EBC trek: Day 2 - Benkar to Namche

Having descended on the first day to sleep at lower altitude, today saw us climb to 3440m – Namche Bazaar (‘Nam-chay’). This is a thriving market town, where the trade routes from Tibet meet Nepal. The altitude is becoming noticeable now – I think I am higher than I have ever been (before was Cusco, Peru at 3400m), and Chhatra reminds us of the need to keep drinking lots of fluids (about 3L/day) because of the amount lost through breathing.

The walk up was hard and at one stage Yan was regretting us not using porters! The journey followed the Dudh Kohsi (‘milky river’) and up through the sweetly scented pine forests. We crossed the river five times today, on precarious but Swiss-built suspension bridges. This is certainly not suitable for those with a fear of heights – as we walked along 50m about the river, I couldn’t help but look down and ponder whether if I fell I would die of trauma, downing or hypothermia first!

In the afternoon after we arrived in Namche, we went to a bar showing Touching the Void – a film about two mountaineers in Peru who almost die in the quest for the summit!

It’s hard to keep drinking enough, as I don’t really feel thirsty, but during the night I awoke three times with a very dry mouth. It’s a bit of a juggling match between keeping your mouth dry and not needing to get out of the warm sleeping bag to go to the less than desirable squat toilet!