Three Passes Trek Day 23

Three Passes Trek Day 23 - Marylong to Namche Bazaar (via Thame) Wonderful walk today down the river valley, across small bridges, lots of little villages with stone walled paddocks to either keep the yaks out or in, not sure which. Glorious morning with the sun shining. Trees started to appear, first small ones, dwarf conifers, then increasingly taller the lower we crept down the valley. You don't realise how much you miss trees until you start seeing them again. We reached Thame, which was supposed to be our breakfast stop, after 2 hours. As reaching the village involved a descent off to one side of the path and doubling back afterwards, Purih suggested we continue on to the next village. My shoulders, stomach, bladder and throat all wished to protest, but I kept quiet and we continued another 40 min to the village of Samde for breakfast in as warm lodge.

The trek between Thame and Namche is quite up and down, a bit of a shock after such a cruisy descent of the valley for the first two hours. Even so, I enjoyed it just as much with each rise and fall revealing a new world, a new village, even more forested and fertile than the last one. The slopes on the opposite side of the valley became increasingly steeper and more dramatic. Past monasteries, donkeys, yaks, buddhist religious monuments and a few fellow trekkers. Finally, we round one last bend, and there in front of us lies Namche Bazaar, like a magnificent citadel nestled in the hillside. The horseshoe shaped array of 3 and 4 storey buildings harmonising seamlessly with the mountainous landscape. Staying this time at the Zamling, high on the western ridge. Hot shower, attached bathroom, lovely family environment. Will relax here for the next 2 days. Farewelled Phuri, after being our porter/guide for 2 weeks. Phuri also carried away lots of our trekking gear we no longer needed, especially cold weather gear, which has lightened up our loads.