Day 10 came around and we were all quite looking forward to trekking back down from Gorakshep. We were all in desperate need of some warmth, more oxygen and loss of altitude sickness symptoms. That day we trekked for around 7-hours and went down almost a kilometre in altitude. We stayed the night in Dingboche.
Day 11 we continued to trek down a further 600 metres. By now I was kind of bored of it. I’d already achieved my goal of reaching Base Camp. That was the hard bit. Trekking down was no challenge, it was just tedious! But, today was a little bit special for me since it was my 23rd Birthday. I’d say it was quite special to spend my birthday in the Himalayas. It was the first time that I’d had a birthday without my friends or family present (of course the other trekkers in my group have become my friends but you know what I mean). It was also the first birthday I’d experienced without technology. No phone calls, no facebook messages. In a way, it was quite liberating to turn 23 in this way and I spent the day absorbing the scenery and enjoying my surroundings. That night at Kengjuma, I celebrated my birthday in Nepalese style. We crowded around a wood fire and I was treated to a big apple pie and a traditional Nepali neck scarf to mark the occasion.
Day 12 saw us continue our trek down with a further 8-hours of trekking, descending another 800 metres to reach Monjo. That day was a bit of a panic for me. We had lunch in Namche Bazaar where I found an internet cafe for 30-minutes, hoping to read my birthday messages. Instead, I found out that my flight to India had been postponed, meaning that I would miss my connecting flight to London. All of a sudden, I needed to book onto another flight, and make sure that I wouldn’t get in trouble for not having an Indian visa. All of this with no phone or regular internet access. I managed to forward the email to my Father in the hope that he will sort it for me. I think he has, but I’m still not certain!
Day 13, was our final day of trekking. We were told it would be a 5-hour trek back to Lukla. After 2-hours, Hayden and I decided we were going to race ahead and get to Lukla early. We managed the final three hours in half the expected time.
It’s now 3:30pm on day 13 and I’m going to attempt to get internet in Lukla to find out whether I have a flight on Sunday. Hopefully I’ll be home in two days time!
Much Love!
Sam
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