need of showers embracing him and shaking his hand feverishly. We had showers, bliss, although have sneaking suspicion am still filthy.
I remember saying before I came out here that I was just dying for a simple life. Just wake up, eat, walk, eat walk, sleep. But it's not been that simple at all. Life becomes very complicated wih small essential things, keeping clean, keep well, eating enough, organising yourself, coping with the stress of the unknown, coping with what's ahead. On the othe hand I don't thnk I've lived as intensely as I have the past couple of weeks. Experiencing every moment as it happens. Although even as I write that I realise how dreamlike and unreal my time at Gorak Shep and Everest Base Camp seems. Here where it is warmer, softer, greener, the hositilities of that high up region seem a long way away. It doesn't seem real that people are right now living in that raw hell of Base Camp, but that Base Camp becomes luxury compared to what awaits them as they begin ascending the mountain.
Rest day tomorrow.
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