MOUNT EVEREST BASE CAMP, GOKYO & SOLUKHUMBU0
The. Everest region (or Solu Khumbu region, as it is locally known) is the second most popular trekking area in Nepal (the Annapurna is the first). The popularity of this region is derived, of course, from its proximity to the world's highest mountain, but also from its Sherpa people and buddhist monasteries Of the trek's strongest difficulties are it's up-and-down walking (resulting from crossing ridges instead of walking along them) and it's steep gain of altitude (especially for those starting at Lukla).
Although the trek is named the Everest Base Camp trek, the main highlight of the trek is the walk up to Kala Pattar ("Black Rock") peak, a magnificent view point at 5545 meters, offering astonishing views of Mt. Everest and it's surrounding mountain peaks.

The trek takes you along the Dudh Kosi, Bhote Kosi and Imja Kola rivers, all with bluish melted glacier water, past beautiful water streams and, below 4000 meters, beautiful green forests with much wild life. Past the tree line, above 4000 meters, the green pastures fade away and pass control to rocky "moon-like" surroundings.

The trek is divided into two main treks.
The first starts from Jiri (to which you travel by bus from Kathmandu) to Lukla and takes about 8 days, while the second starts from Lukla to the Everest Base Camp area and takes 14 days round-trip. Most people do not trek the Jiri-Lukla route and instead, just as I did, fly in from Kathmandu to the Lukla airstrip

After flying in to Lukla, we arrive on day 2 at Namche Bazar, 3440 meters, one of the largest villages on the trail (see #2). Namche's houses are built in terraces forming a half circle design, a common design for villages in this area. In Namche you can find a big bazar which operates all week (but is especially colorful on Saturdays), trekking equipment shops (including rentals), film, sweets (including MARS!), coffee shops, bakeries ... In short, everything. Prices are not cheap, but will be much higher as you go up, so stock up on your film here ! (just imagine that mineral water prices are 18 rupees in Kathmandu but jump to as high as 200 rupees higher up at Dingboche).

Past Namche Bazar, we climb up to Khumjung, 3790 meters, passing a beautiful flat mountain viewpoint and buddhist mani stones (which we will encounter throughout the trek). Khumjung is the village where the famous Sir Edmond Hillary (first climber of Mt. Everest) built the first school for the children of the region. On the way to Thengboche, we pass through forests where Himalayan mountain goats can be spotted. Thengboche, 3867 meters, is a village on a 'saddle' with a few tea houses and monk dormitories built around a monastery. The views from this spot are said to be one of the most magnificent in the world. You can support the Thengboche running-water project by purchasing one of their T-shirts at 500 rupees, which pays for a full one-man-digging-day...
Passing Thengboche, we ascend to either Periche (at 4240 meters) or Dingboche (4410 meters) and co, taken from the ridge between Periche and Dingboche) but also some extreme cold, which only gets worse on the following days ... In Periche there is an HRA (Himalayan Rescue Association) aid post attended by American doctors. Very helpful if you feel any level of altitude sickness.

From Periche / Dingboche we make a demanding ascent to Lobuche, at 4930 meters. Lobuche collects trekkers ascending from several places, but offers only 3 or 4 tea houses with only dormitory (26 beds in one smoky room) beds, a few spots for tenting, and even fewer toilet facilities... (Actually, if you have some money to spare, you can spend it on a $25 hotel some 20 minutes walk from Lobuche, but it seems totally inappropriate). The area around Lobuche is occupied by very big rocks and almost no plants, with the huge snowy mountain peaks forming a majestical background. The sunset on Nuptse is an inspiring view !
From Lobuche we ascend to Gorak Shep, at 5160 meters, where we start our climb to Kala Pattar. Remember to start trekking from Lobuche very early (as early as 5 o'clock), in order to reach Kala Pattar before the low altitude clouds hide away everything. While Lobuche had almost no plants, the Gorak Shep area is totally rocky and gray, with day time temperatures well below 0. We encounter the Khumbu Glacier on our way, and we will be actually walking on this huge rock covered glacier from now on. If you're lucky (I was) you can spot some beautiful gray birds known as Tibetan snow cocks (yep, even the birds are gray here). The climb to Kala Pattar, at 5545 meters, is not only the most demanding part of the trek, but also the most rewarding (see #4 for views of Mt. Everest and the Khumbu Ice fall from Kala Pattar). It takes some very long two hours to walk up to the peak but only 30 minutes to walk it down.
The Everest Base Camp itself is on the rocky slopes left of the Khumbu Ice fall. The trail from Gorak Shep to the Base Camp is a 2 hour walk in each direction on a difficult and sometimes dangerous ever changing trail (resulting from the simple fact that we are walking on a huge glacier covered with rocks !). On our way we encounter some beautiful ice caves and rock formations. You can't actually see Mt. Everest from the Base Camp.

