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Published: March 17th 2013
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Monjo 2840m - Jorsale 2830m - Namche 3420m - Chhorkung 3540m - Namche 3420m
Time taken:
Monjo - Namche 2 hours 45 mins
At breakfast this morning it hit me how lucky I am to be here, doing this. This trek is something I have looked forward to for almost three years. I came to Nepal in 2010 but was unable to fly to Lukla due to bad weather so instead changed plans to do the Annapurna Circuit. I really enjoyed this trek and vowed to return to complete the EBC trek as well. With an early start, we began on the trail out of Monjo. We start ploughing rapidly along the trail in the knowledge of the strenous climb to Namche. We quickly come to the Sagarmatha National Park entrance check point where I find a scale map of the Khumbu. From this scale looks pretty manageable but the stories of the steepness and hardship to endure today are foremost in my mind. The warm, sun-dappled forests however, seem to distract my mind with winding roots and paths to match. I find myself relaxing into the rhythm of the trek and enjoying the stretches on my legs.
The Dudh Kosi river rapids gurgle and churn below us as we cross it on several slightly rickety suspension bridges. Until Jorsale, the trail is fairly flat but after a final bridge, the test comes. We switch back and forth climbing the steep sides of the foothills only to pick our way down again to the river's edge. This is a warm steamy trek uphill for an hour or so. Next we round a corner entering a shady forest, seeing several Himalayan Monal (a.k.a Danphe) birds with their iridescent colours in the surrounding woodland. Then, sooner than i'd hoped, we round a corner to a police check point just below Namche. Just minutes on and the impressive amphitheatre of Namche Bazaar is visible as I look up at a bustling mountain town. We stay at the Zamling Guesthouse at the top of Namche. It really does feel like a home from home with a warm, well decorated dining hall and pleasant rooms with fantastic views of the town and the surrounding mountains. The balcony is windy but in full sunshine at noon as I warm myself and dry my socks, listening to the tinkling bells of the yak trains as
they pass down the trail to the right of the lodge. Suriya suggests we walk up to nearby Chhorkung on the east ridge of Namche where the Sagarmatha National Park Visitor Centre is located. Suriya explains about the local agriculture and diet of the local Nepalis and we make a donation. That evening I meet and chat with other trekkers passing through and decide to head to bed early with slight headache and nausea. I am only able to eat a quarter of my normal portion which seems odd but I put down to the large gain in altitude. When I wake around midnight, the headache has disappeared, but I am glad tomorrow is an acclimatisation day.
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Tot: 0.102s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 13; qc: 70; dbt: 0.0672s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb