Thursday, October 20th 2011
In Namche Bazar at 10:11 PM.
Altitude: 3450 meters/11,348 feet
Here we are high in the Himalayas in the tiny mountain village of Namche. It is much colder up here – when the sun went behind the mountain it felt like winter – but it was raining earlier. It was a tougher hike today. Luckily, we ran into an older Nepali Sherpa guide (with roots in Tibet) named Chowang who was very helpful to Roshan and me. He saw Roshan as a young guide, a “budding flower,” and he gave Roshan some helpful hints. We were planning on going to the next village because we're on a time constraint but decided to stay in Namche at Chowang's suggestion. It's been good to stay the afternoon and evening here and acclimatize. I don't think I've been this high before. It's been good to talk to Chowang and his trekker client, an older woman named Ursula who is from Arizona, and who is very friendly. We went to Chowang's house on the hillside and drank tea, then to an old Sherpa hotel on the higher side of the hill. Chowang was a very friendly Buddhist man. He's been to Everest's summit twice, a real mountaineer hero. He was cheerful and hospitable, and he got Roshan and I a discounted rate at the hotel, I think...200 rupees – maybe $2.75 USD. Ursula is very friendly too. I think she was looking for a fellow American to talk to because her guide Chowang doesn't speak English too well and she's here in Nepal by herself. I tried to be friendly and open with her and I think it's worked out well. We are friends, and we all ate dinner together tonight. It's kinda special because this morning Roshan and I prayed that God would lead us in the right direction. One of my specific requests was that we'd be open to the Spirit leading us to certain people, if He wanted. Well, we met these two wonderful people. I was encouraged by my best friend back in the States to be open to spreading the Love of Christ wherever I find myself on this trip – to “show up with Love.” I hold that phrase close, and I pray little miracles like today continue to happen.
Roshan and I checked out the Namche Bazar this evening and we got him some socks and some fleece pants for a base layer. The old style Tibetan or Nepali Sherpa were down there selling things for cheap. Some of them had long hair tied together (or braided) and hanging down the side of their faces, very rugged and mysterious looking, like someone you'd see on the cover of National Geographic.
The scenery continues to blow me away. Being here with my “Sherpa guide” Roshan continues to be a treat. I think others see us as an eclectic couple of dudes. Most people are either in larger groups, or couples on some kind of trekking honeymoon. Maybe that's another reason why Roshan and I were drawn to Ursula and Chowang – because our situations are similar: two Americans here by themselves being led by Nepali guides (one old, one young). It's been a great experience so far, one I will never forget.
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