We have arrived at Lobuche at about 16,000 square feet. Terri and I decided to stay in the teahouse tonight instead of the tent. There are these little teahouses all through the Khumbu region which cater primarily to trekkers who do not want to worry with tents, food and such. Most are pretty primitive. No indoor plumbing or heat except a yak dung fired stove in the middle of the dining area. We are well above the tree line here so the heating product of choice is dried yak dung. This is not much different from what some of our ancestors did on the Great Plains – except it was buffalo patties they burned. You still need to bring a sleeping bag and headlight. Most of the facilities are outside although this place has a “night toilet” – bring your own paper. They did offer a hot shower for about 400 rupees or $6.00. Pretty pricey when you consider this is the most expensive place in the Khumbu and it was $18 per night. The food was good and it was nice to sleep in a bed even if it was in a sleeping bag and well below freezing. I thought this was probably the highest lodge in the world but I have been told there is one at Gorak Shep our last stop at about 17,000. However I was told that it closes for the winter and is not a very desirable place to stay. We continue to experience the normal altitude and acclimatization issues. The most irritating is the sleep disruption. Very few people can do much more than cat naps until becoming acclimatized. Some of the problem is because of the cold you typically head for your bag shortly after sunset. With close to 11 hours of darkness it can become very boring very quickly. I usually read using my headlamp until my hands get to cold. Then I will sometimes listen to my books on tape. The dry air means that I typically use some form of mask or bandana over my mouth and nose to slow down the drying out process. A hard candy can help but I worry I will choke on it, which is probably the least of my problems. It is the little tricks that make life bearable.