What do you think about Van Morrison singing Snow in San Anselmo and the Waterboys singing Sweet Thing? Both written by Van the Man. Can’t you say? Speak up boy!

I’ve never heard them sir.

Hold out your hand! What do you think now boy?

Best music one can buy sir.

Nepal is visible, through my aeroplane window, down by the pylons. By the pylons. Thanks iVan.

Here I am. The only living boy in Kathmandu.

And my sister gave me a present!

And David is here!

And the shops are small and diverse.

But today was just orientation and tomorrow is a flight on a smallish plane to Lukla, or a helicopter if the weather is bad. We’re doing a reasonably hard walking route up to Everest Base Camp and then out into the wild a bit over three high passes. We’re in good spirits and ok for it. We will be out there for 3 weeks.

Anyway if this bloke is a Buddhist monk how come he doesn’t know that he doesn’t need an umbrella? Where has omniscience gone?

Let’s pray that we are ok?

This town is great despite the pressures, traffic and goods sellers, illusion dwellers. Oh Lord, why have you forsaken me?

I haven’t my boy. I’m here. I left in love, in laughter, and in truth, and wherever truth, love and laughter abide, I am there in spirit.

Thank you Lord. Be with David and I tomorrow.

I shall. Night night.

Kathmandu do do, push pineapple grind coffee. Not exact but it will do do do…………oh dear. It’s not a good start but I’m In Abu Dhabi airport and I’m a bit tired. It’s 11pm and my connecting flight to Kathmandu do do – doesn’t go till half past three. Half past 8 tomorrow morning actually but that doesn’t rhyme or scan with the song song song. Nine hours to wait.

This is where we are going. Brilliant innit? And the low land coming across from the left is an ancient glacier.

This is a tough trek, right tough. It will take us three weeks, and if we survive the internal flight from Kathmandu, do do, to Lukla then we will be walking at a high altitude for most days. Problem is gasping for breath during the day when you’re trekking, and when you wake up in the middle of the night you think you’re drowning due to the lack of oxygen. Gasping like a fat, old, gasping Gasper. Anyway let’s think positive. Global warming. Nuclear holocaust. Psychopath breaking into your house at night and stabbing you 37 times.

It’s not as if we haven’t trained. Senor Kilby has trained well and I’ve done ok. We did the Yorkshire Three Peaks a while ago together and David did very well. In fact I held him back a lot.

It was a long day but we did it and David was kind, waiting for me when my chest was gasping for air in the long ascents.

The picture below was us on the third peak, Ingleborough, with the Irish Sea behind us in the distance.

The flight today over to Abu Dhabi was great. I’m meeting David in Kathmandu so I was on my tod but I love flying – although it’s frowned on by some folk due to the environmental impact, and I’m sure that we will witness first hand the effect on Nepal. Particularly the glaciers that we will be climbing over. They is shrinking fast, sadly. This shot below is from the plane from eastern Turkey over to a mountain in northern Iran. The small crest of snow, which is barely visible, would have covered much more of the peak a few years ago.

Anyway I’m just touching base with you, my friends, my family and those who might stumble across this post on the internet. Any contact is good contact, and I took what I could get – thanks BT Overdrive.

I will blog when I’m in Kathmandu, do, do – it’s such a brilliant and ancient place. But shambolic and riotous at the same time. My kind of wonderful, that’s what you are – thanks Barry.

Night night.