Walking amongst giants

8 days into my 20-day trek, and my first case of stomach bug (in Nepal) has bought me time for a blog :/

Walking in the Khumba is like walking amongst the gods. Everywhere there are beautiful, massive peaks with formidable summits, it's incredible. I've already seen the tallest and 4th tallest mountains on the planet, and standing at 5000m right next to Lhotse it doesn't seem that high (though climbable is another matter). l still haven't found a proper route up Ama Dablam. 

I've been walking a majority of the time with 2 Americans, Sashi and William. We are a motley crew, with tons of bad jokes.

A few days ago I saw an award-winning movie about sherpas on Everest while it rained in namche. In the movie, the sherpas refer to Everest as mother, as the mountain provides their livelihood (gives them life). As they climb, they ask their mother to "love them". This humility in the mountains is easy to understand normally, and especially in the cold and high-altitude Khumba. This film is excellent.

I visited island peak base camp and the bloated glacial lake Ima Tsoa. The lake has grown rapidly due to recent glacial retreat, and looking down from high on the morraine inspired the same awe and dread as looking into a volcano. It's a deadly beauty.

Pics include travel pals, views from the trail, and my upset-tummy spirits after pb-honey pancake and hot tang!