Namche Bazaar continued

Late in the afternoon of Wednesday I went out of the Khumbu Lodge for a walk around town, and saw a friend from 2017.  Tsering's mom own the shop directly across the road from our lodge, and we got to know each other during the time when I was waiting for a clear summit window on my Everest expedition.  He's been studying in India ever since then and only just came back to help mind the shop and then move it to a new location.  It was great to see him, and we spent a few hours visiting, eating cheese and drinking rum in the shop.

The evening was relaxing, with a nice dinner in the Lodge, and a beer at "the first bar in Namche Bazaar", where we met the new owner; Dawa.  Of course, Dawa is a friend of Tsering's so we got the local's discount.  Even in Nepal, it helps to know people!

Thursday, October 17

Today is an active rest day with a day hike up to the Everest viewpoint where a statue of Tenzing Norgay is framed by the Himalayan giants Everest, Lhotse and our objective, Ama Dablam.  It's a bluebird morning and the mountains are out in full force.  Looking at Everest now is somehow different than when i stood in the same place 2.5 years ago.  The mountains look the same but I'm the one who's changed.  I've been up there, breathed the rarefied air, felt its chill and felt the warmth of success on the summit.  The noise and talking around me fades away as I look at that beautiful mountain replay memories of the times we were physically connected.  I was living on its flanks and climbing on its shoulders, all the while knowing how tenuous that relationship was and that my existence mattered not to this massif which will stand for eternity indifferent to the will of man.

Coming back to the present, my focus returns to the task at hand.  The other climbers and I begin to study Ama Dablam, looking for the route and admiring the amount of snow on it this year.  More snow means easier and more secure traveling as we climb.  We all start getting excited to see more of it as we get closer during the next few days.

The rest of the day is spent hiking over to the village of Khumjung where we will eat lunch at the home of our trekking guide Pasang.  After lunch we visit the local monastery and take a look at the Hillary School which serves children ages 4-16 from Khumjung and surrounding villages.  Last time I was here, the monastery was being repaired from damage due to the 2015 earthquake.  Now it looks like the work is finished.

Clouds roll in and our walk over the ridge to Namche Bazaar takes on an eerie look.  We're walking on the trail through fog and mist when out of the murky air rises a large stupa (Buddhist shrine) with penetrating Buddha eyes.  It's one of the more interesting moments of our day and a good way to end the hike.