Backpacking & Outdoor adventures by ChingNengBin - Namaste! Everest BaseCamp 5,364m : EBC trek Day 04 - Acclimatization day at Namche Bazaar (3,445m/11,299ft)

EBC trek Day 04 - Acclimatization day at Namche Bazaar (3,445m/11,299ft)

Day 04 (31.10.17) - Acclimatization day at Namche Bazaar (3,419m) a city by the mountain.

07.30am - Breakfast at Comfort Inn.
08.30am - We were ready for the 1.6km walk-up the hill behind Namche Bazaar.
10.00am - We were at the top of the hill overlooking Everest View Point Hotel.
11.24am – We visited the Sagarmatha National Park Museum a great place to learn Sherpa culture and history of mountaineering.

An acclimatization day is used to get your body used to the lower oxygen content in the air. The practice is often to hike to a higher area then return to the lower altitude. Today we hiked up to the Everest Sherpa Resort. After lunch we spend the afternoon in Namche Bazaar resting and allowing our bodies to become acclimatized to the altitude of (3,835m). We then walked around the shopping market and the surrounding areas.

Evening temperature was 5 degrees Celsius.

07.30am - The team eating breakfast at Comfort Inn dining area.

How about this western breakfast I had.

Delicious garlic omelette for breakfast. Our guide said that garlic is a good preventive cure for high altitude sickness or AMS.

This is Comfort Inn, our accommodation in Namche Bazaar.

German Red Cross used to be here for relief efforts after the 2015 earthquake.

The water flows down Namche Bazaar's streets to the washing area below.

08.30am - We were ready for the 1.6km hill walk-up behind Namche Bazaar.

Traditionally, Namche bazaar was a trading post with locals bartering yak cheese and butter for agricultural goods grown at lower altitudes. However, after Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay’s successful climb of Everest in 1953, the dynamics of Namche Bazaar changed forever as climbers and trekkers flocked in the region.

Cafes and restaurants are plenty too in Namche Bazaar.

Namche Bazaar is really full of shops.

View of Namche Bazaar... city by the mountain.

At the backdrop of Namche Bazaar is the snow capped Kongde Ri (6,187m) mountain.

The snow capped Kongde Ri (6,187m) mountain is located 4km west of Namche Bazaar. The mountain is classified as a trekking peak, but it is considered one of the more difficult to climb.

View of Namche Bazaar... city by the mountain.

Successfully reached the top of Namche Bazaar... now another slope up to Hotel Everest View.

These dog loves to chill in Namche Bazaar.

You can see Kongde Ri (6,187m) mountain in the background.

Going up this very steep slope to Everest View Hotel.

View of Namche Bazaar on high ground... You can see a military camp in the middle and a school (with a soccer field) on the right.

You can see Kongde Ri (6,187m) mountain in the background.

One group photo for the album.

The military camp in the middle and a school (with a soccer field) on the right.

Halfway up the slope is a photo taking spot... Awesome view! You can see Kongde Ri (6,187m) mountain in the background.

Kongde Ri (6,187m) mountain is located 4km west of Namche Bazaar. The mountain is classified as a trekking peak, but it is considered one of the more difficult to climb.

Walking up this steep slope is really tiring... But the view along the way is worth it.

We continued climbing further up. The panoramic view was captivating us all along the way with the hide and seek of Mt. Thamserku and Mt Kongde Ri amidst the cloud.

“Amphitheater” like Namche Bazaar... city by the mountain.

Simon Loh trying to fly his drone secretly.

Simon Loh flying his drone secretly.

The beautiful Bhutan blue flowers.

We reached Everest Sherpa Resort... unfortunately Hotel Everest View is still further away.

Everest Sherpa Resort.

From here, you can already see the Himalayan mountain ranges... That's Ama Dablam in the center where the guy with the camera is looking at... Easily recognizable due to its sharp peak.

Gorgeous surrounding view... simply amazing.

The breathtaking view of the valley below the Everest Sherpa Resort.

Everest Sherpa Resort with Kongde Ri (6,187m) in the background.

Mt Ama Dablam on the left and Kangtega on the right.

10.00am - We were at the top of the hill overlooking Everest View Point Hotel. The 'A' Team: Alan Koh, Ong Teik Hong and Ching Neng Bin.

The 'B' Team: Rashid, Simon Loh and Randy. If the skies are clear, you are actually able to see Everest from here... Right now, it's being covered by clouds... It's supposed to be on the left of Ama Dablam.

