Interlude in Namche

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Like most trekkers, we spent a couple of days in the hub of Namche Bazar, mainly to acclimatize to the altitude before ascending even more. The higher altitude was noticeable when we walked around town. The stairs can be steep and sometimes they left us gasping for breath, especially on the steep climb out of Namche.

This is one of the larger towns in the area and a center for trade. Besides trekkers and climbing teams, there are many yak trains and porters passing through, ferrying supplies for locals and trekkers up and down the trail. The last of this season’s Everest climbing expeditions are currently descending, so we saw many yaks carrying climbing gear and other expedition supplies. Many climbing teams seem to be from Korea.

All trekkers pass through Namche on their way up and down the trail, so this town has not suffered from the lack of tourists as badly as other villages. The teahouses, trekking agencies, bakeries and other businesses continue to function. The sound of optimism is in the air; you hear the hammering and sawing as even more new places are built.

We spent most of our time resting, shopping, eating, exchanging money, and wandering about town, so I don’t have much exciting news to report about our time in Namche, except that there was a gorgeous full moon visible from right outside my window. I laid awake one night just staring at the moon. Oh, and the hot shower at the guesthouse was sweet and we watched a pretty cheesy movie ("Deep Blue Sea") with the Nepalis working at the guesthouse.

Enjoy the photos.

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Photos

Hustle and bustle of Namche streets
It doesn't seem like much, but this town looks huge when you come down out of the mountains.