Dhanyabad

...meaning thank you in Nepali for all the comments and emails.

I am safe & sound & back in Kathmandu, having arrived safely from Lukla this morning. I really struggle to describe what this trip has been like other than to say it has been extraordinary. We've covered about 300km in the last month. We have had rain (someone forgot to tell the monsoon that it was supposed to end!), leeches, mud, snow, dust storms and hail storms. I have learnt quite a bit of Nepali over the last few weeks thanks to our guides and porters who are only too keen to share their language. I have been to 6000m now twice - and both times suffered terrible nausea as a result. We have spent so much time over 5000m (where there is only 47% of the oxygen available at sea level) that I've lost count. And on the 3 days when we needed it most, the mountain gods gave us the most perfect weather.

It has also been a trip tinged with sadness. As some of you know, a plane crash in Lukla - less than 24 hours after we flew in - killed a number of trekkers. We received the news when we were about a days walk out of Lukla. Shocking news. I couldn't help but think that it could easily have been us. And how excited and full of laughter and wonder and nerves and excitement they would have been. Fortunately we were able to get sufficient mobile reception to get teary messages through to our loved ones that we were ok (sorry for the teary voicemail message Matt). We also crossed a mountain pass that had claimed the lives of 3 porters in the previous 6 weeks (fortunately none of ours), including one who died from altitude sickness after crossing the pass the day before we did.

I have laughed. I have cried. I have seen the most extraordinary views. And I have shared it all with the most wonderful group of people - my fellow travellers and our porters and guides. And yes, I have summited my first two Himalayan peaks :-)

If you haven't already guessed, I am really struggling to find the words to describe this trip. I might leave this post for now and try to string some words together tomorrow before I fly for Cairo on Tuesday.