Noel's eyes have not improved during the first night at BC. Team Doctor Andrey has explained that very likely blood vessels have burst around the inners of Noels eyes, causing blood to leak into the eye which makes it impossible to focus.
He has prescribed Diamox, which is a diuretic originally developed to treat glaucoma and is commonly used to prevent and treat altitude disease as well. It should drain the pressure and we will have to wait what the next few days will bring us: improvement and possible continuation of Noel's climb, or or descent for further treatment or even leaving the expedition...
The Tibethan kitchen helpers are doubling as washing machines today and many climbers smell as new. The first beards are flying through the air and the optical age of the team goes down with decades per minute.
Meanwhile Jamie nearly killed himself in the sauna by slipping on the wet floor covers, but fortunately it takes a lot of water and soap to clean out the Wilde American and he got out lightly bruised only

The lunch is incredible again, not only is the delicious soup accompanied by warm cinnamon rolls, but we get watermelon slices for dessert.
All of this is only the entrée for what is awaiting us tonight. Yuri is celebrating his 50th birthday here at Everest BC, and the party will be remembered. Karo has sent off one of the locals to get a bunch of chickens yesterday and spent most of the day marinating them. The cooks have gone wild and serve not only great coleslaws and potatoe/carrot curry, but also delicious onion/garlic mix for the chicken and top it off with a real birthday cake.
Yuri about to cut the birthday cakeNate, John, Marco, Victor and Sascha have returned today, so only Alex, Dimitri, Andrey, Lorenzo and Robert are missing at the party. Meanwhile nearly everybody at the table has toasted on Yuri's health, translated in English and Russian by Karo & Igor and accompanied by red wine and old Russian Bard music.
Whatever happens on Everest, this is one night we will not lightly forget...
Song of the day:
Anything by Vladimir Visotsky