Day 4 - It's all stations UP - Everest View 3,800 metres !

Acclimatisation is all about tricking the body into thinking that surviving on 50% oxygen is quite OK - it seeks to remedy those pesky side effects which include blocked noses, dry coughing, mild headaches, having no appetite and enerally being breathless every time you undertake any form of activity (.. must remember to write a note to thank those that put us on the 3rd floor in our guest house)

You can drink & med up to help which usually involves going to the toilet about 37 times a day - you can try to save at least 12 of those visits by delicately docking one self (at least for men) with a bottle in pitch darkness at night but i can tell you its a manoeuvre destined for disaster !

The only real sure fire success is time and that was our strategy when we took 24 hours in Namche to help our systems along ! This though doesn't mean lying around in bed it actually means getting out undertaking more activity and putting even less oxygen in your body - I guess so it can turn around and say to you " whoa - give me back the 50%" !

As it was we went into climb mode shortly after breakfast and after Monika had rechanged after swearing after sitting in a swamp of spilt black tea

Our bodies protested right from the start as we clambered up 100+ metres in altitude to the Namche army base for great views of the big ones including Nupste and Everest !

Thinking that was it for the day Birbal insisted on 300 more metres this time up a precipitous snaking trail and then up another a steep hillside above Namche before arriving at a Stupa that had even more spectacular views and was also good us penny pinchers as it didn't require us to spend $20 on a cup of tea that seems to be the going rate at the more famous and nearby Everest Hotel.The view from the Stupa also gave us pretty good detail for our next two days walk and none of it looked easy.

With just about a scenery overload we descended back to Namche by a different route on on oversized rock steps and a dusty trail arriving back after 4 hours having covered nearly 9 kms a fair effort for an acclimatisation / rest day

Back at the hotel we almost needed a car jack to get our lunches down before we then wisely decided to crash in our room rec charge the batteries and later on take in some more of the delicacies offered around town in the various cafes ... well if our stomachs can handle it that is !

Tomorrow we have a longish trek past Tengboche and a chance to check out if the acclimatisation day really helped !

P.s. my brother and his friend Katrina flew into Lukla yesterday and make their move on to Namche just as we head out !