18 October
Fully recovered, or so I think, I'm up at 4am to get the chartered chopper over to Lukla. Fletch and Ken get the first flight and the rest of us end up waiting until nearly 11 before we can leave. Partly because someone had to come and pump the tyres back up on the MIG. We're crammed in with all the gear and a party for Ama Dablam, and I mean crammed, I spend the whole flight with my legs above my had and partly wrapped round Kristin, with Gabe's 6ft 4 frame crammed in by the window. Pasang Sherpa is on the flight and is the guid for Ama Dablam. H's summited Everest 5 times, and we're all a bit in awe. Lon gets to chat to him at KTM before we depart.
The flight is pretty awsome once w are under way, and not really as scary as you'd think, just uncomfortable. Kristin does look she's praying as we come into land, which makes me chuckle. We have a massive lunch at Lukla and meet back up with Fletch and Ken, and then set out, walking past the plane that crashed into the wall at the top of the airport a few days ago. We climb up towards Phakding, which takes just over 3 hours, walking through forsts that must be incrdible in spring, jumping out of the way of the Zopkio - cow-yak hybrids that porter on the lower slopes, and I feel like I am living the dream!!
The lodge at Phakding is ok, Lon has to go in with his Mum and Dad as one of the rooms is a triple, me and Gabe share again and have a good laugh when he opens his porter-pack to find his shaving foam has gone for a proper burton everywhere. I'm going full yeti so I am not going to have that problem. The big issue is the toilet paper - we've been issued two rolls each for three weeks, and I have another visitation like I did at Kathmandu it won't last long. So, first night in a lodge at the Prince Everest, where we at chilli potatoes and chat before an early night. We've had the rules read to us - no meat or dairy above Namche, no beer, etc - all thought out to try and stop us getting sick. Fingers crossed.
19 October Phakding - Namche (7 hours)
Set out early on what starts as an easy walk up to Monjo, whre we would have started today had the flight not been so late. The going gets harder here and Barbara is finding it tough, but she's in her sixties so it's no suprise. She's a well known US author on Nepal, and her knowldge is great and really interesting, but it's hard to talk to her because of the difference in our paces. We go over Nepal's longst suspension bridge, hoping the Zopkio don't start coming the other way, and after lunch we then cross the highest, which Ken bounces to test my nerves, but I'm ok on it and we're soon over the Dudh Koshi, th milk river.
Namche never seems to come, as we near 3000m it gets really hard, Barbara is now in front, so she can set the pace, and as we reach Namche we are disappointed to find the first Everest viewpoint in thick cloud. We then have to climb through the village right to the top to reach the lodge. It's a long day.
19th October Namche Bazar
There's an annoying French guy here who looks Gerard Depardieu! We joke about the price of snickers, of which Fletch has a stash in his bag - he's the Snickers King of Phakding, or the Snickers Tsar of Namche Bazar, we're not sure. Lon demonstrates his eating prowess by clearing up all the leftovers, I've never seen anything like it, but he's fit. I caught him doing push ups at Phakding, god knows where he gets the energy, I'm feeling good and I'm in the mood for altitude.
20-23 October
Didn't get to see as much of Namche as I'd hoped, by the time we reached the lodge I just wanted to sleep. The next 'rest day' we set out on an acclimitisation hike to the Everest View Hotel, where we are rewarded with our first views of Ama Dablam, Lhotse and a little peek at Everest behind the clouds. We walk round to Kunde to see the yeti skull at the monastery and the hospital, where we met a girl I had seen yesterday. She was telling her guide she felt ill because she had 'never walked uphill before!!!' Hmmmm. Anyway I'm last back to the lodge, feeling drained and unable to eat. Which is annoying.
The next day we walk up to Thame, and all I can eat is a Mars bar. and a few glucouse tablets. I'm not worried though, sure it will pass. Pretty thrilled to be staying at Appa Sherpa's lodge - 21 times summiteer of Everest. The certificates are all round the walls, with oxygen bottles and other memorbillia. This is also the village that Tenzing Norgay came from.
We leave for Lungden the next morning, and I still can't eat. I'm also crapping water, and now I'm not sleeping. I don't remember much of the walk, except the views of Kasum Kangure, Kongde and then Cho Oyu - the first 8000er we see. I get to Lungden on stamina and energy I didn't know I had. The lodg is very basic, w're here for two days too. I manage to eat a bizarre mix of chapati, jam and chips so I can start on Diamox, which will hopefully stem the onset of the AMS I think I am getting. Fletch is getting sick too, but Finjo finds a yellow tablet which sems to help. The lodge is full of Japanese, who have bought their own cook tent and food, so they pay 10 times the lodge price. They're a strange lot. Sangay says 'walk slow, no bag... Japanese....'
The next day we rest up, a really welcom day. Gabe, Jim and I sit in the sun, while the others do some light hiking, I'm still not eating very well and don't join in the High Altitude Rounders. I go to my room to eat, where I cram in potatoes washd down with water. It's easier in the room, I don't feel like I'm putting the others off with my retching and coughing as I eat. Early to bed for an early start.
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