April 4 (Thursday)
today’s trail
After breakfast we set off to Monjo, about two hours from Phakding and at 9235 ft of elevation.
the manes are turned to the left to carry on the prayers. I turned them a few extra times =)
more paintings on boulders
rhododendrons in bloom
some of the homes we saw along the trek
more rhododendrons
manes
We had a very nice view of a long swing bridge while we ate lunch at Monjo. Almost every swing bridge on the trek was decorated with prayer flags.
Andy about to cross a swing bridge
After lunch we crossed the bridge followed by a bunch more swingers. Interesting fact that the yaks were crossing the swing bridges as well, even though the bottom was nothing but a see-through wire.
The trail got a little steeper but we were rewarded by the first glimpse of Everest!! It’s summit was easy distinguishable from other mountains because of a huge snow drift. The drift indicated winds of over 100mph on the summit. I was really hoping I would never encounter such wind speeds high on the mountain…
first glimpse of Everest
The trail got very steep thereafter and after few hours we made it to our destination for the next couple of days, Namche Bazaar (11,400 ft).
looking over Namche
pic courtesy of Brien Sheedy
looking over Namche. Our hotel is right above us, next to where the Sherpa is standing
We stayed at the Panorama Lodge which surprised us by outstanding rooms. Every room had two beds with electric heating pads, and a shower in the bathroom (the shower was right next to the toilet so the whole bathroom was flooded when it was in use, but who cares!! That shower felt so good!! They even provided sandals and towels! I was thinking that if that’s what climbing Everest is all about then I’m golden! 🙂
Gosia Treks 
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