On the trek back to Lukla, we take a side trip to Phorche, a beautiful village with some great kids and wildlife. Passing Phorche we come across Mong La, a small tea-house village on the top of a ridge featuring a typical buddhist stupa surrounded by the distinctive Ama Dablam 6856-meter-high peak and other mountains

NAMCHE BAZAAR
Namche Bazaar is the main town in the Solu Khumbu region.
It has hotels with hot water, restaurants, a bakery, shops, video parlors, and a pool hall. You have to get your permit inspected her at the police check point. There is a good market on Saturday.
It has a national park visitor center on the ridge above town and is interesting.

At the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee office you can see the conservation projects being done in the area.

There is a bank and a money changer where you can change money.
There are shops here where you can get maps, film, batteries, candy bars and many other trekking items.

Trekking equipment for warm weather such as sleeping bags, down jackets, can be rented and sold here.

It is a good idea to spend a day here to acclimatize. It is a good idea to do some vigorous walks up to some higher altitude and then decent back to Namche Bazaar to go to sleep as part of acclimatizing. A day walk to Thami (west) is a good trip.

The Tawa Lodge, Khumbu Lodge, Trekkers Inn are lodges to stay at. Cafe Danfe has a lodge and good restaurants.

TYNGBOCHE MONASTERY
Tengboche is an important Buddhist monastery in the mountains of the Himalayan Kingdom of Nepal. It is in the Khumbu region of northeast Nepal, the home of the Sherpas. Tengboche is famous because of its spectacular and unique location. It lies on the main route to the Base Camp of Mount Everest and offers the first clear views of the highest mountain in the world. Tengboche became known to the world after Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzin Norgay Sherpa made the first ascent of Mount Everest in 1953. A lot has changed since those days when Tengboche was remote and inaccessible. Today over 30,000 people come ever year to enjoy the beauty of Tengboche and splendor of the mountains.

Tengboche monastery is an important part of Nepal's heritage. Mt. Everest [8,848m] which is known as Sagarmatha in Nepali [Chomolungma in Tibetan] gives its name to the National Park in which Tengboche is located. The Sagarmatha National Park extends over 1148 sq. km and is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site of "outstanding universal value". Most visitors walk to Tengboche by way of Namche Bazaar. The trek takes 14 days from Jiri or 3 days from the airstrip at Lukla. Tengboche lies on a ridge at an altitude of 3,867 meters [12,700 feet]. From Tengboche there are spectacular views of some of the world's highest mountains including Ama Dablam [6,812m], Nuptse [7,855m] Lhotse [8,516m], Tamserku [6,623m] and Kantega [6,779m] as well as the many others that form one of the most impressive range of Snow Mountains anywhere. The ice walls of these mountains dominate the landscape and avalanches can frequently be heard rumbling high up the glaciers.

It is against Buddhist belief to kill anything and because of this tradition of peace and compassion, Tengboche is a refuge for wildlife. In the quiet of the ancient forests surrounding Tengboche, the national bird of Nepal, the iridescent Dhaphe [Impeyan pheasant] can frequently be seen. Huge vultures dominate the skies above. Yellow billed choughs and black ravens play on the winds. These wild high places are also inhabited by the tahr and goral, both rare species of wild goat-antelope, as well as the endangered musk deer. In addition there are many rare kinds of medicinal plants and sweet smelling incense scrubs. Tall rhododendron forest of many different species and colors adorn the landscape in spring. Rocks are carved with prayers and bright flags hung in high places carry prayers of compassion skywards.

The Tengboche monastery was established in its present site by Lama Gulu in 1916 and has strong ties with the Rongbuk monastery in Tibet. Although there are older village monasteries in the area Tengboche was the first celibate monastery and follows the Nyingmapa lineage of the Vajrayana Buddhist teachings.

Tengboche has been destroyed and rebuilt twice. In 1934 an earthquake caused servere damage and on the 19th January 1989 the monastery burnt to the ground. The fire was so intense that nothing of worth could be recovered. Most of the monastery's precious old scriptures, statues, murals and woodcarvings were lost. Even the famous stone in which Lama Sangwa Dorje left a foot print cracked in the tremendous heat.
Today Tengboche Monastery stands again rebuilt by local craftsmen, the monks and Sherpa community with help from the Sir Hillary and the Himalayan Trust, the American Himalayan Heritage Foundation and many international well-wishers. Only the upper rooms remain unfinished. This huge project depleted the monastery's financial resources. In the effort to rebuild the monastery everything else had to be left. It is only in the last few years that Tengboche has been able to look to the surrounding environment and the impact that tourism is having on this once remote and peaceful place.

In September 1993, the consecration and inauguration ceremony of the rebuilt monastery was performed by His Holiness Trulshik Rinpoche and attended by the Prime Minister, Ministers, Ambassadors, Sir Edmund Hillary and hundreds of other distinguished guests and community leaders. On this occasion the Abbot of the monastery, known as Tengboche Rinpoche, requested help in managing the huge influx of tourists to Tengboche and the environmental problems ensuing, in particular the lack of a clean, reliable water supply.

In response to this request and in close collaboration with the Abbot, Mr. Michael Schmitz [M.Sc.Econ.,M.A.Arch.,Dip.Dev.Planner] undertook the research, writing and implementation of a development plan to alleviate the most critical problems affecting the Tengboche environment.