Altitude: 3700m.
We're at our first stop after Namche so I guess there's no turning back. It's only onward towards Everest Base Camp! It's been "PISSING" down like crazy today and I'm fully surprised that I, a true rain-hater, made it here without too much fussing and whinging.
I am glad we are here though. We are staying at Ngwang's friend's lodge, just half an hour away from the famous Tengboche* monastery, the biggest gompa in the region and where most Everest climbers visit for blessings before setting off on their journey. It is multiple times better than the lodge at Namche, which we left with a hefty bill thanks to their strictly business-minded mangeress. We couldn't believe our laundry bill was more than USD12, when most of it was just underwear and socks that went into a washing machine. Anyhow, we're here now and after the rainy day we've had, laundry seems to be the theme for the night. Everyone's trying to dry their wet clothes by the bokhara (Sherpa furnace/chimney).
Even though it was raining like crazy, I had to stop in awe of some spectacular scenery today: autumn colours on a hill - red, orange, yellow with a bit of green, against a backdrop of beautiful snow-capped mountains, and a river gushing in the valley between them.
We have a late start tomorrow at 8.30am instead of an hour earlier. Our days seem to be getting shorter. We're off to Pheriche tomorrow.
*Tengboche is also the village where the famous Tenzing Norgay was from :)
