Askole to Jula and onwards to Paya.

5.30am seen an early rise for the team as temperatures that day were to sore high and to avoid exposure to the blistering sun we set off early for our next destination Jula set further up the valley approx 20kms. A common thread of an upset tummy ran through some team members which is not uncommon on expedition with water sources from outside streams and food cooked and stored in ambient condition under this intense heat must lead to issues ,boasting perviously that week that “I’d a stomach like a mule”, man but now i was eating humble pie and the pain in my guts was dreadful. With zero sleep and the thought of breakfast churning my already upside down tummy, away we went, with a pocket full of Zantac off course. That evening after all was set up I headed straight to my sleeping bag as previous experience taught to starve the problem out of my gut. 6.30pm I conked out, awaking at 5am and fresh as a daisy. Still afraid to eat i chose to trek on an empty stomach with some snacks to back up the energy level needed. Jula to Paya was again 20kms trek onwards to K2 base camp that now stood at a further 5 days away by foot. The landscape today was mixed with times walking on the edge of the dry season water bed predominately sand and stone. Delighted that my snacks stayed down and energy levels felt great. Paya again was just a location river side based making it easy for a wash. Dinner tonight was fresh Goat. I could see a crowd of porters and Sherpa gathered around and just in front of me was the slaughter of tonight’s dinner , totally natural and done in the best dignity. Watching on with amazement the goat was bleed dry and with respect to the goat the butchers marked each other’s heads with the goats blood. They proceed to scape the hair from the skin and finish with singeing the remainder of unwanted hair. Dinner that night was strange one side of me saying awhhhhhh and the other saying well be a total shame and rude not to, if my stomach ever needed testing now was it. It was beautiful cooked up with veg and pasta,” just what the doctor ordered”. Hydration is a priority tonight as we’re now moving up in altitude and fluid is a real must to cope with change in heights,”standard practice in mountaineering”. It’s now 8.40pm here as we’re 4 hours ahead of Ireland, the night is still sky is clear. Life on expedition is so removed from life back home. It’s hard to explain at times and it’s hard for some to understand that question Why !!!!!! But then who are we to judge. From under a fully loaded star filled sky, Jason.