Trekking down from Namche Bazar
Monday 9th January 2006.
 Trek Day 7 Namche to Phakding, Nepal
 Wedding Anniversary
Today is January 9th and it is our 35th Wedding Anniversary. I am nearly half a world away from Corinne. From memory, this is the first time we have been apart for our anniversary. She has been much in my thoughts today. I spent a lot of time while walking today planning something special for her birthday and a belated anniversary celebration.
 Prayer Flags
As I walked along today I spent a lot of time in prayer for family and friends. There are many prayer flags spread all over the villages and nearby hillsides here in Nepal. We have no such reminders in Australia; perhaps we should be far more expressive of our faith in a visible way.
 Dusty Himalayas
I had a good night’s sleep until about 4am when I started coughing. This might be a result of all of the dust in this part of the mountains. The dirt on the tracks is powdery dry and even gentle walking raises clouds of dust. Yak trains cause quite a dust storm as they pass. Today I used a hanky to cover my mouth and nose. Rose slept in another room and one room removed from me. Consequently, she had a really good night’s sleep without my snoring. She is feeling much better for it today.
 Long Walk
Today we faced a long walk, from Namche down to Phakding. On the way up we did this stretch in two days. On the way down, however, we didn’t need to acclimatise. It also gets us at least two hours closer to Lukla meaning tomorrow will be a relatively short walk.
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