Dughla

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We got up at 6.30am bound for Dughla. The walk felt hard even though there wasn't much uphill. We're now walking in very rocky terrian, it looks a bit like the moon at times and you have to watch your every step. The cough is sapping all my energy and with the lack of oxygen and cold I am having to withdraw into myself to keep on. I think I must have got a bit distant. I'm just having to draw on all my innerreserves and haven't much to spare for anyone else. But I think we're all like that to a certain extent.

The lodge is a bit basic but OK. It faces out to a pretty fearful climb that we have to do first thing tomorrow to get up to Lobuje. Si is going to go on ahead to try and get a decent lodge. We shall struggle up in our own time. Very very slowly I imagine, it looks a real killer.

The day got a bit crazy after we arrived at the lodge. I went for a sleep in the afternoon but couldn't warm up. They lit the fire in the lodge room at about 5pm so I went through and huddled round the stover with everyone else. Rather bafflingly, our porter Yaddub was working in the kitchen. The reason soon became clear, the porters had all been playing cards, Yaddub had lost BIGTIME and had to work in the kitchen all night to pay off his debts, And clean the squat toilets in the morning. Much hilarity at this. Card playing and Rakshi drinking by the porters was going on in one corber of the lodge rom til pretty late. As everyone ate huge plates of Dhal Bhat, we all began to warm up and enjoy the sort of humour that is really only funny at altitude.

I was wearing my furry Russian hat thing and unwittingly sitting next to a poster of Russian men wearing Russian hats. This sort of stuff is solid gold funny at altitude. There was also the weirdest juxtaposition of strange posters in the room that I couldn take my eyes off. It wouldn't have looked out of place as a bit of modern art at the tate. There was a huge picture entitles 'New York Skyline - World Trade Centre' (so clearly out of date with the Twin Towers, and underneath a picture of 2 white fluffy kittens with the motto 'God's in His Heaven, All's right with the world'. Had to take a photo of it which I'll post when I get back.

If this entry is a bit strange it's coz life is now a bit strange. Heading up to Lobuge tomorrow - about 4900m I think. I warn you now, the entries are only going to get odder....

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