October 8, Namche Bazaar, 3440 m

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Namche Bazaar, Oct 8

We were on the trail by 8 am. The mornings are clear and cool, but it soon heats up and by noon there are lots of clouds. Today we climb 800 m, the recommended daily average for altitude acclimatization is 300 m per day.
We had several river crossings on swinging bridges, one was about 150 m high which makes for a thrilling crossing.
Lunch was at Jorsale, great view, but baked in the sun.
One of the highlights of the day was interacting with the children. They often approach us saying Nameste, hello, or just touching hands.
The trail is very rough, many rock steps, very steep at times, so much of the trip I am looking at my feet instead of the view. Here any misstep can be a disaster.
We reached Namche by 4. We lost Linda and she was found about an hour later. There are so many people on the trail, she had followed the wrong group, the when she realized she tried to find us, ending up on the wrong trail. Fortunately she realized she was lost, backtracked and waited on the trail to be found.
We settled into our rooms, the toured the town, it has an amazing level of trekking stores and many services, for a town serviced entirely by porters and animals. I enjoyed strolling through town feeling happy and secure as night settled in.
Supper was at 6:30 and by 9 everyone is on their room. This is too early for me, fortunately Sebastian my room mate is generous allowing me to read for a while, while he sleeps with his eye cover.
To address Acute Mountain Sickness, AMS, we have to drink 3 to 5 litres of water a day. It is difficult to stay hydrated at high elevations and the water helps the chemical balances in the body. I try to drink between half to one litre at night, which means numerous visits to the toilet, walking down unheated dark halls, a real pain but worth it. So far no AMS symptoms for me.
Also, the toenail I ripped off is not causing any issues, and I will leave the bandaids I put on in Hong Kong as long as possible.

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