May 3, 2010
Namche Bazar to Tengboche

It was to our luck that the second part of our day was full of rain. Another 7 am start this time we have learned to eat just a small breakfast if we want to survive the uphill battle. At the top of Namche, we walked a scenic 2 hours along the Dudi Khosi river. Steep valley carved by water 10,000 years ago. Dad points out Ama Dablam. The Matterhorn of the Himalaya. I pointed out a blue partridge, Nepal's national bird. Dad gained momentum on our downhill portion, I was impressed. We took shelter from the sun under a covered veranda where we took another home cooked meal from Nanda. Dad ate little, I ate a little more. We both knew what was ahead. Up. Quickly the clouds came rolling in, this was a good sign. I plugged my Ipod in and we begun the journey up to Tengboche, awaiting us atop the mountain. The music helped. A German passed by with the same idea, giving me the thumbs up saying "the musik gives you power!" I chuckled as I waited for the others to catch up. I was feeling very light on my feet today, very frisky as Dad called it. We reached to top and in utter amazement was engulfed by the beauty of the monastery. We took off our shoes and took a little peek inside. Took a few flashless photos and made a small offering. Camp for the tonight was just down the hill 15 min through a rhododendron forest of white and pink. It was magical. Camp is outside the Rivendell Lodge, straight out of Lord of the Rings. The rain began to pour hard and we were ushered inside to wait for we beat all our porters with our things. Dad was quick to meet an Austrian women and also a fellow Canadian, former CSIS. We are currently watching the sun set behind Mt. Everest as Nada is preparing the next feast. Still shocked the higher we climb, the first sign at the next lodge is always "high speed Internet". Good night for now.