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Struggling to the top of Kongma La I could barely manage 20 granny steps without needing to sit down for a rest. At a height of 5500m above sea level the air pressure (and therefore the available oxygen) here is greatly reduced. Even packing up camp earlier that morning had been an effort. Little tasks such as rolling up the tent seemed monumental. Sleep that night had been fitful with barely enough oxygen. Kieran had been breathing sporadically - apparently a well-known phenomenon at altitude where the body goes for several seconds without breathing and then must gasp to catch-up. Both of us had been plagued with intermittent headaches, particularly if we went higher during the day.
Ascending from Lukla had been a slow process. According to all the recommendations you should not gain more than 300 metres per day, a height that can often be easily ascended in a few hours.
However now that we were on the pass, the view was well worth it. From here we had a fantastic view over all the big-name peaks; Lotse, Nupse, Makalu and Ama Dublam.
Descending back down the Khumbu valley, over the following days, we pass through sub-alpine scrub that does not look dissimilar to the sub-alpine scrub in New Zealand (there is even a plant that looks remarkably like a red version of vegetable sheep). As we walk we pass trains of yaks returning from Everest base camp loaded with climbing equipment.
As we get lower the vegetation changes and we pass through rhododendron and pine forest. I had thought that May would be too late to see the rhododendrons flowering but I am pleasantly surprised to see many of the bushes covered in yellow blossoms; apparently the yellow variety flower later than the red and pink ones.
We now encounter trains of dzo (yak/cow crossbreeds). Pure yaks cannot go much below Namche as they get reverse altitude sickness and often die.
Below Lukla (with the infamous runway) the numbers of tourists suddenly diminish and the villages we pass through feel much more like real villages. We see people working in fields and pass children on their way to school. Chickens with their baby chooks run across the trail and dogs lie in the shade. Small dams on the various streams are used to make electricity for the villages we pass through, providing much more reliable electricity than in Kathmandu.
The climate and the vegetation gradually become more tropical, until eventually, in the valleys, we are walking through rice paddies and banana palms. We are also now in leech territory (as I discover when one somehow manages to fall into my bra, only to be discovered, fat and round several hours later! )
Finally we make it to Bhandar which is currently as far as the road goes. At this point however the road is extremely rough and buses only come this far during the dry season (it is now the end of May and the rainy season is beginning). We continue on another few hours to Shivalaya, from where we will catch the bus. We arrive right on dusk and although it is not a big place it feels like we are arriving in a big place. As we descend the slope towards the town we can see cooking fires and roofs of shacks clustered together. We see vehicles for the first time in several weeks. Stalls selling clothing/food items etc line the roads and there is a multitude of guesthouses from which to choose. We choose a guest house near the river and demolish a plate of dal bhat, washed down with a beer to celebrate the end of an awesome trip!
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