Laptop charged...some pics from last two days!

As my post below indicates I'm now back in Dingboche, on my way to EBC tomorrow.  I'm staying at Tsewang cousin's Tea House and I ran into a friend of Mike Hamill (Anders and my lead guide on Elbrus (Russia) and Vinson (Antartica) and she let me use her laptop charger, so I thought I'd post a couple pics from the last two days:

This is yesterday morning in Gokyo when we awoke to brilliant skies and a fresh coat of white paint on everything:

Looking North, mighty Cho Oyo lorded over the valley:

Tsewang, decked in his sweaties and Nikes, leads the way on our long walk down to Phortse:

I blew the framing and focal length of this pic--one of the downsides of literally shooting from the hip as opposed to composing my photos as I walk--but I think it gives you a sense how incredible the scene was on this morning...serene and quiet and of such beauty!

Nothing but an empty trail for 11+ miles in front of Tsewang and I:

Yes, this is a big cliff to our left but if Tsewang can do it in tennis shoes, then its not really that tough:

Arriving in Phortse we are greeted by a day or two old Yak and her Mom:

This morning, Tsewang's cousin, his aunt (our as he calls her, his "big mother"), and his uncle.  His uncle was an amazing climbing sherpa on Everest and now works closely with Conrad Anker on the Khumbu climbing school for sherpas.  The new headquarters in being built next door on land that Tsewang's uncle donated.  Tsewang's uncle calls Conrad the "Big Boss":

This is what the living quarters of a Tea House looks like.  It's essentially their home.  Note the stove in the center, which is used to burn Yak dung at night.  Last night we all sat around it and Tsewang's uncle told us old stories about climbing Everest.  I also talked a lot to a fellow named Brendan who is an American who has been in Phortse for 15 months (and will stay for two more years) who is helping Conrad build the climbing school's new HQ.  He essentially lives in this Tea House:

This morning climbing up through the mist and rain:

Looking across the valley to the Tengboche, where we had tea with Tinley and paid tribute to Brent's dad so many days before: