Travels in Nepal # 28 Namche Bazar to Tengboche
Near Namche Bazar, Nepal
Our guide warned us that the next day’s trek to Tengboche would be quite hard. It started off with yet another hard slog up the path to the ridge overlooking Namche Bazar. This was the fourth time we did this little stretch in a little over 24 hours. It certainly warmed us up early in the day and it wasn’t long before various items of clothing found their way into our day packs.
After the sharp climb up out of Namche Bazar the track towards Tengboche levels out for about two hours of relatively easy walking. None of the rises in this part of the trek is very steep, though that is a relative term. What we would call a steep climb back home is a gentle rise in Nepal. This part of the track follows the contour of the mountains. The views along this part of the journey are amazing. But then – the views everywhere in this part of Nepal are amazing. One runs out of superlatives.
After about two hours walking the path drops rapidly down to a village in the valley. It is a 400 metre drop down to the river. I found going down was often as demanding on the body as going up. There were so many opportunities to trip, twist an ankle, fall or do oneself an injury every step of the way. By now my toe nails were becoming bruised from the impact of my feet on the front of my shoes.
We stopped for lunch in a tiny lodge before crossing the river and attempting the steep climb to Tengboche.
Related Articles:
- Namche Bazar to Tengboche – my travel journal written at the time of the trek.
Travels in Nepal #26: A View Over Namche Bazar
Namche Bazar, Nepal
There are many ways of viewing the village of Namche Bazar in the Everest region of Nepal. From the tracks meandering around the ridges over looking the town one could take many different photos of this intriguing place.
The above photo was taken on the return walk during our acclimatisation day. We walked for several hours along a track leading to Tibet, returning via the same route. This was largely flat going with only a few gentle climbs along the way.
Our lodge is shown in the middle of the photo. It has a red roof with yellow walls. From the dining room we had excellent views of both the surrounding mountains and the village below. If you look carefully you can see the track leading from the back of our lodge up the slope (to the top left of the photo). This slope looks tame from this angle high above the town. We walked up that incline four times in a twenty hour period. It was a killer and we all got to hate it despite the magnificent view from the top.
But we survived.
Travels in Nepal #25: High Mountains – Deep Valleys
Near Namche Bazar, Nepal
When trekking in the Himalayas I was constantly aware of the steepness of the mountains and the depth of the valleys. As you walk along the tracks through the mountains you only have to look up to see the steepness of the surrounding peaks. Looking down at the valleys below is not for the faint hearted. They can be incredibly daunting in their depth.
One’s imagination tries not to linger on the “what ifs.” What if I tripped and fell? What if someone pushed me? What if I was nudged by a yak? I found it a terrifying prospect and tried to put it out of my mind. I am not exactly terrified of heights, just very cautious and respectful of potential dangers.
Instead, I tried to drink in deeply from the amazing scenery, taking in the magnitude and grandeur in every direction. The above photo shows one such valley near Namche Bazar and the surrounding peaks. Usually a photo does not do justice to a scene but in this case it does give some perspective to this part of the mountains.
By clicking on the photo above you will get a larger view.
Travels in Nepal #24 Yakking about Yaks
On my trek in Nepal last January our trekking group passed many yak trains on the path. These animals are quite amazing, considering their size and the burdens they are expected to carry up and down the mountains paths. They are smaller than I had anticipated, being short but very stocky in build. They are obviously very strong and resilient, hauling large loads up steep inclines over long periods of time.
Yak train near Namche Bazar.
Our guides warned us to always give way to the yak trains. Some of the loads were quite wide, taking up quite a deal of some of the narrower paths. One could easily get a nasty bump from the load. The guide also stated that some yaks have a nasty habit of giving trekkers a hefty nudge, so it was always wise to be on the uphill side of the yaks.
Getting behind a yak train can be frustrating on several counts. They are inclined to be plodders, walking at a much slower pace than even slow trekkers like myself. This makes overtaking on the narrow paths a hazardous undertaking.
Another hazard was the dust stirred up by these animals. Some sections of the track we hiked were covered in dry and very powdery dust. Many of us were severely affected by the dust which clogged our nasal passages causing great discomfort. The dust from our own feet was bad enough. The yaks just made it far worse. The dusty conditions were far more hazardous than their manure which was deposited in copious amounts all along the track.
Related articles:
- My photo gallery – photos of Nepal and many more things
- Travels in Nepal – an archive of articles about my experiences in Nepal.
Travels in Nepal #23 Himalayan Monal
Himalayan Monal, Nepal's National Bird
On the acclimatisation day at Namche Bazar one of the highlights was adding a number of new birds to my “life list.” A birder’s “life list” is a list of all the species seen in one’s lifetime. For me this list stands at a meagre 369 out of a world list of nearly ten thousand. Of those 369 I added 55 of them in Nepal during my visit last January.
In Namche Bazar I saw a flock of Snow Pigeons and several Yellow Billed Choughs (also called the Alpine Chough). I was particularly “chuffed’ to see the choughs as it was one of my target species to see. We have an unrelated species, the White Winged Chough, resident near where we live in South Australia. A flock regularly visits our garden.
One species of bird I saw in Nepal will never be recorded in our home garden, the Himalayan Monal. This turkey sized bird has stunning colours on its wings. On the trek we saw several flocks if this beautiful bird but they were too quick for me to photograph. The above photo was taken in a museum. According to the Lonely Planet Guide, the Monal has a peculiar habit. It doesn’t really fly but prefers to glide instead. If it wants to go uphill, it walks instead of flying.
Links:
- Trevor’s Birding – my birding blog.
- Travels in Nepal – archives of my travels in Nepal.