Nepal Day 19 - Thame to Namche Bazaar

 5.84 miles, 942’ climbing

Alpine Lodge, Namche Bazaar, 11,277’ elevation

Having skipped our planned rest day in Gokyo, we are left with an extra day to return to Lukla. We had a couple of options, and we decided to head to Namche Bazaar for the night.

The morning was clear and bright. After breakfast we headed out of Thame, past the hydroelectric plant, and down switchbacks to a large suspension bridge that crossed the river. Just after crossing the bridge, Deepak spotted a danphe, the national bird of Nepal. It had brilliant blue and violet plumage with patches of green, golden brown, and orange. On its head was a crown similar to a peacock’s. It was amazing to see.

We continued down a very good dirt track through a forest of rhododendrons (some blooming), junipers, and pine. Some grass and bushes were present on the mossy forest floor. We went in and out of tiny villages and back into the forest, seeing many more local people going about their day than trekkers. People were preparing to plant potatoes in some fields. We saw a handful of tahr, and Bire told us that they dig up some of the potatoes. We stopped for lunch at a small lodge where a cute, small child entertained us.

Finally we turned a corner and were back in Namche. We stopped at the Alpine Lodge near the monastery and had fabulous hot showers, then looked around some of the shops. Bire took us to the monastery which had been closed when we were in Namche at the start of our trek.