December 28, 2000 - December 13, 2001 14 Days in Nepal EVEREST!!!
We were on our way from Phakding to Namche Bazaar when we got our first glimpse of Everest. Our Sherpas had us walk near some cliff edge to show us. It's unreal. Everest is the one in the middle right with the snow blowing off the peak. As great as it was to see Everest, it was just as great to have a break. Trekking to Namche Bazaar was rather difficult. The last hour and a half or so was pure uphill. Our altitude was increasing rapidly and it was tough to keep going. Luckily I stashed some power bars to keep me going.
At one point we took a break with some Tibetans while Andrea was eating a MetRx bar. The guy asked for some and she said, "I don't think you want this." He continued to push his hands in her face, so she finally gave this mystical guy a MetRx bar which he actually seemed to enjoy. It was just too funny. It just seemed culturally wrong. =)
	Here's a zoomed in picture of the Mount Everest, again showing the snow blowing off the top. Pretty amazing. This was one of three times that we saw Everest- this being the first, the second being during a day trek from Namche Bazaar to the Everest Hotel, and the third being when we trekked to Tengboche. I said all along that I wanted two things out of this trip- one, two see Andrea, and two to see the highest point in the world. I guess we lucked out because supposedly the fog and clouds can roll in so fast that many people never get their chance to see it.
This picture was taken at the hotel we stayed at during our first two nights at Namche Bazaar. I think this dog belonged to the owners of the hotel. We spent two nights here because we needed to have a day of acclimatization. That means that we needed to let our bodies get used to the high altitude that we were now at. If you climb too rapidly, you can get high altitude sickness, and the only cure is to climb back down the mountains. But with the extra time we got to walk around Namche, visit the shops, check out the flea market.
	During our acclimatization day, Andrea wanted to take a day hike up to the Everest Hotel, which was supposed to only be a forty minute trek from Namche. It took us almost an hour and a half because I was having so much trouble adjusting to the altitude. Every five steps I was out of breath. It was, without a doubt, the most difficult climb I had all week- despite being the shortest. This picture was taken along the way up, showing some prayer flags with a Himalayan mountain in the background.

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