I am woken by the snorting and stamping of yaks, and can't get back to sleep for fear of getting trodden on by a ton of bovine flab.

Alan and Antoine climb above the town to look at the waterfalls and strange rock formations, and the rest of us take a lazy rest day, playing cards and backgammon and reading.

Pasang has produced from the luggage eight sets of full waterproofs for the porters. These are bright sewerage-worker yellow, and are an instant hit. Many of the porters won't take them off until the end of the trek.

Pasang makes a visit to a lama at the monestry to see if our trip will be a successful one. The news is good, and comes with a free weather forcast - bad for a few days then fine.

Tom has contracted a stomach bug yet again, setting some sort of record.