Of God & Mountains

Blessed. That’s the word that keeps popping into my mind again and again as I sit here in my small teahouse bedroom listening to the sounds of the mountain stream outside my window. Oh, how I am blessed. If I were to keel over this very minute it would be with a silly smile plastered all over my face!

We landed in Lukla like giddy children hopping to get underway. On our way up, we met a local man who kindly slowed his pace to guide us along the starlit trail, one he knew by heart from his younger sherpa days. We stumble into Phakding a little soggy around the edges, our newborn hiking legs feeling deliciously sore. After filling our bellies with hot milk tea and Dal Bhat we curled up under our quilts and fell asleep to the gentle sounds of the woods and river and not one single honking horn!!

I can safely say I underestimate the climb to Namche Bazaar. In my head, 200m looked tame, but when you stack all that altitude into one tiny spot in the form of a big, never-ending mountain, it takes on a whole new perspective. We hit the mountain with a spring in our step, but after an hour of climbing we were being passed by plodding sherpas carrying their weight in huge packs strapped across their foreheads. Another hour and I was studiously emulating their plodding step and the S shaped path they cut across the trail. Finally, bend after heartbreaking bend that only revealed yet another section of the mountain we had yet to climb, we came around the corner and there perched on the side of the mountain was the U shaped village of Namche Bazaar! Assah! We were greeted by two super adorable village child carry miniature sticks (pic#5)who came running at us excitedly and started whacking at our legs with their small weapons and giggling uncontrollably! Yes…I know they look like miniature ANGELS but really under those cute cherub faces are foreigner beaters in the making!;)