Phakding Hell!!

What a day and what a flight!!

With an early start, breakfast at 5-15am and a drive through a very quiet Kathmandu to the airport it was one of the moments of the trip we had waited for, the flight into Lukla- and it didnt disappoint! Taking off in the twin prop Otter plane the 16 of us onaboard along with the inflight attendent raced into the early morning sky above the city. The quite simply majestic peaks of the Himalaya around us kept people busy clicking away the cameras in an attempt to capture the moment, all but Olie who slept through it!!!

Then for the moment we had waited for, the landing. In the distance we could see the landing strip angling up the mountain side, a fews ooooohhhhsss, ooohhhhhss, and the ocasional NOOOOOOOOOO!!!! could be heard. The pilot dropped us down, we hit the deck and rolled up the tarmac to a chorus of cheers and applause from the team.

Meeting the others we sat for tea in the sun whilst our bags were packed up onto the Yaks and after a short brefing we got up and took our first steps towards Base Camp. We are not alone, the number of tourists is suprising with lines of ruck sacks and porters stretching out along the path. The porters are simply amazing, carrying massive loads, one guys carrying a 10x4 piece of wood on his back!

The trek has been simple today, downhill to Phakding, but the height and thin air stills leaves the uphill bits demanding and short of breath. We have plodded along at a very steady pace taking in all the sights, sounds and smells, including Kenny's farts, but whilst you still can you might as well do it with confidence and blame a passing yak!!

We got into the tea house around 1-30pm and had some great food, traditional Nepalise cheese toasties and chips!! Kelly has had her first good meal and we can hear about it now!! The rooms are great, simple but effective, clean and comfortable beds. Olie and JJ are however sharing a single bed, they were not to forthcoming to change it let it be said!

So day one of the trek over and done with, the whole team feels as though we are really here now and making strides, the 6000m peaks around us are sneered at by our porters who just laugh and call them hills, I wonder what they would think of Roseberry Topping???

Tomorrow has a longer day that takes us up to Namche Bazar, the market town and kind of capital of the Sherpa region. A couple of days acclimatising there before project and fingers crossed if the weather is good tomorrow will give us our first glimpse of Everest....

....so with that in mind we wish you all well at work, thanks for the ongoing support, for the team to read the messages really helps everyone and gives us all that little extra spring in our step (trust me we have lots of them to go!)

Photos will be on tomorrow, it is beer o'clock here so it is goodnight from me, and it is goodnight from him,

Matt, Kenny and the TEAM!