Shopping in Namche for a new sleeping bag & viewing the infamous Yeti skull.
Mar 22 Namche Bazaar (3440m) to Thamu (3400m)
I spoke too soon as I had a terrible night only sleeping for 3 hours with a throbbing headache, stomach pains and additionally feeling the cold. Thank goodness it’s an acclimatisation day and if there’s any time to be ill I suppose it’s best to be this early on in the trip.
The cold night is of a particular concern (falling to around zero degrees in the night) as we’re only into the second day so it’s obvious my sleeping bag isn’t up to the job. So it’s my good fortune we’re in Namche and so off to the market of shops I went. I bought another sleeping bag (valid in temperatures down to -45oC) and a windproof jacket at good value prices, though a bit of bartering is required as it’s not as dirt cheap as you would expect.
Before we left Namche, we walked up the hill for about 15 minutes for our first panoramic views of Everest and Ama Dablam. It was a pity I wasn’t well enough to truly appreciate it, but I did take some great photographs. We set off later than normal, having spent the morning buying any extra gear and exploring Namche. I felt a tad embarrassed by the fact that one of the Sherpa had to carry my day pack today, but I felt so weak I wouldn’t have been able to carry it. Thank goodness it was a short walk with little height gain. 
I now think it is due to sun stroke as I’ve misjudged the intensity of the UV at this height and I should have drunk more liquid on the long climb up to Namche. I only had a bandana whereas most people wore a hat. Another lesson learnt! I felt so ill after this walk to Thamu that I went straight into my sleeping bag at 4pm. I missed dinner as I had no appetite though thankfully the new sleeping bag works wonders and I managed to keep warm.
I slept for most of the time but it was broken and interrupted. Despite the vast quantities of liquid I’m now consuming and the paracetemol I took, I still had a pounding headache through the night (altitude headaches are particularly pounding compared to normal headaches). My stomach problems though got worse. Not the best time when the toilet is either a hole in the ground or a wooden shack with a hole in the floor over a field!
Mar 23 Thamu (3400m)
Today was an excursion day to Thame to visit some monasteries and to acclimatise further (‘walk high, sleep low’ as the saying goes). As it was a side trip, we would be camping for a second night in Thamo. For this reason I opted out in order to use the time to recover as I still felt very weak. Dave and Jack, had also opted out, suffering from the altitude. My headache although improved was still there, but I still had a bad stomach. I did though have breakfast which was a good sign. I was concerned that if it was something that lasted for days I would be in a bit of trouble as we still had a long way to go.
Straight after breakfast I fell asleep in my tent for another three hours, which shows how weak I was. During lunch Dave, Jack and I mulled over whether we should climb the hill behind our campsite up to a wonderful looking building which was a cross between a Monastery and Hotel. The Sherpas who had remained at camp emphasised that it would be useful to do as much exercise as possible to gain strength. We decided to go and took the walk very slowly. I was glad we did. It was a short hike of 1 ½ hrs but the views were fantastic but it was good to get into the fresh air and do the exercise. Gratefully, my headache had disappeared though my stomach was still dodgy, so on our return I took some Immodium.
Mar 24 Tesho (3400m) to Khumjung (3753m)
I was asleep by 9 pm and awake at 6:30 am. I am getting used to living the by the hours of light rather than the clock which is invigorating. It was a thoroughly enjoyable day. My headache was gone and stomach problems were clearing up. I took today at a much slower pace, remembering how I used to hike in the Swiss Alps (after watching how the Swiss walked in the mountains – after all they should know), a slow but continual plod. I still didn’t carry my daysack on Su’s advice, although I believe I could I have managed, I’m glad I didn’t have too.
We are really starting to feel the altitude now at this height and have to do everything almost purposely in slow motion in order to conserve energy. Even the simplest task like climbing some steps too fast can leave you breathless at times. A couple of people in the group were really struggling for breath today but hopefully they will acclimatise as the days’ progress.
Our journey today took us back towards Namche, but just before the village a track on the left leads up to Syangboche and the dirt airstrip. Further on from here we had fantastic views of Ama Dablam, before descending into Khumjung. The weather was good, sunny but not over powering. I feel I am now truly in the Himalayas as we get ever closer towards these gigantic mountains where the number of people becomes sparser and the number of yaks larger. West of Ama Dablam, Everest, Nuptse and Lhotse were obscured by cloud. The view of these mountains will also become less as we approach further until we eventually climb Kala Pattar.
The Khumjung is the largest settlement we have seen on the approach so far and is situated in the glorious Khumjung valley. Here the Edward Hillary School is to be found. Our campsite was situated in a wonderful place surrounded by magnificent views on all sides, although it clouded over in the early afternoon, something it seems to do here on most days.
We arrived by early afternoon, and spent this free time with a trip to the local monastery. Now I wasn’t particularly interested in going to see another Monastery but this one was a bit special. Here, according to the locals, is the skull of the infamous Yeti. It isn’t really much to look at, but fascinating nevertheless. Whether it is a Yeti skull or not is open to debate. Apparently this skull was taken back to the US for analysis by Edmund Hillary and results indicated that it was in fact not a skull at all, but part of a mountain antelope. However, to the people here it remains a facet of vital importance and respect and is treated with utmost care.