October 19, 2013
From: Erica Engle
Sent: Saturday, October 19, 2013 3:54 AM
To: Eric Simonson
Subject: Namche
Hi Eric,
We had a good day hiking up Namche hill yesterday, everyone moved relatively evenly and no one dropped off the back. Pasang, Mingma, and Gamgyl are all doing a great job too. Today we went to the Saturday market, the museums and Everest viewpoint. Clouds kept the view mostly obscured but offered just enough to fill everyone with excited anticipation. The market was full of interesting things, most notably dried fish on skewers, flanks of meat hanging in the cooling house, and sacks of the dried yeast balls used to make chang. At the two museums, we enjoyed the interpretive displays, the traditional Sherpa house replica and an interesting slideshow about the Khumbu and Sherpa culture. We also persuaded Pasang to let us take a photo of him next to his portrait in the “Everest Summiters Room” at the cultural museum. Now we are enjoying a relaxed afternoon exploring the amenities of bustling Namche. Tomorrow we plan to hike up to Kunde and Khumjung for further acclimatization and exploration before setting off further up the Khumbu the following day. Everyone is feeling healthy and enthusiastic for the coming days!
Cheers
Erica
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- View of Namche (11,200’taken from the shoulder of Kongde Ri on the west side of the valley. The small airport at Syangboche (12,200′) is on the first bench above town, and Kunde and Khumjung are beyond, over the small pass into the next valley (Eric Simonson)
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- IMG sirdar Ang Pasang in Namche getting ready to load some yaks (Eric Simonson)
