Nepal 2019 - Day 6 - Namche: The Metropolis

 Namche: The Metropolis

Namche in person is even more majestic than portrayed in movies or pictures. The trail arrived into Namche at the base of the amphitheatre that it's stone building sits on. Above us was a thriving city at this height catering to all fancies of travelers and trekkers and climbers. Although the commercialization of the trek started in Monjo, Namche was a huge step above anything I could have imagined.


Touts started appearing from everywhere proposing accommodation options, bar menus and other recreational drugs. We were not the kind of persons to accept the first thing anyone offers so decided to scope for more options. Chris found a lodge as per his budget, so did Byron, however $20/night was more than what I spent for the entirety of the trek. I decided to scout more and eventually found one for NPR400. This was probably one of the smallest but the most cozy blankets and heater.








In the evening, the three of us met at a coffee shop and it was pure luxury for that height. They offered free Wi-Fi which gave us enough reason to spend as much as we could there, caught up with family, planned the itinerary ahead etc. We turned into those ''zombies'' we joked about earlier in the day. Listening to Chris was inspirational and depressing at the same time. A month of living through lodge to lodge is one thing but to spend 2-3 months in a tent was another ball-game altogether. I admire his freedom and his life was as carefree and happy as a person could hope to be. We decided to get some food before we crashed for the night. The food was highly overpriced, small portions and poor quality. Finally, we hooked up with a local Sherpa who took us to this small eatery where all locals ate. We decide to skip the Dal Bhat and went ahead with some Momos, soup and chicken skewers. The food was pretty good and light on the pocket. They gave us Chang on the house to boot. On the way back to our lodges, we saw everything that one could see in any market area of any city. Loud, drunk people stumbling over the cobblestone paths, fights amongst hikers and locals and loud blaring music. Quite unbelievable!







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