Nepal: Trek part 2...

Approaching the Cho La from the west -- the pass is the notch in the middle of the photo, 5400m or 17,700ft. This is the only picture I took on the approach to the pass -- I was so sick by then with bronchitis, possibly giardia, altitude, and you-name-it that it was hard enough just to walk, forget about photography!
Here's what climbing the pass was like -- I'm glad Nancy took this picture, because again I didn't take any photos at all on the way up.
Rinzin at the saddle of the pass.
Coming down the eastern side of the Cho La pass: the mountains on the right are Cholatse and Taboche, each roughly 6350m or 20,800ft ( (I believe Cholatse is the big one that's most prominent, and Taboche is slightly behind it. At the end of the valley the big one there is Ama Dablam.
Breakfast under Cholatse the morning after our pass crossing. I'm in the front on the right, in case you can't recognize anyone under all our winter gear! We're at our campsite in Dzongla (4850m, 15,900ft). This is just before I split off to head downhill for recovery's sake and the group headed toward Lobuche, Gorak Shep, Kala Pattar, and Everest Basecamp. (from Nancy's camera)
Now I've got several of Nancy's pictures of the part of the trek I missed -- here is Nuptse (roughly 7860m or 25,800ft) from Gorak Shep. Looks like there's a fair bit of ice flowing down the valley?   You're looking at the Khumbu Glacier!
Nancy's camera again: Looks like she's near the top of Kala Pattar (5550m or 18,200ft), and we're looking at Everest (center, 8848m or 29,028ft, in case I didn't give you that info before) and Nuptse (right).
The wreckage of a helicopter that crashed at Basecamp in May '03 (the 50th anniversary celebration of the first successful climb of Everest). (Nancy's photo)
The Khumbu icefall seen from the area of basecamp -- this is one of those legendary places that I really really really wish I could've seen in person, to get an idea of the scale of it...  but there was no way in my condition then that I could've done it. Looks amazing from here. (Nancy's photo).
The icefall, closer view. Climbers go through here back and forth several times as they acclimatize to climb Everest. Dangerous place, lots of crevasses, etc, and huge unstable towers of ice that could fall on you at any time -- more people die here than anywhere else on Everest. (Nancy's photo).
While Nancy and the others were seeing those sights, I descended with one of our sherpas to recover from a variety of illnesses at a lower elevation. After a stop at a teahouse, we arrived here in Pheriche (4280m, 14,040ft) by lunchtime. This is the main street in Pheriche, and the sign here is for the lodge we stayed at.
Close-up of part of the Everest memorial in Pheriche -- I found several names I recognized from having read a couple books about the 1996 disaster. Interestingly, there are a number of empty spots at the bottom too... guess you have to figure that people will keep dying up there.
Okay, after 2 nights in Pheriche, I had some of my energy back and made a short hike over a ridge to end up in Dingboche (4350m or 14,270ft), where I met up with the rest of the group -- here's a view from our campsite the next morning as we woke up there.
A girl carrying a heavy load making her way up this hill...
Ama Dablam, my new favorite mountain...
Tengboche Monastery, 3860m, 12,660ft.
Setting up camp at Tengboche -- in the distance, to the left are Everest, Nuptse, and Lhotse, and to the right is Ama Dablam.
Rinzin, Jan, and Nancy, at Tengboche.
I walked around the side of the monastery to take some pictures...
Monastery gate (looking out from the inside).
One of my favorite pictures, this is the corner of the monastery gate, with a partially clouded Lhotse behind.
We went inside the monastery where they were going to be having a ceremony this evening -- Nancy's digital camera was able to take photos despite the incredibly low light -- here's some detail of the ceiling... (Nancy's photo)
More views inside the monastery... (Nancy's photo)
Our lunch spot enroute from Tengboche to Khumjung.
Ama Dablam from Khumjung. This was a pretty cool town, more well-to-do and "modern" than most, in part because most families here are very well tied in to the trekking industry... Also, Sir Edmund Hillary founded a school and a hospital here. It's managed to keep a very traditional feel despite all this, though.
The ever-present red duffels...
I played at some flash photography inside the Khumjung monastery... Here are a bunch of candles with a backdrop of these colorful cloth things that I'm told are just decorative (not particularly symbolic of anything).
Along the walls on both sides were all these little spaces that house some kind of scripture books...
Flowers and pictures of the Dalai Lama, also in front of the altar.
Example of some of the artwork inside the monastery.
Sir Edmund Hillary -- in case you don't know, he was the first guy to summit Everest (1953) and has poured a ton of time and money into supporting the people of this region... Among other things, founding a school and a hospital here in the town of Khumjung. (Nancy's photo -- it was too freakin' cold that morning to think about taking my hands out of my gloves....)
Among our last views of Everest, the fog had a cool effect here... This was from along the trail between Khumjung and Namche -- first we ascended to a ridge just above town, then dove down steeply on a 1000+ft drop to Namche.
...And speaking of Namche, here you have it, the "Namche Bowl" as it's called, nestled in this curve in the mountain.
A bit closer in to Namche, here's the center area of town where the Tibetan market is. (Nancy's photo)
Closer view of the Tibetan market.
Also among my favorite pictures, here are some colorful houses in Namche.
The group along the trail down from Namche.
Here you go, the last view of Everest -- seen from partway down the Namche hill.
Welcome to Sagarmatha National Park! Caught the sign on the way out -- somehow I actually don't remember even seeing it on the way in, or I think I would've taken a picture then...
In Phakding, on our last camping night, we used this lodge's dining room instead of our mess tent. All the porters, sherpas, cooks, etc. joined us after dinner -- someone had a little drum and they sang and danced, in celebration of the end of the trek... (Nancy's photo)
Big group photo the next morning of all the porters, sherpas, cooks, and our guide Rinzin.
Nice fully loaded yak train crossing this bridge leaving Phakding on our way down to Lukla.
Pemba (one of our sherpa guides) walking by some prayer wheels.
Ingrid wanted to try lifting the load that this porter has been carrying for our whole trip... Doesn't she look like she's about to break her neck? The porter is obviously amused... Nick (in the window) looks more concerned though...
Big old group photo. Left to right, back row: Tracy, Martin, Jill, Bill, Rinzin, Ingrid, Nick; front row: Richard, me, Jan, Nancy. This was taken in front of our lodge/hotel in Lukla, where we were all about to go take hot showers for the first time in 3 weeks!
And our four terrific sherpa guides, Chuda, Rudra, Pemba, and Pharki (I hope I spelled their names anything close to right).