An entirely pedestrian culture
EVERYONE walks.
Little kids walk to school, of course, but in the Khumbu they might walk six or seven hours to get there. Children in Pangboche or Phortse might go to school in Namche. They walk to Namche every Sunday, a six hour walk, holding hands with their siblings or friends if they have them–though some little ones walk alone. They stay in a hostel during the week and then walk back home for the weekend on Friday.
Adults walk to work, which might be two hours away. Up a mountain. They might or might not come back home every night.
Our guide Bala’s two daughters go to school in Kathmandu. When they come home to Namche, they fly to Lukla and then walk a full day to get home. Bala’s elderly mother has to do the same.
There are donkeys, of course, and some people have horses. You generally don’t see many people riding them, though. Some tourists end up riding horses due to injury or altitude sickness, but there don’t seem to be any horse tours of the area.