And the men set out

Today we parted ways with mom and Viv. They will be staying behind in Namche Bazaar and taking excursions as they see fit.   For our part we set out towards the next leg of our journey Thyangboche at nearly 4000m. From our lodgings the initial part of the trail was flat and hugged the mountainside with a truly spectacular and unabashed view of Everest. We were hiking towards it all day with a sense of wonder at the surrounding mountains being front lit by the rising sun. It was chilly but we became invigorated with each step. The plan for the day was a 7 mile hike with a deep valley to transverse halfway out. That meant dropping significant elevation before tackling a monstrous uphill tyrant just before reaching our final stop for the day. John “the machine hiker” Rosenfeld set a beleaguered steady pace that quickly became a turtle vs. hare situation as all of the hikers that had preceded or passed us were systematically surpassed. We were amongst the first to make it, much to the surprise of our guide. The town is quite desolate as it sits at the foot of intimidating Goliath-like mountains. And we saw Yaks!! I learned that these hairy beasts of burden cannot exist below 3000m. Crazy! It is a surreal experience to have them passing you with their ancient bells around their necks carrying impressive loads. Once we defeated yet another trail we relaxed for the day only to venture out once more to explore a Buddhist monastery. No photos but the ornateness of the interior far surpasses the palace of Versailles of France or Segrada Familia in Barcelona. Every surface was covered in either a bright color or an intricate mural of Buddha. There were no monks but perhaps tomorrow. Their prayer platforms containing their ancient and worn robes there were large ceremonial drums and at the front a 20’ golden Buddha with multiple brightly decorated and/or dressed statues surrounding it. Everyone was respectfully silent and the holiness of this antique temple was palpable. We retired to dinner where a couple was being honored for being married in the monastery earlier in the day. What an experience!  Sorry no photos but barely have any signal up here. Stay tuned!