The trek to Namche Bazaar provides the trekker with many opportunities to observe the local way of Sherpa life rich in culture, custom and costume. The prayer flags are the hall-mark of all Sherpa and Buddhist communities and both the Marni walls and prayer flag poles should be passed on the left in a clockwise direct to get good karma for the journey ahead. The Saturday market in Namche Bazaar provides an opportunity to see the busy commercial centre of the Khumbu region operating at its most colourful.
At Sonasa the Gorko Valley separates from the main Khumbu Valley and now instead of the view being dominated by Everest it is Cho Oyu that attracts the eye. Cho Oyu is the world’s sixth highest mountain and one of the less technical8000m peaks to climb, although the early ascents were made from the Nepal side the usual way to the summit is now via the north side in Tibet. Once in the upper Gokyo Valley the trail passes the Gokyo Lakes with their very blue–turquoise colour providing a spectacular foreground to the sharply pointed mountains to the north. An ascent of Gokyo Ri provides breath-taking views of the mountains straddling the Nepal Tibet border, referred to by the great British explorer Bill Tilman as ‘the grandest 30 miles of the Himalaya’.
To reach the main Everest Valley we now have to cross the Cho La Pass. This is a truly memorable experience, from the Gokyo Valley side it looks an impossible barrier but the trail winds its way through the glacial debris climbing steeply toward the col that suddenly appears festooned in prayer flags. From the glacial crossing the trekker gets a real feeling of being amongst the great summits before dropping down to the Everest Valley.
Once on the Khumbu side of the ridge the trails winds through the barren landscape for another two days to Gorak Shep, the site of the 1952 Everest Base Camp. Now with the retreat of the glacier today’s base Camp is another short day’s walk to the foot of the Western Cwm and the Ice Fall. However, the best view of Everest from this valley is from the top of Kala Pattar, although an easy looking walk to the summit the altitude makes this quiet an undertaking but the summit views make it a worthwhile adventure.