I know I've been more exhausted than I am now but I can't quite remember when.

This morning we woke a bit after 5am. Not surprising considering we went to bed before 8pm after a dinner that resembled prison food, and tasted like fire (not in the good smokey way). Damo reminds me that mountain food is sustenance and as long as it is edible, that's enough. I disagree, but anyway, I digress.

It poured down rain all night last night and was raining heavily this morning. We laid cozy in our sleeping bags and watched the Trekkers get going at 630, laughing that our independence allowed us to avoid the rain. Well Mother Nature had the last laugh (read below). After another grey prison meal of oatmeal we set off around 830, no rain to be seen.

We hiked and hiked and hiked. The first three hours was relatively flat which made me nervous knowing we had over 800 meters to climb today. After lunch (another veg thali and some fried potatoes, was average) we started the climb. For about FOUR hours we slowly ascended switchback after switchback and stair after stair. I kept a positive attitude the first two hours, especially seeing some of the Sherpas going by carrying over 100lb on their back. But after two hours it got really cold and started raining. I felt really nauseated, exhausted and light headed. I did my best not to be a whinger and I did well till I practically yelled at Damo for going so far ahead of me (which he wasn't of course). He put me in my place and told me to not expend so much energy on worrying about what he was doing and to focus on putting one foot in front of the other, which I did. In all honesty though he was so supportive all day and I was grateful to have him by my side.

At one point during the day we were stopped by a solo Frenchman who gave us a card of a hotel he recommended. He said he stayed there a few days and was pleased with how clean and affordable it was. We thanked him and when we arrived in the busy village of Namche, full of dozens of tea houses, we were grateful to know where to go. We excitedly hiked UP another 30 minutes as this house was on the opposite end of town, ready to put our pack down and put on dry clothes. Only surely he was mistaken. This place he recommended had only a outhouse squat toilet (most tea houses have an actual toilet) and you had to go outside and upstairs to the kitchen. And it was $2 a night...outrageously expensive. Damo (of course) was fine with staying there but I objected. The thought of having to put my yak s*** covered boots on (and take my warm fleece booties off) to go eat or pee, was enough to continue searching.

And we found the jackpot! This place is $3 a day, and has a HEATER in the dining room! There is wifi (at a cost of $5/day), hot showers ($4) and get this: they gave us hot towels to clean our hands and face while waiting for dinner. I'm in heaven. My nausea wore off when the food arrived and we ate our dhal baat and veg momos ravenously.

Funny how happy the little things make me.

Tomorrow is an acclimitisation day which means we don't go anywhere! Can't wait to sleep in, walk around the village, read, and sit by the heater. And most importantly I can't wait to not have to pick up the stinking pack for 24 hours!!!