Yahoo!!!

We actually made it out today. It was a glorious flight and not quite as hair-raising as the You-Tube video suggests. We stopped for tea in a beautiful little teahouse in Lukla while our porters Indra and Gurkha went to retrieve their gear and then we headed out for a leisurely (and easy)hike downhill to Phakding. So far, the trail reminds us of the Annapurna trek - winding pathways passing through tiny villages of stone buildings with bright blue trim, women drying corn on roofs or on the ground, and porters weighted down with huge cargos of anything from a satellite dishes to chickens to trekkers gear. Instead of goats and cows, today we were accompanied by pack animals that looked like small yaks but were actually a cross between a yak and a cow.
We are staying in a guesthouse tonight with our own private bathroom with a western toilet and possibly hot water. Life is good.
Tomorrow will be one of our toughest days as we have a 6 or 7 hour hike ending with the equivalent of a Grouse Grind at the end at 3450 metres. Our word for the day will be 'bistari' (slowly)
Namaste until tomorrow.