Slept in my old down sleeping bag in just a shirt, temperature 10C in tent when woken early by porters jangling metal cups. Officially woken at 6:00am with a cup of tea and bowl of washing water. Off up the trail towards Namche at 7:45am after porridge, toast and jam. Clear dark blue sky, sun up at 8:10am then warmed up quickly. Out of Phakding upwards along the Dudh Kosi, steep wooded hill sides, lots of lodges, local children singing along to school. Men building a new tea house, timber being cut by a machine rather than the pit saw that I can remember in the Annapurna area 8 years before, technology moves on even here.
Stopped at the Water Fall View Lodge at Benkar for refreshments, lovely views of Thamserku all the way, our sirdar keeps saying "view much better in Namche", still taking photographs though. Met another Exodus group coming down, 6 feet of snow at Lobuche, hopefully that will improve before we get there. Sign at the lodge says Lukla 4 hours and Namche 4 hours. Onwards over two more bridges, one built by the Swiss in 1995 with an old collapsed wooden bridge by its side.
Entered the Sagamartha National Park at Jorsale, 650Rp entrance fee. Soldier in sentry box, notice with park rules.We are now in the Khumbu proper, onwards with fast flowing Dudh Kosi below us rushing over huge boulders in its attempt to leave the National Park. Lunch at the side of the river, boots and socks off but three seconds is the maximum time I can bear the icy waters of the Dudh Kosi. Nepali women washing clothes over stones in the river. We were warned that the trail is upwards all the way to Namche from here and in the heat of the afternoon. Another long suspension bridge this time high above the river, dzobchuk trains making their way down river, how do they manage to scramble over the rocks without falling? The answer is some of them do not!
Two and a half hours later and we were approaching Namche after a very hard slog in the heat of the day. Saw two tantalising views of the top of Everest on the way. Past the welcome sign and through the archway into the village. Buddhist gompa to the left, boys washing clothes or rather scrubbing them with a big brush, lots of trinket stalls in the narrow streets, through the Hotel Panorama to the campsite at the back. Dead beat but there is news of a hot shower, bliss. Khumbu showers are gravity fed, a container above the shower is filled with boiling water, you stand underneath, hope the water will be at the right temperature and pull the shower cord. Anyway this one was OK.
Namche is at 11,050', gained nearly 2,000' that afternoon, tomorrow is an acclimatisation day to recover, thank goodnness. Cloud came down iat around 6:00. Our tent (I share with Lawrence, a printer from Birmingham), is next to a huge boulder completely covered with white tibetan script. Looked around the shops in the gathering gloom, you can phone and e-mail home from Namche but I declined, I am trying to get away from all that. There is also a disco, pool tables and a launderette if you are missing that sort of thing. Lots of fake Patagonia fleece gear for sale. Someone in our group bought a fleece sleeping bag liner and started talking about the sub-zero temperatures that we can expect higher up. I don't know whether he did a deal with the shop owner but many others myself included also decided to buy one, mine cost 750Rp.
Time to turn in, dogs barking along to the disco music, clear sky, snow covered mountains glowing in the dark. Will I sleep well ......