Paiyu - Chheplung (2680m asl)
Day 7. 9.12.22

Another 8 hour day of walking including lunch break and rest stops but we are all feeling fitter and our legs stronger. Many mule trains now coming in both directions. The first leg to the riverside village of Surke was a hard slog down a rocky path, thick in mule shit and mud, slippery and loose. My strained left quad was giving me a lot of grief and I long for a rest day in Namche Bazaar. After a pleasant lunch stop in Surke, having taken 3 1/2 hours to get there, we had a better going of it to reach Chaurikharka and Chheplung a little further on. We passed Lukla and could see the small planes come in for their death defying landing. Still, we seem to be only trekkers in the whole hamlet. TV and wifi means we can watch Croatia vs Brazil tonight if we are willing to forgo some much needed sleep. It's currently 9*C inside our lodge at 6pm and outside must be colder still. Before the sun hits us in the morning it is particularly cold but there is no need for our down jackets just yet though Mia wears hers with relish.
Our aim is to get to Monjo at 2835m tomorrow so that the last leg to Namche Bazaar will be mercifully short but there will be significant climbing to get there.