Another group photo... but Everest is just too shy to show us as she was covered by clouds!

Simon Loh doing a stunt...!

Simon Loh doing another stunt...!

The altitude is at 3,800m.

Mt Khumbila is 5,761m.

Mt Taboche is 6,542m.

Mt Everest is hidden by clouds.

Mt Ama Dablam

Mt Nubtse is 7,861m.

The breathtaking view of the valley below the Everest Sherpa Resort.

Everest Sherpa Resort with Mt Kongde Ri in the background.

The trek to Hotel Everest View.

Opened in 1971, Hotel Everest View has been listed on the Guinness Book of World Records (2004) as the Highest Placed Hotel in the world at 13000ft. Featured in numerous guide books and having received media coverage, the resort has become a destination in its own right.

Our guide said that the Hotel Everest View has similar viewpoints, so we started making our way down instead of heading towards it.

Another freaking fantastic view.

Opening in 2019...! Welcome to the site of Sagarmatha Next, a centre dedicated to restoring these sacred mountains to their pristine state, so you can fully experience their spectacular presence and find what you have come to see.

These dog following tourists up and down the slope.

Walking down the slope, back to Namche Bazaar.

Heading back to Namche with a panoramic view down the Dudh Kosi Valley, with Thamserku on the left and Kongde Ri on the right.

Look at the steep descend down to Namche Bazaar. Can't stop emphasizing how amazing the view is... photos just can't do it justice.

Namche Bazaar is picturesque to the max... Photographer's dream.

Local toddler helping out with the chores.

Our next stop is the Sherpa Museum.

Sherpa Museum at Namche Bazaar, located above the village off the Tengboche trail, is rich in information about various expeditions of Sherpas, life cycle of Sherpa culture and artifacts. You can also witness a “Hall of Fame” gallery of Sherpas who summited Everest, including photos of Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Sherpa.

11.24am – We visited the Sagarmatha National Park Museum a great place to learn Sherpa culture and history of mountaineering.

How to see the snow leopard...?
Nepal is thought to harbor 300-500 snow leopards, making it an important range country (along with China and Mongolia). In 2005, the Conservancy’s former Regional Conservation Director, Som Ale, photographed a snow leopard in Sagarmatha (Mount Everest) National Park — the first confirmed sighting since the 1960s for this UNESCO-acclaimed protected area.

Taking a group photo with the great Tenzing Norgay Sherpa...!

Tenzing Norgay Sherpa (May 1914 - May 1986) the Gentleman from Chomolungma (Everest).

Tenzing Norgay has been on several attempts to reach the top of Mount Everest. Two of the attempts were stopped by bad weather which caused them to turn around. One of failed attempts was in 1935 with Eric Shipton. Eventually, after 6 failure attempts, Norgay finally reached the top of Mount Everest in 1953 along with Sir Edmund Hillary. They came back down from the top of the mountain on May 29, 1953 .

Another great view of Namche Bazaar... city by the mountain.

Hello! Good boy...!

There's even a barber shop here in Namche Bazaar.

Baskin Robbins...! Where's McDonald's...? There should be one here so that it can be labelled as the highest McDonald's in the world... just like the northernmost McDonald's in the world in Rovaniemi.

Eat veges instead of meat during your EBC trek up... meat may not be fresh but veges are home grown...!

Happy lunch time everyone.

A typical menu in the guesthouse along EBC trek... Thukpa is a noodle soup dish... Rs100 = US$1

This is called Momo, a Tibetan cuisine... dumpling filled with vege or buffalo/chicken meat... it is god dam delicious.

This is the potato Momo... taste like curry puff except in dumpling form.

Got some garlic soup to combat the high altitude sickness that is yet to come.

Ching Neng Bin is happy with his garlic soup and hard boiled eggs.

We spend the day in Namche Bazaar resting and allowing our bodies to become acclimatized to the altitude of (3,612m/11,283ft). After lunch we walked around the shopping market and the surrounding areas.

Snowy the dog in Namche Bazaar.

Lots of yak products... Just get them in Kathmandu... cheaper.

The streets of Namche Bazaar are filled with shops... Getting stuff in Kathmandu may actually be cheaper than here.

Doing some window shopping after lunch. It trades all brand new items from grocery, fresh vegetables, clothes, foot wears, meats to alcohols. Prices of each and every thing are very high as they need to bring from down the valley or Kathmandu.