Namche Bazaar Acclimatisation Day

As we have gained height quite quickly, it is important to spend an extra day at Namche for the body to get used to the height and air quality. We had a leisurely lie in, which I was glad of, as I hadn’t slept well. Breakfast at 7.30am and by 9am we were heading up out of the natural basin that Namche sits in. A long climb, via the local museum, until we reached the Everest View Hotel. It really is as spectacular as it sounds though it feels a bit posh to me, and these trips are about being back to basics and not in luxury! We did, however, indulge in hot cholcoate for the boys and honey black tea for me! We then walked to a few locals villages and then got back to Namche around 1pm. Perfect timing for a spot of lunch and a seat in the sun, reading our books. In the afternoon, after reading and journal writing, we went into Namche for another dose of coffee and cake! Supper back at the lodge and the giving of the first present – Q’s Santa Hat!! Over supper we talked to our Porter, Jetta, about our plans for the next eight days. He was concerned that there was no way we would be able to complete our planned trek due to height gain and tough walking conditions. He and Paul poured over the map and Jetta created a new route, taking us to Everest Base Camp and Kala Pattar before heading over the Cho La Pass to Gokyo Ri and Gokyo lakes. This is the anti-clockwise route, where as we had the clockwise route planned. It makes sense to we are going for it! Time will be tight and it does rely on us all being fit and healthy throughout – there is no room for mistake or illness. No pressure then!

After supper we popped back into Namche and to the Danphe Bar, where we frequented last Christmas, for a few Christmas drinks. Three glasses of mulled wine were enjoyed with a big bowl of popcorn (!) and then Paul moved onto an Everest cocktail of Kahlua and Vodka whilst I moved to Baileys. Q enjoyed his second mulled wine and we played pool…very badly! We played in our Santa hats and even got our photo taken by an over exuberant Japanese tourist! We wandered back up the hill to the lodge and after ordering breakfast were tucked up in our bags by 9pm.