Namche Bazaar — Brady Haran

The second big earthquake to hit Nepal had an epicentre reported to be near Namche Bazaar.

Details are still unknown, but this was especially sad news to me because Namche has been a special place on my travels (from 2012 and 2013).

Namche is where a trek to Everest Base Camp (on the Nepal side) really begins.

After landing at Lukla you walk along a valley for the first day. But things really start on Day Two when you cross the Hillary Suspension Bridge and walk up a mountain to Namche Bazaar.

It is on this climb you get your first distant glimpses of Everest.

The first glimpse of Everest through the trees while walking towards Namche Bazaar

Your first ascent is rewarded with the colourful sight of Namche's rooftops.

And the bustling village of Namche - a sort of the "capital" of the Everest region - is your last chance to really buy anything useful before you head higher and away from modern luxuries.

Heading back from Everest, glimpsing Namche also feels like a homecoming.

It is the first place you can splash out and "go out for dinner".

Namche Bazaar is a pretty and bustling place, cradled in a bowl between towering mountains.

I hope the town and its people have not been hit too hard.