D5 - Namche Bazaar
Day 5 (3.10.22) - Namche Bazaar - (11,300 ft / 3,447m) Acclimatisation Day
The trek itinerary stated as a Rest day. We were all elated as our bodies yearned to sleep longer. However, it was short-lived. RamBabu, our guide informed us that we would be taking a short trek of 400m "only" up to the Everest View Hotel for acclimatisation purposes. I got misled by the number. This is the only hotel at 12000ft. While the team was divided on this opinion, a few of us decided to trek while the rest decided to relax and shop.
I opted for the former. Geared up again we started our short trek. Steep uphill with loose rolling stones made it a challenging climb. Karthik, Savitha, Bhooma and I stuck together during the ascent. The rarefied air was clearly making a difference. The climb was hurting my knees. I wished I 'd stayed back. But, kept moving ahead. As we climbed higher, we got a beautiful view of the town and the helipad. Kept clicking pictures near the flagpoles. The monkey in me helped climb huge boulders and pose for pics; the others followed.
How majestic She stands!
She seemed near, yet so far,
The snow-capped beauty
Far by another 5 days,
Decided to hide
Hide and seek was all in the game!
All of us met at the Hotel over an exorbitantly priced pot of tea.
We re-filled our tummies with Somna's snacks( chikis- dry fruits- chocolates- seeds).Vipin started spinning his 360 Degree camera and we got nasty stares from fellow trekkers. The craze for photos and videos drives people to unbelievable extremes. Some are mad photographers, crazy trekkers, avid bird watchers, etc. After all, we live in a mad world with mad people.
Tall pine trees with greyish-blue cones grew here extensively. Shiva and I went to collect a few from the hotel's backyard. We could manage to get only one. Never seen it before. So beautiful and hard with serrations.
The descent was more difficult. We hijacked the helipad to dance more for the 360 Deg than for ourselves. Imagine dancing at 12,000ft atop a hill. All insane things were possible. We had to be extra cautious while negotiating the irregular steps and the loose rocks. I luckily managed without a fall or skid but badly hurt my knees and calves. Karthik and I missed the route and took an extra half an hour to return to our hotel.
I felt worse than yesterday and decided to go for a leg massage. Didn't want my pain to worsen in the days to come. A pretty little masseuse with magical hands relieved me of the pain. A hot shower made me feel better. A shower came with a cost. There were LPG-aided Geysers as the hotels mostly ran on Solar where electricity / Wifi are a luxury.
Conversation with Booma - :Edhuellam avasiyam thevaya? Ozhunga vetla irundoma , school kku ponoma , velaya parthoma ..yaaru keta trekking....." My mind that night.
Popped a crocin post dinner and hit the bed.
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