April 10 – Namche Bazar 11,200’ beautiful

I am sitting at the communal eating area this morning having instant coffee while waiting for the rest of my team members to get here for breakfast. I can’t begin to describe the panoramic views. Everything is covered with a fresh coating of snow. Namche sits on the side of a bowl shaped canyon. It is so steep that our tea house looks down on the roof of the one below. I would guess that the village itself is a 1,000 feet from top to bottom. It is quite a climb for the newcomer to just go up and down. This ancient village has been a trading post between the Tibetans and the Sherpa forever. Today it is the focal point for the trekking and tourist industry in the Khumbu region of Nepal. It is also a major stopping place for Everest bound expeditions. Today there are tons of little shops, tea houses, bars and even internet cafes. It is all the more impressive because there is no electric grid or roads here. Every shop uses solar power and big deep cell batteries. Many of the tea houses now use parabolic water heaters and offer hot showers when the sun shines. These water heaters are like large concave mirrors that focus the sun on the water flowing through them. They are very effective. The internet is by satellite.

The selection of junk you can buy here is pretty amazing. Almost anywhere in the Khumbu you can get a Snickers bar, a Coke and Pringles. Prices are comparable to what you would pay at a convenience store. I never begrudge them that because every item is transported here on a porter’s back, a zukil or a yak. A yak is, for want of a better explanation, a long haired cow. I’m sure some one will correct me but remember the ground rules. At this altitude most of what you see are zukils. Zukils are a cross between a yak and a water buffalo. They are quite docile and all wear these yak bells which have a pleasant calming sound. The one thing to be aware of is yaks do not care to share. Unobservant hikers have been pushed off the trail more than once in some cases with tragic results. Best in tight or exposed spots to let them have the right of way.

By far most of the transportation in the Khumbu is by porters. They absolutely amaze me. They carry these tremendous loads usually suspended by a strap across their forehead. In Lukla I saw them transporting steel 12” diameter water main pipes about 8’ long. The pipes weighed 95 kilos or about 210lbs. I would bet there isn’t a porter on this mountain that weighs 150 lbs. They pick these giant loads up and carry them a few hundred yards and then set them down while they catch their breath before picking them up for the next few hundred yards. The first time I came to Nepal I noticed what I thought were walking sticks many of the porters carried. They seemed a little short and the top was an odd “T” shape. Eventually I realized it wasn’t a walking stick but a prop. For mixed loads and duffels the porters have a basket they load everything into. Because the loads are so heavy and awkward the porters need help getting them up so once they pick up a load it is very difficult to take a break. Instead you will see them reach back under their load with this walking stick and rest their load on it for a few minutes while they catch their breath. They never completely set it down. For this they earn about $6 a day.

This morning I felt some better. On my feel good scale I’m up from “absolutely miserable” to just “ugly”. Once heard someone say after getting a bug like this that at first they worried they were going to die. Then after a while they worried they wouldn’t. Mine wasn’t that bad. It will be better tomorrow.