9return

After the little HACE incident, we were finished with Altitude and this trip and decided to really crank it back. Basically, we jammed every 2 days out into 1 going down (you can go down as fast as you want without worrying about altitude.).

We went from Pheriche to Namche Bazzare... tell you what... that air at 10,000 feet you could cut with a knife. We also celebrated living with a beer and the worst game of pool I have ever played... the locals eventually felt sorry for Joe and I and started missing on purpose... the Nepali are some of the nicest people in the world.

The next morning, down, down, down all the way to Lukla. From Phakding to Lukla is 2 hours of straight uphill (350m or so), and we didn't even have to stop for breath. Incredible how your body can acclimitize...

In Lukla I brought closure to the trip by having my second shower in 11 days. If felt great.

Perhaps the most dangerous part of our journey came the following morning when we flew out of Lukla... remember the runway at an 18 degree slant... it's a trip to take off out of. We made it, and our trip, and Everest, was behind us.

Above: Yaks on the trail.. Yaks are the workhorses of the high altitude. Basically cows that need a haircut, Yaks are the practically the symbol for the area. It is a great honor for the Sherpas to own a Yak, and they save their whole life for one. For a bargain price, you can try Yak steak, Yak cheese, and Yak butter. Even Yak butter tea. I wouldn't suggest the last one.

Here is one of my Favorite Yak Features. If you dry Yak Dung, it burns. Since there is a ban on tree cutting in the area around Everest, Yak dung is drying on walls and roofs on the way up. Nothing like a Yak powered furnace to really warm up a room. You would think I was kidding, but you'll take heat any way you can get it at 5000m!
The porter to the right is carrying a basket of yak dung. He deserves a spot on the Internet, I think.

Wondering what the rooms look like in the tea houses? This was one of the nicer ones in Namche Bazzar. There isn't any more room to the right either. This was was especially nice because we had a family of noturnal critters that was nesting above our beds and running around all night. This was on the way down... didn't bother our sleep at all.