15th April
A couple of days without good wifi - well I suppose we are in the highest mountain range the world has.
It’s 6.30am and just waiting for my usual black coffee to come, in the tea house - something that I wouldn’t touch at home but at Dingboche it is an ideal start to the day.
We are at 4400 metres and here for two nights to allow us to catch up with the altitude. After breaky we will hike up the mountain to the north of the town to an elevation of 5000 metres, then back for lunch.
Our team is going well, Joe has a bit of a cold, similar to what I have just brushed off. Brother Anth (Tony) flew to Lukla from Kathmandu yesterday and he arrived at Phukding (careful how you say that) for lunch, which is a 3 hour walk, then was headed further up the valley to Monjo for the night. He should be in Namche tonight for a couple of nights which puts him 4 days behind us.
15th April
We have just returned from an acclimatising hike to 5150metres - Nangkartshang, bit windy but beautiful scenery of the surrounding mountains. We had uninterrupted views of Ama Dablam, Buruntse, Makalu, Island Peak, Lhotse, Choy Oyu to name the main peaks. We stayed at this altitude for some time not only for the terrific and awe inspiring views but also as an aid in getting used to the higher altitude.
Joe and Marcus - Altitude record for them at over 5000 metres
What altitude are you at Joe
A hearty lunch of spaghetti soup and Tibetan bread then we were off to the local bakery for apple pie and latte. The movie “Everest” is showing on the TV. The story of the 1996 disaster. Think I will give that a miss and go and read a book for a bit.
I am very saddened to hear of the passing of my friend Anthony Bennett. This was a real shock and I am still in utter disbelief. I have no words………
Ken