Longing for a zip wire in the Himalayas!

11 October 2018

Hello everyone from Najing, a very small village at 2,800m in the Himalayas.

It has been a great 24 hours. Our rest afternoon yesterday turned into a visit to a local monastery higher up in the mountains. It was destroyed in the Earthquake in 2015 and has been totally rebuilt. It was beautiful and we were privileged to be allowed inside. Through our guide, I spoke to a 92 year old woman who told me she looked after the monks and had done for 16 years. She loved having her photo taken but told me she looked too old! It was a very special moment to share.

Another treat was that our heavy duty sleeping bags arrived and so I was very warm last night!

Today, we have had a hard trekking day. This morning our guide pointed out where we would be staying tonight across the other side of the valley, at about the same altitude to help our acclimatisation. If we had a zip wire, it would have been a very easy day! Instead we trekked steeply uphill for 300 vertical metres, steeply downhill for 1,300 vertical metres and steeply uphill for 1,000 vertical metres! It took about eight hours. Along the way, we crossed another wobbly bridge and I am getting braver – I did half on my own this time. I also navigated all of the steep downhill sections without any help. So, I am feeling proud of myself!

We also, wonderfully, saw our first view of Mera Peak, which looked beautiful (it is the middle range below). It also looked a long way away and a long way up! I’m hoping that I manage to reach the summit over the next two weeks.

The Tea House we are staying at tonight is extremely basic. The rooms simply have a bed and nothing else. The main room has no light or heat tonight so we are trying to keep ourselves entertained with cards and music with our head torches for light!

I’m having a wonderful experience and feel very lucky to be supported by you all. I am getting increasingly nervous about what lies ahead but am just trying to take one day at a time. Thank you all so much for your support