Location: Namche Bazaar Elevation:3450m Temp: 8°c (night in room)/15°c day Conditions: mostly cloudy   We flew into Lukla on Monday. The flight was quite exciting. The final descent is a nose dive to a very short, upward-sloping runway with a mountain wall at the end. Once we landed we were off the plane and a new group was loaded on within 5 minutes. The pilot did not even shut the engine off.   Our first night was spent in Monzo. It was a 4 hour walk from Lukla. We had a good dinner of soup and hash brown potatoes and were asleep by 8pm. We slept well until a dog decided to bark for over an hour at 3:30am. We were up early and had breakfast at 6:30am and were on the trail by 7:30am.   We entered the park this day and hiked to Namche. The walk was stunning. Most of the way was through a huge valley cut by a glacier fed river. Several times we crossed the river on suspension bridges that swung high over the water. Mostly the hike was up hill and was strenuous at times. We arrived after 2.5 hours which was quite a good time.   Namche is a huge town and is the largest Sherpa village in the area. It is a major trading post and has been used by the Sherpa and the Tibetan people for a very long time.   The Tibetan nomads cross the mountains from Tibet into Nepal to sell and trade. This is technically illegal and occasionally the Chinese government tries to stop it. Several Tibetan traders were shot not too long ago while making the journey. Mostly the soldiers look the other way.   In town there is a huge market where the Tibetans set up their stalls.They are mostly selling clothing and shoes. The local Sherpa people travel from great distances to shop at this market.   The Tibetans live as they have for hundreds of years. They travel by Yak and sleep in small tents. They cook with Yak dung and wear mostly traditional clothing. It looks to be a cold and tough life.   Today (Wednesday) we hiked to the Hillary hospital in Khunde and the local school in Khumjung. The school has 700 students and some will walk for 2 hours to get to school and 2 hours home again.   We met a very interesting couple yesterday. They lived in Namche for a year in the early 90s. The were in the Peace Corps and helped to establish a dental clinic that is still operating today. They are both 79 and really enjoyed coming back to see the area and the clinic.   Last night there was some excitement as a climber came in well after dark. He was cold and took a hot shower. The hot water threw him into shock and he passed out. The doctor was called and he was put on oxygen and warmed up slowly. He was suffering from a combination of hypothermia and exhaustion. We spoke with him in the morning and he is doing well.   Today is November 8. We went for a hike today to Thonde. It took us three hours up and two hours back. We had an elvation gain of about 1000 feet. It was pretty easy, but was a long day. The day started off sunny with a few clouds. It had bee very cloudy since we flew in and the airport at Lukla has been closed since we got in. We were lucky to get in whe we did. Today it opened again and you could hear helicopters and planes tryin to clear the back log of people coming in and out. Around noon the clouds moved back in and the airport closed once again.   When we got to Thomde we were invited into the local school. The school has 74 studebts from grade 1-7. Many of them walk for three hours to get tre. They go to school 6 days aweek from 9-3. The take a range of subjects including math, english, Nepali, scienc, conservation and more. We were lucky that they were practng their dancng for a upcoming festival. They invited us in and we watched for a while. They were l a little timid around us ddidnot say much. They woullook at us out of he corner of their eyes. I felt privilidges to be allowed in. Thomde is also the location of a hydro electric project. This project provides power for 2000 Sherpa and 15,000 yearly visitors. The goal is to reduce the locat dependance on wood to save what remailds of the forests. The hydro project is owned and operated by the local people.   Tomorrow we have a 6 hour hike to Pangboche. I may not b in touch for a few days.   I am feeling well and having a great time.   Thanks again for followng.   Dream Big, Scott. Thanks for the messages Jeff, MC, Kiwi Bunge, Mom, MO and others. I am slowly figuring out the technology and should be good to go. The only challenge right now is that I need to charge the Sat phone (solar) and we have not seen the sun since we got here (except for a small bit today, but them it clouded over again).