In the last two days we have climbed from 2800 meters at Lukla to 3450 meters at Namche Bazaar. As altitude is gained the air gets thinner, meaning there is less oxygen available to inhale. It takes time for the body to adapt to this and so as a general recommendation, a rest day should be taken for every thousand meters climbed. Today is our rest day and we'll be staying at Namche one more night.
A rest day it may be, but we're not going to be completely idle. It's beneficial to sleep slightly lower than the maximum height reached during the day when trekking, so we're heading upwards on a path that takes us out of Namche Bazaar (for some amazing views over the village) to the National Park Visitor's Centre and the Museum of Sherpa Life - where someone appears to have crashed a helicopter ... careless.
When we return to Namche it's time for lunch and we opt for pizza at one of the seemingly many places called 'Bakery', followed by a bit of shopping to get all the bits and pieces we think we're missing. Prices here might be higher than in Kathmandu, but they are a lot lower than in the UK. I pick up a North Face down vest jacket for just $50!
For the afternoon we head back to the lodge (the same lodge it turns out where President Jimmy Carter stayed during his trek in 1985 - there are pictures and plaques dotted around to remind you in case you forget) for a bit of relaxing. Got to be ready for tomorrow after all.
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