Teahouses – #HimalayaDailyBites

where else can you trek for weeks beneath a spectacular skyline of soaring 6000m+ peaks, while always having a place to stay or eat less than a couple of hours away?

Khumbu Valley is one of the best serviced regions of the Himalayan range. while you’re on Everest Base Camp trek you’ll be able to find teahouses and small shops in almost every village and dwelling. the higher you climb, the fewer the options and the higher the prices, but you’re always likely to find some sort of option to save you from sleeping underneath the stars… unless you want to 😉

teahouses are a sort of basic lodges or inns, with a restaurant and accompanying accommodation. often they are family-run businesses, with the owners leaving in attached quarters.
during expedition season, the husband of the house may be away working as a guide, while the wife manages the business with the help of relatives.
it is not uncommon to discover that the owner of the teahouse has summited Mt.Everest several times, using the money earned during these expeditions to start up the teahouse business.

before expedition season starts, you may hear the sounds of chain-saws buzzing and hammers poundings, as teahouses are being built, extended or restored in preparation for the upcoming tourist season.

traditionally teahouses are built from painstakingly hand-chiseled stone blocks, while some newer ones are made of a combination of wood, metallic sheets, and plywood.
generally, the dining room and the kitchen occupy the ground floor, while the upper floors house any number of double-bedded rooms featuring electric lights, toilets, cold water basins, and sometimes pretty spectacular views.

there is no heating in the rooms, only the dining area features a metallic stove that is fired up for a few hours around dinner time.
for a surcharge, most teahouses offer solar-heated “hot showers”, wi-fi, electric blankets, and battery charging.
almost all teahouses sell bottled water, chocolates, sweets, and soft drinks, while most kitchens’ have on their menus, besides traditional Nepali dishes, apple pie, pancakes, pizza, and spaghetti.

all in all pretty decent conditions, considering you can find teahouses offering a sheltered place to stay and a hot meal as high as 5164m 🙂

keep close, we’ve got more #HimalayaDailyBites for you! 🙂

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Tags: accommodation, food, himalaya, khumbu, pancake, pizza, restaurant, room, shelter, shop, shower, sleep, spagetti, stone, teahouse, toilet, wifi, wood