And he's off again...

I spent the latter part of the week recuperating from the excesses of Don’s visit and the privations of my trek. I met up with Anna several times and we treated ourselves to coffee, cheesecake and all kinds of other delights as I felt my body trying to rebuild itself after the punishment I’d inflicted on the trek. Smadar and Michael, by chance, came back from Pokhara on the same bus and, as Anna and I were walking back to the hotel on the Friday afternoon, we bumped into Michael who’d just dropped Smadar off. She was as keen as me to enjoy the benefits of civilisation now that we were back amongst Thamel’s relative wealth of good restaurants. She suggested a visit to the Everest Steak House and, when I heard that they sold real beef (and not buffalo – a rarity in this predominantly Hindu nation), I couldn’t agree quick enough.
The four of us arrived with purely carnivorous intent and it didn’t take me long to spot the temptation of chateaubriand on the menu. It claimed to be a dish suitable for three persons and, having not eaten at the ESH before, I assumed that this would be a slight exaggeration. Michael was taken by the idea of the chateaubriand too and we agreed that I would take 2/3 and he would take 1/3 – at 1000NRs it was exceptionally good value (less than 10 quid – never seen it for less than forty at home) and we didn’t want to pass the opportunity by. Of course, when this entire fillet of beef came out, we immediately realised that we might have bitten off more than we could chew. My appetite has rarely been so sorely tested and I have to admit that I barely ate a dozen of the potato field of fries that came with it – let alone the bloody vegetables. Michael wasn’t the best of help in the meat-devouring department but, to give him credit, he managed to consume just enough that a little over 30 minutes later, I was able to cram the last forkful triumphantly into my tired mouth and swallow. My jaw ached from the continual mastication and my stomach swayed dangerously like that of a lion after feasting on its kill. There certainly wasn’t much room for anything like beer and, consequently, at Tom & Jerry’s that evening I swept all-comers majestically before me on the green baize.
Saturday was a quiet affair as I spent much of the day catching up on correspondence after almost two weeks without decent e-mail access. In the evening, Smadar and I went for a very pleasant Japanese meal before meeting up with Anna and Edd for a few quiet ones at T&J’s. Both Anna and I had to make an early night of it – she had to be up even earlier than me to go rafting and I had to pack my bag and get a good night’s rest before heading off to the airport for my flight to Lukla and the start of my trek to Everest Base Camp.