Heading to Lobuje (Wednesday)

Yesterday was a bit of a bad day, got sick half way through the trek, but the team helped me along. We're a team of 15 (12 members and 3 leaders) and it's feeling it now. Yes we have one who is having some trouble integrating (not me), but we are trying to help each other.

A suggestion was made by our lead guide that he would "promote" one of the porters to assistant guide for a few days, which would mean the member who is being difficult would be able to run at their speed (much faster than the group). We weren't particularly happy with that, given the member would be effectively getting a personal guide, and that guide would be one of our original 3.

But when we realised that the "promotion" of the porter would be at the expense of the other porters who would be having to carry an extra bag, "sharing" the weight, we really weren't happy. Really really weren't happy.

As a group (all 11 of us were there, the 12th was in bed) we refused the option and said we stick together, as is, with fair loading, or the change that is made is not at the expense of any of the porters or leaders.

Holli and I, on hearing the idea of the porters being overloaded, immediately started making plans to carry a lot more of our stuff in our day pack.

We are a team, 15 or 14, but a team.

(We have 6 porters but we generally don't see them, they take the duffles, head off ahead, put them at the accomodation and do their own thing, I'm not saying they aren't part of the team - they are, as witnessed by our refusal to have them carry too much - but there isn't the interaction required)