Today, we woke up to a calm clear morning and began the trek to Doban Kharka. We took a short detour to see the Hot Springs (Tatopani) less than an hour from Bagara, then continued up and down steep lush muddy slopes (with leeches) to Lipsiba where we stopped for tea. We enjoyed the shade of the small shack as we watched the water buffalo graze on the stinging nettle, amazed that they were able to tolerate it. It began to drizzle lightly as we approached Doban, but we enjoyed the cooler temperatures so the rain didn’t bother us. We arrived and took shelter in the small teahouse while our cook prepared lunch and tea. We again waited anxiously for the porters to arrive and were finally able to relax once they did. We set up our camp, washed off in the river, and had dinner in the fading twilight. Tomorrow, we will trek from Doban to Italian Base Camp (12,008ft/3660m).