Day 2 Part 1: Phakding to Namche Bazaar – Everest Base Camp + Video
Everest Base Camp (5,600m)
Khumbu Glacier, Nepal
April – May 2016
Phakding to Namche Bazaar
This is the 3rd post and will capture my journey from Phakding to Namche Bazaar. Didn’t expect it to be this long initially but managed to reach Namche around close to 3 in the afternoon with a nice mixture of cold breeze and the warm sunny afternoon. Regardless, one of the best trekking route at this stage, crossing over 3 suspension bridges with amazing views and sceneries of the mountains, towns, rivers and people from all walks of life.
Coming out of our lodging into the heart of Phakding town, not only we were engulfed by the morning sun, but also surrounded by the very simple chain of buildings that house trekkers and locals. Quite a quite morning and our primary objective for now was to leave Phakding town and to head towards Namche.
Phakding town, onwards to Namche Bazaar.
Photo by John Teh
The weather and temperature were still manageable, windy and warm. Came across some of the townsfolk, particularly young children playing along the sidewalks. These kids have a very distinctive Nepalese trademark look with their red pinkish cheeks, giving them the very warm, cheerful and friendly appearance.
Being “walled” in between large monumental work of nature, these mountains carry a great sense of peace and tranquility. It was also such a privilege being able to view straight ahead unhindered and to be humbled on what distance can really do to the true size of an object.
Came across a Stupa shortly after leaving our lodge.
A stupa is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics (such as śarīra – typically the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns) that is used as a place of meditation.
Photos by John Teh
Along our journey, we also had our first encounter with a Stupa. A Stupa is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics (such as śarīra – typically the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns) that is used as a place of meditation.
Mini colorful Tibetan prayer flags surrounded this structure which hold a wide range of meanings. This would be a very common sight and appearance throughout this journey, all the way to Base Camp.
Each hue signifies an element — and the flags are always arranged in a specific order, from left to right: blue, white, red, green, yellow. Blue represents the sky, white represents the air, red symbolizes fire, green symbolizes water, and yellow symbolizes earth. All five colours together signify balance.
– gadventures.com
The “border” where Phakding town ends.
Photo by John Teh
Shortly after the Stupa, we came to the “border” where Phakding town officially ends, or so how I would like to call it, as the path (photo above) genuinely looked like it was opening up to a whole brand new place. Beyond this point, the density of buildings have been reduced tremendously. I’d assume that these areas are more generally used as farms or for any agricultural activities. Having a river at the side as a source of water probably reinforced this fact. It looked super cold though. Other than that, we came across the usual herd of donkeys and crossed a small bridge.
Entering a different zone of the journey.
Photos by John Teh
Approximately an hour after “leaving” Phakding town, we came across a very significant point of our journey where we were required to officially register our arrival as well as to verify our permits. This relatively small structure, perched up on a small hill, was guarded by an army-looking individual. A religious archway structure stood beyond the checkpoint and signified the continuation of our journey. We had a reasonably good rest here, admiring everything around us while Nabin helped us with the registration.
Registration checkpoint.
Photos by John Teh
Up and down after the checkpoint, we were then presented with the second suspension bridge of our journey. Probably slightly longer if not the same than the previous one, it was quite memorable in the sense that all 3 of us had the whole bridge to ourselves. It was definitely a very nice slow walk right till the end.
2nd suspension bridge.
Photo by John Teh
We reached this small establishment after moving forward around 10 minutes beyond the second suspension bridge. It was empty, probably because it was still in the late morning period – it was somewhere around an hour to noon at this point of time. I assume the bulk of the meals are usually consumed during breakfasts and dinners.
Knowing that time was on our side, we decided to take a short tea-break here, took some pictures, enjoyed the gushing sound of the river, talked a bit and of course looking forward to the next suspension bridge which we could view from where we were.
Came across a restaurant and had a short tea break. The 3rd suspension bridge is behind me.
Took an opportunity to promote Blue Forest Adventure, the organizer of this trip.
The third suspension bridge and probably the one that promised the best view, experience and possibly distance. At the mid point of the bridge where I was literally right above the river below, I was able to see the start and end of the river, as far as my eyes could see, and it was spectacular. I reckoned the water could easily be at sub-zero temperature.
3rd suspension bridge.
Photos by John Teh
The fourth suspension bridge (hint – there’s a fifth), which was also the most decorated one, was just half an hour away. Beyond this point, the terrain has transformed into a more rocky and stony landscape. We have conquered a healthy level of elevation by now, knowing that Namche was reasonably near.
The paths and roads ahead of us were improving, signalling and preparing our arrival to yet another big establishment. Approximately around 70 minutes or so after the fourth suspension bridge, we arrived to our second registration checkpoint before entering Namche Bazaar.
4th suspension bridge.
Second official checkpoint before entering Namche Bazaar.
The journey to Namche Bazaar (3,440m) was basically an uphill push all the way (except for the suspension bridges), gaining almost 800m in elevation, from Phakding (2,610m). Mostly sandy, we encountered the occasional small windstorms that required us to cover up our nose and mouth. The journey was awesome, and it was truly an eye opener to be welcomed by the magnificent town of Namche Bazaar. It was a remarkable and unforgettable experience just to be entering this great town.
As usual, please find the video below to accompany the whole story above with more engaging visuals. I’m planning to compile all full suspension bridge footage into a single video, but perhaps at the end of this series.
Day 2 Part 1 – Phakding to Namche Bazaar
Everest Base Camp – Visit my Youtube Channel for more videos.
This post / video is a part of a 21-part series, covering everything from:-
- Day 1 (Kathmandu to Lukla)
- Day 1 (Lukla to Phakding)
- Day 2 (Phakding to Namche Bazaar)
- Day 2 (Namche Bazaar)
- Day 3 (Syangboche Acclimatization)
- Day 3 (Back to Namche Bazaar, dropping by at Sagarmatha National Park)
- Day 4 (Namche Bazaar to Tengboche)
- Day 5 (Tengboche - Dinboche)
- Day 6 (Dingboche & Nangkartshang - Acclimatization)
- Day 6 (Getting down from Nangkartshang & Snow)
- Day 7 (Dingboche to Lobuche)
- Day 7 (A Heart-Wrenching Stop at Thukla Pass and Scott Fischer’s Memorial)
- Day 8 (Lobuche to Gorak Shep)
- Day 8 (Kalla Phatthar Acclimatization)
- Day 9 (Gorak Shep to Everest Base Camp)
- Day 9, 10 & 11 (Gorak Shep to Pheriche, Namche Bazaar and Phakding)
- Day 12 (Phakding to Lukla)
- Day 12 (Flying back to Kathmandu from Lukla Airport)
- Day 13 (Kathmandu - Swayambhunath Buddhist Temple)
- Day 14 (Kathmandu City Adventure)
- Journey to the Roof of the World: A Trekker's Final Post and Summary of the Epic Everest Base Camp Trek
Outdoor Videos?
Visit my Youtube channel for outdoor videos and adventures!