Today was going to be one of he longest of the trek's. It was another stunner of a day so we set off early after breakfast. The route again continued along the river passing ships, locals and small villages. We followed 'the milk river' up through the valley. As ever, horses, donkeys and cows passed us. After an hour or so we overtook our new friends Rebecca and Alesandro who we met at the lodge the evening before. The route this morning was reasonably easy on stone, well maintained paths however we were warned about a steep 3 hour 'up' after lunch. Lunch was peanut butter sandwiches and muesli bars in a small cafe by the river. The sun was blazing and although the temperatures were noticeably cooler than the 30 degrees or so in Kathmandu, it was definitely a shorts and t shirt day. After lunch the path continued up the river, crossing a couple more suspension bridges before the gentle climb towards the big hill to Namche we had been warned about! The hill was a killer and we began to feel the high altitude taking effect. It was very warm and it was slow progress up the windy, dusty track. We posed for a few photos on the way as we continued on the 1000m assent to Namche. We asked Bikram "how far to go?" numerous times and eventually we reached a checkpoint where a sign read 'Namche Bazzar' and our permits were checked. We had a seat for 10 mins or so, wiped away copious amounts of sweat and swigged the lasts drops of our water. We still had 20 to 30 minutes before we were in 'downtown Namche' but the sight of the town as we turned the corner into it, was well worth it. Namche Bazzar is the main town of the region. It is build almost like an amphitheater, curtailing the hill that it's perched on. We made it to our lodge 'The Nest' at the bottom of the town, had a tea then went for a well earned rest. We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the steep streets of Namche and its shops. We met out South Afrian friend Graeme who we met earlier in the day who took us round a backstreet to meet some other trekkers and a lovely Nepalese lady and her daughter who gave us some excellent milk teas. Tourists seemed to gather outside her house, some of whom were staying with her, to buy water and food for much cheaper than anywhere else in town. We played skipping games with her daughter with her home made rope, made form elastic bands and chatted to some of the other trekkers about the challenge ahead!