I went with these two guys, whom I met back in Namche Bazaar, on a day hike to the Everest View Hotel. It’s the only luxury hotel in the Himalayan range. Its clientele are those who want to be in the heart of the most spectacular mountains in the world, but don’t want to (or can’t) do all the rugged outdoorsy stuff to get there. For US$150 a night they’ll fly you by helicopter to a flat field a mile or so below the hotel, where staff will meet you with horses to carry you up to the hotel. There’s oxygen, should you need it, at the hotel. Anyway, my two friends and I wanted to spend a little time on its Everest-facing porch. Lunch there was way out of our budget, so we ordered a pot of their locally famous hot chocolate. It ran us the equivalent of four or five bucks US—enough for dinner for the three of us back in Namche. But the experience was worth it. Here (in the picture) are my two friends walking just a little bit further into Everest country from the hotel.

All images ©2002-2003 by Dietrich Neuman