Nepal: Part 2: Kathmandu to Namche Bazaar (11,290')

Intro
Since I couldn't remember the day by day details, I tried to fit the whole 21 days in one post but it takes too long so there will be a part 3. I'll try to minimize the writing and highlight notable photos with short commentaries :) If you do have any specific questions, please feel free to email me at miniglobetrekker@gmail.com

If you do want day by day details from another trekker's perspective, check out my friend's blog who was the other winner in the REI contest.
http://tsouzaadventures.blogspot.com/

Kathmandu - Densely Populated

Kathmandu has INSANE driving conditions. I have been to Brazil and Peru so I wasn't too phased by the crazy driving conditions of Kathmandu. But I was not happy about not being able to breathe the air freely. All the vehicles spew out terrible exhaust fumes.

Did I tell you that I won this trip from REI? Along with that and 5 other contest winners, they sent the coolest film producer, Paul to film us. We are going to be famous! :D

We took a tour around the city for a couple of days. It was busy with residents, vendors, and tourists. The picture below is of Thamel, a popular city before trekking off to the Himalayan mountains.We ate the restaurants here. You can get "western" food in popular restaurants.

We also visited a thangka school/shop. I bought one (medium intricacy) :-O Wasn't cheap but I love it. I think it's common for tours to include these schools/shops (we also visited a rug making that held refugees from Tibet). I always the slight pressure to purchase something but remember you don't have to. BUT if you wanted souvenirs or gifts to bring back, why not buy something handmade before your eyes, that helps out the local community.

The basic infrastructure in Kathmandu is not the best. This is common  scene with most third world countries though. It's just amazing how they make it all work.

We also visited some other various popular parts of Kathmandu but the pics were boring. I know you're more interested in the actual trek.
Here we are at Monkey temple. Monkeys just "monkeying" around the temple :P

Flight to Lukla
We met Thupten, our guide the day before and went over logistics. We woke up SUPER early the next day to catch our domestic flight from KTM to Lukla. It must have been 4am or something ridiculous like that. There wasn't even any sun by the time we got to the airport. Feel my coffee-less pain?

Wonder how we eat on the trail? Here's all our food for the next 15 days! thankfully, the REI Nepalese guides/cooks don't resort to local game (except for yak) when they run out of food.

No Pictures allowed inside the airport - I risked my life to take this photo! :P

You will have to get on the tiniest plane in the world. I flew on a Dornier Do 228. The planes aren't dangerous themselves. The runway is super short, at high altitude, and surrounded by mountains.
There is a flight attendant to greet you but it was really funny because she while she's handing you the mint and cotton to stuff in your ear, she has to tilt her head totally sideways to not hit the roof of the plane.


Taking from Lukla Airport (take off doesn't take very long)

Lukla - 9,383' (2,860 m)
Once you arrive at Lukla, you'll stay at a hotel/hostel (if this is an REI trip, not sure what other outfitters provide).

You can see right off the bat these amazing porters carrying 100+lb packs on their backs

It's the first night you meet you will meet the porters and cooks. And your first cooked meal :)
Get some rest on the nice beds because it'll be the last for the next 15 days! :P

We had some fun watching the planes and helicopter land and take-off. Our hotel was literally right next to the airport landing strip.

Not to worry if you are feigning some Starbucks coffee ;)

Official Start of the Trek - Very cool spot to take your photo

The Mt. Everest Welcome Arch :)

The first suspension bridge (and not your last!)

What an amazing view from the bridge of the river and prayer flags.

Here is our camp setup. Since nobody came together, girls stayed with girls and the boys stayed with boys. There are 2 people max in each tent. I got really lucky being the odd number of girls. I didn't have to share my tent with anybody else. One of the boys got lucky too. He was supposed to tent with the Film/Photographer but since he had so much video/camera gear to store in the tent, the other guy got his own. Future trekkers, please don't sing your own tunes. Nobody else wants to listen.

Next Day - Another bridge crossing

We've reached the visitor's center, Sagarmantha National Park. You'll see miniature versions of all the mountains you will be crossing. In Nepal, Mount Everest is called Sagarmatha. The Tibetans call Mount Everest, Chomolungma. You can use the bathrooms here too! They are still squatty potties.

Yet another bridge to cross

and the Yaks have to cross too - same bridge :)

Here was our first cooked lunch of the day! It was a sandwich toast (can't remember what it was filled with), some potatoes and veggies. The sauce you see over the rice is dal bhat (cooked lentils) which is the staple of Nepalese food. You can have it on every meal if you'd like because the cooks will cook it for themselves and the rest of the team. But you can also politely refuse it if you start to get sick of it.

Here we cross the world famous Sir Edmund Hillary Bridge! It's the HIGHEST bridge. But check out this amazing sherpa carrying probably the weight of his body in hay.

.

He catches up so quickly to the hikers that are in full gear and light packs. I swear these sherpas are some hard working amazing people. They are so humble.

This guy is catching up quick! It's like the hikers haven't even moved!

Here is proof that we are being filmed! You might be able to catch this clip on REI.

and then go to REI.com/adventures
http://www.rei.com/adventures/trips/asia/mount-everest-base-camp-trek.html#sec4

Namche Bazaar - what a beautiful sight! This is your primary stop check out the internet cafe/check email/facebook, drink a beer, buy some souvenirs or gifts. I don't recommend buying gifts just yet because you'd either have to lug it with you or store it some place. You will come back to this city after you're finished so no worries.

Some of the internet cafes provide a wifi access with computer time. So you can "Check in" in Namche Bazaar. I did. So cool :)

Our very yummy dinner. Pasta with sauce, cole slaw and some fried chicken. I always got 2nds so if this looks small, don't worry. You may end up consuming 5000 calories but you will probably burn as much, if not more. YES it is an EXCELLENT way to lose inches off your tummy without even trying. I ate EVERYTHING and everything twice but I still lost weight that I could not shed for the life of me. Base camp to the tallest peak in the world, beautiful sights, amazing culture, and some weight loss? WIN for all!

Here is our first group trail photo. As you can see, some people are dressed very warmly and some are dressed for summer. At this "lower altitude" of 12k feet, the temperature is warmer. But the sun beats down on you. I wore long sleeves the entire trip for that reason.

Speaking of clothing... (I will need to go back to post one and revise with this info)
Nepal is a Buddhist religious country. They are very conservative. We were warned not to wear bare shoulder clothing or shorts above the knee. Look - I'm not in America. I'm in someone else's country and I really want to respect their culture and their ways. Please respect your guide's hike attire wishes. If they ask you do not wear spaghetti tank tops and short shorts, please don't. you will save your skin from the sun actually!

For the first time in my life, here I am looking at the tallest peak in the world

Everest 101

These volleyballers are hardcore. Doing this at 12,730 (or 3880 meters) is not easy!
This was taken at the Mount Everest Hotel.

On this particular day, we didn't go anywhere but got ourselves acclimatized. You will have a few days of going up thousands of feet to get your body acclimated and then come back down. You will other days of just going up and up.

The descents can be brutal so bring your trekking poles!

I wanted to complete my Mt. Everest Base Camp trip in one post but it's taken forever just to get this up. My work schedule is crazy!
Stay Tuned for the final chapter of Mount Everest!