Tues 3^rd April 2012 Khumjung 3740m

Ok so here we are in Khumjung for a rest day. I am not sure most of us feel we necessarily need a rest day but this acclimatisation lark is really quite relaxing. Luckily I am not, so far, suffering from any altitude sickness symptoms so the trip feels like a holiday. Ok there are a few hills which require a bit of a ‘grunt’ but we have all trained quite hard and are in reasonably good shape.

 It’s quite interesting chatting to the other climbers and finding out how they trained for this trip. I do get the unnerving feeling that I am one of the least experienced. They have taken matters quite seriously, climbing many of the largest peaks around the world, committing to six months training regimes and at least one chap has given up drinking for a whole 12 months. It seems no one else went for my training routine of going out until 3am, drinking far too much and getting just a few hours sleep, four times a week, before then hitting the gym or the Sussex hills for a couple hours of hard exercise the following morning. The guides do however say that if you want to find out just how horrible it is at high altitude you should have a large, late night out with little sleep and then go and train hard in the morning! Time and altitude will tell just how my regime pays off!

Khumjung is the place where Sir Edmund Hilary invested heavily in the local community. In particular the Edmund Hillary School which is the first building you reach when approaching from Namche Bazaar. It’s a lovely village with large areas between the houses where between stone walls potatoes are grown in the fertile looking brown earth during the short growing season.

In the large square, in front of our lodge, from dawn until dusk the village children play games. The first comprises a small four inch twig, which is propelled into the air by a sharp whack on the end by a three foot stick. If it is caught by one of the others then wild celebrations ensue. Alternatively the small twig is placed over a small hole and flicked into the air with the big stick. Again catching it causes rapture but if not, whoever collects the twig throws it, trying to land it in the small hole. If they do, then again wild reverie occurs. This goes on for hours until they play their other game ...Cricket!

Apparently they were donated a bat a couple of years ago by a passing expedition and the game has caught on. It’s a bit of a dodgy wicket and no one bowls, they all ‘chuck’ or throw the ball. What they lack in technique they make up for in enthusiasm. Both games keep them entertained all day.

In the afternoon the porters and Sherpa’s play volleyball and despite their relatively diminutive stature they appear very, very good... unless they have sneakily lowered the net!

After breakfast we all traipse off up a hill for 40 mins to what is something of a folly. It’s a rather large hotel, with a splendid view of Everest. Built by the Japanese around 1979 together with a short mountain airstrip. The idea was that climbers, mainly from Japan, could fly into the airstrip and then set off for Everest cutting the time to Base Camp and the cost of porters etc. Unfortunately, flying human beings straight to 12,000 ft made most of them very sick, so they arrived at Base Camp even later, if at all, only once they had recovered from altitude sickness. Then after three planes crashed on the runway during a single season, killing many people, the original business plan was left moribund, but they kept the gaily pink painted hotel open, now known locally as the Pink Elephant!

Lunch is followed by a three hour blog session and off to the only internet cafe in the village.

I am still amused that no one reading my blog has yet spotted my little joke. A bottle of Champagne for the first email correctly identifying my little wind up!

Then back for a shower which Heath Robinson would have been most proud of. It’s in the same room as the French style loo (more about that later) so whilst you are going through the elaborate sequence of switches, knobs, taps and buttons in order to get a dribble of warm water to emerge from the hand held shower head another of your colleagues can completely ruin your experience with an explosive continuum of very unpleasant sounds, wind and smells!

My roommates phone, still on vibrate receives a couple of texts at 3.30am. I am woken and can’t get back to sleep. Wake up grumpy!