Friday 30th March 2018 - Day 4

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We left Khumjung after our normal 8am breakfast, heading for Phortse. Before we left we had to wave goodbye to Adrian who was being choppered to hospital in Kathmandu. Writing this on Easter Sunday in Pheriche, we have heard Adrian has decided not to return to the trek, he's sunning his ass by the pool at the Hyatt, Kathmandu after being released from hospital! Which is a great shame, and everyone is gutted he's not returning. It's understandable, as you need every ounce of will power and physical energy to cope with what this throws at you......no one said it would be easy, and guess what, it's not!

The married couple from the US are returning to the states and aren't rejoining either, both were suffering from altitude sickness so was the right thing to do. And the Kiwi from the satellite group has returned to NZ today also.

Waking up early Friday morning to thunder, lightning, hail and snow, I wondered if we'd leave for Phortse. Things change quickly in the mountains, by 8am it was blue skies and sunshine.

It was good to see the yaks being loaded, they are the crucial form of transport in these parts.

The trek to Phortse was probably my favourite so far, hiking up hills and down valleys, gaining altitude then rapidly losing it.

A welcome tea break was taken at a tea-house mid morning at around 3900 metres, after this climb, we started descending to cross the river, having a little rest at the crossing before doing so.

It was quite a trek, around 4 hours, the worst part being arriving at Phortse village, thinking we'd finished, only for the lodge to be nearly at the top of the village! As we wound our way through the drystone garden walls, four tiny children pestered us, shouting chocolate, chocolate, grabbing at our bags and generally being little buggers! I nearly gave them some sweets, until I was reminded that without dentists in the region, bad teeth really are a problem. Kurt gave them an apple, they didn't look impressed!

Some of the other ladies in the trek had the forethought to bring crayons, colouring books and small toys, to hand out to the children.

Our hostel in Phortse was again a Tashi Friendship concern, run by one of Phurba Tashi Sherpa's sisters. It as very similar to the one we left in Khumjung.

My headache had finally lifted completely, but sleep was still evading me. Two of the ladies had had decidedly dodgy bottoms since Khumjung, so had to hike feeling somewhat under the weather. My bottom was not good either, it had me giggling my way along the trek due to the explosive trumps I was doing....luckily enough none of them ended in disaster!