Today has ended up being much more tiring and challenging than originally planned. I think we have ascended something like 1000m today which at this altitude is tough. Our lodge was again late with breakfast and this time they hadn’t lit the fire so it was very chilly waiting. We weren’t in much of a rush but sitting in the cold isn’t much fun. Finally fed (our porridge was at least lovely & hot) we went on our way. First stop the bakery at the top of the village for 2 chocolate danishes, and then to the tap at the top to fill up our water. We then headed out of the village towards Chhukung. This morning was cloudy and windy compared to previous days but it was warm enough when the sun decided to make ... read more

The room we were staying in opened up into the dining room so it’s unsurprising that we were woken up rather early by staff and other trekkers getting up. The hard beds and pillow that felt like it was made from wood probably didn’t help either. The room was so tiny the beds touched the wall on 3 sides which meant Stephen and I had to sleep apart for the first time since we’ve been traveling. It was a little weird. Fortunately being next to the restaurant also meant that the room was relatively warm so getting up wasn’t too painful. The walk started with an easy descent into Deboche. After just 15mins or so there were around 3 groups of lodges so we needn’t have worried about not being able to find somewhere to stay ... read more

Today was a short but fairly strenuous walk from Monjo to Namche Bazaar. Walking up around 700m is quite tiring, especially as you end up at an altitude of 3400m so you notice the air being thinner. Soon after leaving our lodge we reached the entrance to the national park and had to buy our admission tickets. The sun hadn’t yet reached into our little valley and queuing in the shade was very chilly! Unfortunately we got stuck behind some guides who were getting tickets for the whole group so it felt like quite a long wait. Once our tickets were purchased we started the downhill walk to cross the river and pass through Jorsalle. It’s frustrating descending 100m when you know you need to be 600m higher than you are! After a wonder along relative ... read more

Much like our last attempt at a trek our first few days haven’t gone quite according to plan. We were supposed to fly to Lukla yesterday morning, and then hopefully walk to the next village the same day. Unfortunately after a day sitting in the airport due to poor weather at Lukla all flights were cancelled and we were put on a flight today instead. The frustrating thing was the complete lack of communication - we only discovered they’d been cancelled after going up the desk to ask for an update. Fortunately we managed to get a room in the same hotel we had been staying in in Thamel, Kathmandu. We also had a delicious dinner of aubergine and couscous in a restaurant called Mitho. It wasn’t too expensive and made a great change from rice ... read more

This morning we headed over to the Red Fort to have a look around. Built from red sandstone between 1638 and 1648 by Shah Jahan (same man who built the Taj Mahal) to protect his new city of ShahJahanabad (ie Delhi) this magnificent fort was later converted into barracks by the British. Unfortunately it has been ransacked multiple times over its history and so the semi-precious stones that inlaid the marble halls have all gone, as have the gold and silver ceilings, copper doors & fittings and the ornate Peacock Throne. Today is a bank holiday in Delhi and so the crowds were huge (they got much bigger by the time we left). Slightly strangely tourists don’t have to queue and after buying a ticket at the separate tourist counter you can walk past the long ... read more