Ghat: 2578 m
Lukla: 2850 m
Distance: 5.5 km (108.7 km total)
We had a sleep-in today; our official wake-up call (with tea) wasn’t until 7:00. Unfortunately nobody thought to tell the local dogs, who all set one another off at about 6:15. We joked it was a dog message from Namche which had taken an hour to reach here.
Raewyn and I had decided yesterday afternoon to give extra tips to the three Sherpa guides: Luk, Dilip and Sham. Luk and Dilip were bringing the tea around so we gave them theirs then. As we were heading to breakfast we spotted Sham and went to say thank you and give him his tip. Initially he declined it and backed away from us almost in horror. I said, ‘It would make us very sad if you did’t take it,’ so he finally accepted but was nearly in tears. This was his first trek as a guide, so I can understand him feeling a bit awkward and not used to it. (It was quite sobering for us, because what we gave him really wasn’t very much for us – just goes to show how much of a difference just a small amount makes to them I guess.)
After breakfast we had group photos of the staff and then everyone. Then we hit the trail for our final walk back to Lukla.
It was also the final walk for my boots. They were not in the greatest state to begin with; they had split on the inside of the right one on their last tramp (Heaphy), but I decided to take them after my #2 boots proved to cause bruising on my shins due to the tongue being quite hard. I bodged the split up with silicone sealant, but over the last few days of the trek it opened up again, and another three developed. I was planning on donating them but given the state of them I doubt anyone would have wanted them, so ended up just leaving them behind in Lukla. We were also planning on donating some of our clothes, so Rishi said he would make that happen.
Again we had good weather and since we were covering ground we had already travelled, I didn’t take a lot of photos. It was interesting looking across the valley to the villages perched on the hillside that had fascinated us so much on the first day; they now looked quite commonplace and normal.
We arrived at the lodge about 11:30 and had lunch about an hour later. While we were having a wash (in our en suite bathroom!) Rishi came to tell us that the Sherpa guides were leaving soon and wanted to divvy up the clothes between them. Adam, one of the Poms, was also donating a pair of boots. Rishi divided the clothes into two piles and put the boots separate, then put a playing card face up on each pile. Then he put three matching cards face down on the floor, and called the guides in to choose a card and claim their pile. We appreciated the way this was done – fairly, and only in the presence of the people involved.
After that we had time for a leisurely wander around Lukla. Dinner was a bit more involved, including a celebratory cake.
Next day
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