The EBC Superhighway

October 15, 2007
EBC Trek Day 2
Phakding to Namche Bazar (11,270 ft.)

Today was day two on what I now like to call "The EBC Superhighway" simply because of the massive amounts of tourists, guides, porters, Sherpas, and yaks.

We had an eventful night at our first teahouse, but perhaps it was our own fault for trying to go to bed at 8:00 pm. The teenage boys next door did not seem to realize how thin the walls were and enjoyed a loud and rambunctious poker game. Also, after everyone else has quieted down we began to hear the flapping of a huge moth against the window. Rather than leave it be, Kenny decided to challenge the moth to a fight to the death and for a bit it appeared the moth might win. I still laugh when I think of Kenny flapping and kicking around the room with some moans and shrieks thrown in for good measure. After a few breaks for resting and regrouping Kenny managed to overcome the beastly moth and kill it with not one but two of his shoes. It was quite funny.

This morning we woke up when our neighbors got up but stayed snuggled in our sleeping bags until it was time for breakfast, tea and pancakes. The much talked about trek to Namche Bazaar took us about five and a half hours but was not as bad as I expected, especially after we got by most of the crowds. We saw several snow capped peaks, crossed several suspicious looking suspension bridges and chatted with lots of friendly trekkers. We had lunch at 10:30 am because it was the last place to stop before we got to Namche. It was a good thing though because we needed the fuel to get up the steep and never ending incline into Namche. Mostly I felt bad for Mankumar because our backpack must weigh a ton but he just keeps on trudging along.

We got to Namche at about 1:45 and rested for a bit before heading up more stairs to explore the museum and village. At the museum there were some great photos of Sherpa life, as well as the history of Everest. In the village we were able to buy some chlorine drops to replace the iodine tablets that I have seemingly lost so now we can actually drink water during the next two weeks. Yippie! We also checked out the Tibetan market that was going on in the center of town. Kenny bought some long underwear that we think may have fleas but at least he will be warm. The Tibetans have very interesting hair ornamentation and were fascinated by Kenny's baldness. I was feeling a bit nauseous so we came back to the teahouse for a lovely dinner of mushroom pizza and soup. We met a really nice guy from NJ who is currently living in Bangkok and we may try to meet up with him while we are there. The big mystery of the night is whether Kumar is going to have us spend the recommended acclimatization day here in Namche or if we will keep on moving.