As we were amongst the few people (if not the only ones) to climb the Island Peak twice, we were left with only two days to walk down the whole valley vs. four days originally scheduled. The way down was less of a challenge though. After having spent more than a week on 5,000m, we could feel how our bodies were gaining strength with every meter going down. Following a 9h hike and the last views on Mount Everest & Co, we arrived back in Namche Bazar (3,440m). This meant mineral water for one dollar only (in Chukhung and other villages high up, prices were up to USD 3.5 per liter) and more importantly high speed wi-fi. Since we were on the way back, it also meant that we could shower again (but who needs it after two weeks anyway?) and we could also extend our (risk) appetite for meals other than rice and potatoes (but not to be misunderstood, in fact, the various rice and potato dishes were really tasty over the two weeks and they gave us the necessary strength). As a matter of fact, we ran into our Italian friends again and they were more than glad to hear that we summited the peak too.

The last day we had a final hike of 7h to Lukla, our starting point, from where we would take a plane back to Kathmandu. Our accommodation in Lukla was an Austrian/Nepali joint venture and guess what, they had Wiener Schnitzel and Kaiserschmaarn for dinner. Even though the Schnitzel was everything else but a Schnitzel and they ran out of Kaiserschmaarn, our first meaty dinner for more than 2 weeks was still a success. Following dinner, we would have a little leaving party with all guides and porters including exotic dancing sessions to local music. That night we went really wild and stayed up until 10.30pm before going to bed (our previous daily routine in the mountains was 8-9pm the latest…).

Back in Kathmandu, we had two days left for sightseeing. Kathmandu itself is a huge city that may appear very chaotic but like other Asian cities has a lot of vibe to offer. Streets are full of people (and bigger animals like cows) on feet or in different types of vehicles moving around like ants in all different directions. It was impressive to watch the driving skills of Nepali people safely navigating through the traffic. In many places you can still see evidence of the earthquake, most public places, palaces and squares were at least partially damaged or destroyed. Not to mention the number of private houses. Unfortunately, a lot of international help did not properly arrive to the people and many were and are left on their own to cope with their situation. Therefore, it was really great to have met a German couple in our host’s home that came to Nepal to support a local school for impoverished children.

After all these adventures and impressions, it was time to say good bye to everyone. At this point, we would like to especially thank the following people that have made this trip so special:

- Yangi and Sonam for hosting us in their home, showing us around, perfectly organizing and arranging the entire trip, being always so helpful and kind and being just great people!

- Sonam and Nymaa, our guide and porter that were accompanying us for more than two weeks, helping us in all difficult situations and believing in us (maybe not at the beginning) and our second attempt to summit the Island Peak

-The Italian group for their company and Italian sausage in the base camp

-The assistant in the Chukhung lodge who provided us with wifi, popcorn and electricity for charging for free

Thanks to all these people (and many more), we had a very special time in Nepal which we will never forget. It is a great country with great people and we sincerely hope that many of you will be also able to visit it one day to experience the generosity and hospitality of the people there.

Final lessons learned:

- it remains ok not to shower for more than several days

- however, the issue with the socks is becoming bigger with every day passed

- market economics work at any altitude: demand elasticity for water is bigger than for wifi as everywhere else

- in fact there are Austrians that leave their country / Hobbit land and travel abroad

- Polish people may have small mountains but their love for them and desire to travel is the strongest. Great to have met so many of them

- Italians always eat in-style in any situation

The trip is now over and we are very happy to have been successful at summiting the peak but our second and more important challenge remains – our target of USD 3,500 and we want to be successful there too. We will continue with our fundraising until we reach this goal as the Children’s Hospice in Georgia is an important cause to us. Reaching the goal will mean doubling of the funds thanks to EBRD which would be great news for the hospice. We hope that you will support us in our efforts and together and with the help of EBRD we will be able to make a significant contribution to the lives of these children.

K & S