It started like any trip. On a local bus to some place I’ve never been. My guide collected me at 6:30am and we just made the bus as it was driving away. We sat in out seats and it was immediately apparent that I would need to be sitting sideways in order to fit. My knee has a loverly bruise from fighting that urge as sitting sideways made me cramp a lot. My guides name is lakba and I asked how long the trip would take, about 6 hours he replied. So about 8 and a half hours later I was pretty damn sick of the bus. Lakba has magical powers as well. He managed to sleek nearly the whole way, on a bus sweeping side to side with every pot hole whilst laying all over me sleeping. We made such a cute couple. The bus route as well is questionable as we surged through mountain passes we more than once looked like going over the edge to a massive drop all the way down to what looked like a tiny river. It’s actually huge. Once we even stopped so the people standing up and siting on the roof could remove themselves from the bus so we could continue and rejoin us after the peril and passed.

Once we finally arrived I ate.
The food was amazing! I had chicken momo which is a steamed chicken dumpling and it was amazing. Then I had fried rice which was also very very good.

The night was perilous and I slept badly. A thunder strike that shook the foundations of the earth and sounded like Everest coming through my window was quite ominous.

I was up at 6:30 breakfast some porridge and honey consumed and we set out at 7:00. It soon became apparently clear this shit is fucking ridiculously hard. All those people that just bound up mountains on a weekend are full of shit. A quarter of the way in I nearly threw up. Sweat wouldn’t stop and at our first rest house I lost a quarter of my stuff and left it there as my bag was simply far too heavy. We come back there at the end so I can load up again once I’ve had some practice…

I managed to soak myself in a waterfall which was amazing only that I completely overlooked my shoes and first day in they are soaked. I am now trying to dry them by the fire, a forlorn hope I think.

The hiking was made worse by the fact that every time we climbed we then descended. Why? I don’t know perhaps the trek makers have a sense if humour. I certainly didn’t. It was hard, brutally hard! More then once I just had to stop and rest, remove my pack and just sit whilst my heart thumped in my chest and my legs jiggled.

We moved on at a much slower pace. Poor Lakba looked so bored as I could barely lift one leg in front of the other to keep myself going.

We made the halfway point and I refused any lunch a half of a Chibati was enough. Coke was a godsend! Lesson learned. No food on treks!!

We plunged on up and down mostly up and my heart fell every time we had to go back down. It was just knowing that my effort which was great, was simply wasted.

The afternoon dragged on. Managed to see some monkeys but the elusive red panda and big cats (lynx, tiger and snow leopard) remained out of reach.

We finally made it to our overnight stop. 8 hours later, my legs barely functioning my shoulders aching, but we were here.

I know tomorrow will be harder, the trek is all up hill as we move from our 2400meters to 3400meters. A longer walk and all up hill! Uphill!! Brutal is not the word!!!

I’ve been keeping a video log as I go, mostly it just captures me on the verge of a heart attack unable to make intelligent comment. Time for bed.