Movin' On Up

< Newer | Older > Fri, 03/21/2008 - 11:48 — skress
We spent yesterday and today in Namche. Yesterday we toured around the town and did some shopping. It is amazing what you can get in Namche. They have all kinds of knock offs of outdoor clothing, all made in China.Scott could have done his entire expedition shopping here. There is one store that sells all authentic clothing and gear at US prices.
We had lunch and dinner in our lodge. We were not really happy with our room in our lodge. It was really small and really dirty. The bathroom was outside and down a flight of stairs that were more difficult to negotiate and strenuous than any of our trekking so far. When we were out exploring Namche yesterday we checked out a new lodge called the SherpaLand hotel www.hotelsherpaland.com. The woman at the reception desk showed us some of the rooms and we were in awe. They were so nice. They had a room with a washroom and a SHOWER in the room with hot and cold running water. That is almost unheard of above Kathmandu. We went right back to our lodge and tried to gracefully cancel our room for that night without offending anyone-no go. We were stuck for the night. We went back to the SherpaLand Hotel to book for the next night. It was funny to watch Scott and I have a debate with ourselves about whether we should take the super deluxe room with the shower or the regular room which was also very nice. There was a major price difference.......300 rupees vs. 1300 rupees . I had to put things in perspective.....the difference was $5 vs. $22. A massive difference and certainly more than we had budgeted, but compared to hotels at home it was a bargain. We moved up to the deluxe room. I just had a steaming hot shower and I feel like a million bucks.
This morning after breakfast we went for an acclimatization hike. This involves moving up to a higher altitude then coming back down. We left at 8:30am and hiked to the village of Kunde. We visited the Hillary hospital. To get there it was 1 hour 45 minutes straight uphill. Along the way we had beautiful views of Ama Dablam and Mt. Everest. We then continued on to Khumjung. These are both quite small villages. To finish our hike we went to the Everest View Hotel. It is a very expensive hotel, $180 US dollars per night . Our place now looks like a steal. Unfortunately by the time we got to the Everest View Hotel there was no Everest view as clouds moved in. That was a bit of a drag. We then headed back to Namche-all downhill. We gained 1600 feet of elevation today which helps us get used to the thinner air and changing air pressure as we continue to Everest base camp.
At Namche we have only 66% of the oxygen there is at sea level. After my shower I think I may have a nap to help prepare for a big trekking day tomorrow.
That's all for now,
Susan and Scott .

Messages

Good Luck!

carbuc — Fri, 03/21/2008 - 13:41

Scott - just read all the entries. My 9 year old keeps asking me questions. Great to hear you got in. and I loved the story about the shower negotiation. The orphanage experience must have been rewarding. As someone else said, you are opening the world for our children, as we share this with them. Best of luck! Namaste.

Carolyn Buccongello

Missing the Khumbu

Pumori — Fri, 03/21/2008 - 20:27

Hi Susan and Scott,

I love hearing about the Khumbu, as I was there two years ago this month. If you think Khumjung was small, wait until you get above Dingboche! The "villages" of Duglha, Lobuche and Gorak Shep are nothing more than a couple of lodges. I'm glad you found a nice lodge in Namche. Enjoy the hot showers, it may be awhile before your next...

Also, be sure to plan your best viewings in the mornings, as afternoon cloud buildup is the norm for this time of year. In other words, don't plan on climbing Kala Pattar in the afternoon if you want to see Everest. I got to the top at noon and had ten minutes of sunshine before it abruptly changed and started snowing.

Best of luck to you. My mouth is watering for that Tibetan bread.

Namaste,

Shanda

Good to read that...

Visitor — Sun, 03/23/2008 - 05:53

You are on the trail and having a wonderful walking experience. Hope that the weather continues to be fair and that your reststops and campsites are all good. Happy Easter Sunday greetings... Peace
WP