I decide to stay outside for a bit and have a smoke. “Namaste”, a tall Australian trekker with a large red beard sits down next to me and starts to roll himself a cigarette. Smokers, alone in this world of fitness-conscious trekkers and strictly-no-smoking dining halls, we immediately bond. We don’t ask each other our names, so in my mind I keep referring to him as The Man with the Red Beard, Redbeard for short, although there is nothing buccaneer-like about his soft voice, his kind, twinkling eyes and his genuinely gentle demeanour. He is from Adelaide, on a 20-day trip to Nepal with some friends, after which he is flying to India for a week. Right now, they are on their way to Gokyo, like us, after which they plan to continue to Everest Base Camp. “It all depends on how we feel up there, I am not into goals, you know”, he tells me, “I am happy to see the mountains from a distance, I am just happy to be here. At peace.” We have a long conversation, chatting about many things, from Nepali politics to cricket and George W Bush.
Later, Kajori and I walk down to the Sagarmatha National Park Entrance and pay our park permit fee in advance.