Day 7 - Dingboche 4,358m

This morning Rinzin, our trek leader, demonstrated the P.A.C. - the Portable Acclimitisation Chamber. Two members of our group needed to use it today in order to counter the affects of altitude. It's like a sealed pressurised tent that aims to bring down your relative pressure depending on the external air pressure. It seemed to work, both felt much better after half an hour in the tent.

Today was an acclimitisation day so this morning we walked to a height of 4,663m up some of the NangKartshang peak that flanks the village of Dingboche. A village that used to be very agricultural and so is divided up into what looks like smallholdings, tiny fields where yaks plough potato plots, potatos that are then buried in the ground again to keep them from rotting. Agriculture plays less of a part now than servicing the trekking industry.

Tomorrow we head for Laboche before reaching Base camp on Saturday.

To give you an idea of our routine. The day normally begins with a call of 'Wakey wakey' at the door and a lovely hot cup of tea provided by the fantastically good humoured and endlessly patient guide team. This is swiftly followed about 15 minutes later by the call of 'Washey Washey' at the door and the provision of a tiny aluminium bowl of hot water, which goes a suprisingly long way in the washing stakes. Breakfast is at 7 and before then our bags need to be packed and ready for loading on the 6 yaks (or rather 'dzopko' half yak/half cow as you don't see yaks below about 3,500m apparently) who transport our stuff to the next night's tea house.

Breakfast is usually porridge followed by some kind of egg - omlette, fried or boiled on toast. We start walking at about 7.45 with the call of 'Zim Zim' like 'Yalla Yalla' - time to go. The pace is steady, with plenty of rests and time to enjoy the stunning scenery around. Lunch is at 12, it's hot and filling and normally includes potatos, pakchoy and carrot mix and maybe something like noodles too. The food is actually delicious for both lunch and dinner. Garlic is plentiful and apparently very good for altitude. Before the invention of Diamox, roast garlic was the way to deal with it.

The afternoon walk is usually shorter and we arrive for tea and biscuits about 4pm. By about 8pm I'm bushed and happy to curl up and read somewhere quiet. The nights are cold and this is when you feel the altitude most. Sleep is intermittent for me and I usually wake in the morning like all the moisture in my body has been sucked out. Dry lips, mouth, throat, bit of a bloody nose. But after a cup of tea and a wash and half a litre of water I feel much better.

I can't upload any photos at the moment as connections are v, v slow but when I get back I'll hopefully have one or two to share with you.