DAY 6 Dole (4090m) to Machhermo (4410m) We woke to find out half our hostels inhabitants were staying in bed and the others groaning about aches and pains. It seems overnight we had turned into a hospital ward. The South African couple had the runs and so did the English guy. Tom was complaining about some chest pains through the night and was uncertain if he should keep pushing up higher. Everything should be in balance so on the other hand Kat and I had a great nights sleep and had never felt fitter! We had breakfast, the usual fried eggs and toast and left the South Africans being sick outside the back door and Tom and Emma lounging in the morning sun. We walked on towards Machhermo. The clouds rose up the valley and enveloped us, they were heavy and carried a cold wind that blew onto our backs. There was hardly any vegetation here, either it had been burnt as firewood or it couldn't grow this high up. It was another short climbing day and we got to our hostel within two hours of walking . We sat down for tea and read books about mountaineering expeditions. The book shops in Kathmandu have whole sections on this topic. Anything by Joe Simpson is recommended, he was the guy from 'Touching the void' fame and is an excellent author of climbing books. In the hostel I found a coffee table book on the geography of the Himalayas and pinched a few sentences from it. THE HIMALAYAS. The mountains stretch over 4000 kilometers from Afghanistan in the West to Myanmar in the East. It contains all 14 of the worlds highest mountains over 8000m. Himalaya is a combination of two Sanskrit words 'hima' (snow) and 'laya' (abode). The abode of snow collects moisture and creates the great rivers of Asia, the Ganges, Brahmaputra, Mekong and Yangtze. Its high mountains, deep valleys and extreme weather has kept its people of the Himalaya's nestled in clothes and houses that portray a rich cultural heritage, for thousands of years. Nepal seems exotic and distant to most people because it was a hidden kingdom to the world until it opened its borders after WWII. Not much more to say today, in two days we will reach the highest point we are walking to and the photo's are worth the wait. Cooper Out Love Dan & Kat