14th October 2016- From Kathmandu – Lukla
We departed the lodge at 5am to Kathmandu airport and took our 6.15 flight to Lukla. This was the most amazing flight ever, in a twin prop Dornier. There’s 10 in our group for the first mountain and then only five of us are aiming for all three. Three days ago there was an avalanche on Lobuche which killed a Sherpa, this is our second mountain.
We have been trekking up the Khumbu Valley for two days now and we’re in Namche Bazaar. We’re staying in lodges and the food is great. I even went to the Irish bar here and persuaded our guide to come too and he had Guinness. It cost 10 US dollars. The weathers been great and the trekking is good going, today was very steep. We’re staying here tomorrow night as well to acclimatise so I have wifi for two days. Yay. A shower costs 400 US dollars. Down time is spent practicing knots and there’s good banter in the group. Tomorrow we have a acclimatisation hike up high and then back down to sleep here before continuing on towards Everest base camp. So far all good. No headaches, appetite is great, feeling fit and well. Albeit moving quite slowly up here. We’re just above 11,000 feet (3445 metres) so if you go up too quickly you’re really out of breath. So we say “slowly slowly”
Highlight so far was definitely the plane. We got our first glimpse of Everest and the whole range was so stunningly white and beautiful poking high above the clouds, I could have cried. It was an emotional moment to see her. Ive thought about this mountain for many years. It it will take a series of steps to get there. Like we say, “slowly slowly’.
Views from the aeroplane 
Sorting out the luggage at Lukla. Which bags the people are carrying and which bags go on the yaks.
Me and my roomie, ‘Tee’ turning the prayer wheels.
Home sweet home, sleeping in the tea houses.
The white lettering is prayers etched into rock with great skill. These are very lucky rocks and we walk around them in a clockwise circle for good luck on the mountain. You must circle them an odd number of times.
The twin prop otter plane.
The yaks.