Day 11: Lobuche

21 April 2007
Lobuche, 4940m, 2.10pm

Took 3 hours to get to Lobuche from Gorak Shep. The twists and turns over the moraine were not easy, but after a bit I found myself singing. I was right in the middle of the Himalaya, walking alone in a valley that led to Mount Everest, in glorious weather. The morning mist was dissipating and on my immediate left Nuptse once again materialised.

I also found myself thinking about my future. I would like to make a feature film in the Maldives and this was on my mind as I descended to Lobuche. I also thought about building a house, a rustic stone-walled one with windows all round it. I liked the inisde seating in the Sherpa kitchens I'd been in. I want the inside walls to be plastered but left uneven.

When I got to Lobuche, I decided not to have the customary nap but to sit outside in the sun and stare at Nuptse and the people arriving here on their way to Kala Pattar. But even in the sun it was pretty cold. Later on the sun disappeared and I had to go in and get my down jakcket. I'm now in the kitchen but it's freezing in here.