After sleeping in till 6:30am , eating a hearty breakfast of the random varieties Namche had to offer such as a veggie omelet, lemon pancakes, and meat momo's we all decided that instead of acclimatizing and resting a day in Namche as originally planned, that we would go out and head for the next village of Tengboche. This anticipated short, mild hike turned into another full blown day of trekking. I was fine with it thought because around every turn or bend, there was another mind blowing cascade of mountains, or gushing waterfall or heard of Yaks passing by. It was awesome; amazing views all around just as we had hoped for. The next three hours was spent descending about 300m down to the gorgeous, turquoise waters filled with glacier silt, and then back ascending back up about 500m to Tengboche. The incline was no doubt difficult, but still had no comparison to the then hour trek yesterday. We were able to catch our first glimpse of Mount Everest as we were trekking today, but would not compare to what we saw later on that night. I am beginning to realize that there is no such thing as leisurely here in the Himalayas. It is all pretty extreme up here, and I have barely scratched the surface on this amazing trek.
The village of Tengboche is almost magical. The few structures that reside here sit in somewhat of a bowl, surrounded by huge white capped peaks. There is a monastery here that is absolutely beautiful. One of the monks let us go inside and see what it looked like. Some of the most intricate art of all the Hindu gods filled the walls, telling stories of the past and what they mean to the Hindu people today. We spoke with that monk for hours as we watched the moon rise above Mount Everst and this incredible village I couldn't believe I was in. It was a full moon that completely lit up everything around us. I have never seen a more illuminating moon in my life! The most spectacular full moon I have ever experience by far as it made the snow on the mountain tops glow and shimmer all around us. The beauty here in the Himalayas hasn't ceased to amaze me and excites me for what the next day might bring.
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