Day 2 Part 2: Namche Bazaar – Everest Base Camp + Video
Everest Base Camp (5,600m)
Khumbu Glacier, Nepal
April – May 2016
Namche Bazaar
We reached Namche Bazaar (3,440m) close to 3 in the afternoon after a long trek from Phakding. Reaching Namche is by far the best significant landmark to reach so far, a heaven-like place. It greeted us with an enchanting walkway coupled with a number of “mini fountains”, giving you that very welcoming experience. We also had our first faint glimpse of Mt Everest in the distance.
The place is still under construction, mending on things which were badly affected by the recent earthquake. Some form of upgrades were ongoing as well on top of the current setting. A perfect town with literally everything you need from schools, monastery, post office, shops, bars, internet cafes, police station and even a beauty salon.
Namche Bazaar (also Nemche Bazaar or Namche Baza) is a town in Khumbu Pasanglhamu Rural Municipality in Solukhumbu District of north-eastern Nepal. It is the main trading center and hub for the Khumbu region.
– Wikipedia
– Wikipedia
A mini water fountain welcomes you upon entering Namche Bazaar.
Photo by John Teh
There was still quite a distance to walk to reach the main heart of the city but it was totally worth it. We experienced first hand the devastation brought by the recent earthquake a year earlier. Regardless, the resilience and strength of the Nepalese people were so obvious by the camaraderie and continuous effort to heal this great town.
A perfect town with literally everything you need from schools, monastery, post office, shops, bars, internet cafes, police station and even a beauty salon.
Namche Bazaar in 2016, still in the midst of recovery from the 2015 earthquake.
Photo by John Teh
It is amazing to discover how well planned this town is, especially when it’s 3,440 above sea level. It goes as low as single digit temperature during the day and sometimes as low as sub-zero during the night. I’m going to leave you to explore Namche further with the photos below rather than explaining further with words.
The amazing network of shops, bars, cafes, stores and hotels.
Photo by John Teh
Being a visitor / tourist myself, one of the highly sought after souvenir is the singing bowl. Singing bowls are bowls used to promote relaxation. They produce sounds and vibrations when hit or circled with a mallet. Those sounds and vibrations are supposed to help you relax. They come in various sizes and thickness. I got a few here but perhaps it’d be a better idea to get them at Kathmandu as it’d be much more expensive the higher you go.
Namche Buddhist Monastery.
Photo by John Teh
Based on the time stamps on the photos I took, we checked-in close to 3 in the afternoon, rested for a while and then went gallivanting around 5.30pm. Best decision of my life.
To explore this town at this time – when sun set was just around the corner, with a billion dollar view and a perfect weather, the fatigue and hunger just faded away. It was the ultimate eye candy regardless of what condition you were in.
More of Namche Bazaar.
Photos by John Teh
One of the most common unique items that everyone will come across all the time are the Prayer wheels. You’ll find varying sizes of prayer wheels inscribed with om mani padme hum mantras along the way. By turning the prayer wheels clockwise, it is believed that the A inside are activated and released. The mantras are said to purify negativity and generate compassion.
Prayer wheels – the mantras are said to purify negativity and generate compassion.
Photo by John Teh
Varying angles of Namche Bazaar.
Photo by John Teh
After much exploration, we retired back to our lodging to prepare ourselves for our dinner. After our dinner I went straight to bed, but Kah Wane went to explore the town, probably had a few drinks with Nabin and the other fellow guides. Come to think about it, I should have explored each town further, but I guess I was more fond of getting a good night’s rest.
Tomorrow is acclimatization day right to the top of Syangboche (3,780m).
Road to Syangboche tomorrow.
Photo by John Teh
To experience the rich atmosphere of Namche Bazaar without even leaving the comfort of your own home, I’ve made a video based on all of the recorded footage during my stay at Namche, which you can find below. Hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I’ve thoroughly enjoyed creating it.
Day 2 Part 2 – 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
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