4/6/06 . . . It's Friday morning, 4/7/06. Plan B is evolving. I just talked to Doug from Namche Bazaar. It appears his luggage may well be lost for good. Surprisingly enough, there is quite a variety of gear available in the mountains. I'll go to the airport one last time, then quickly confer with Doug if his luggage doesn't arrive today. He'll buy all that he can there, then I will have to try to get the local equipment shop here to sneak me in the back door and finish the packing list. If all goes well, I'll be on a plane early tomorrow for Lukla and it's crazy sloped runway. In an hour or so, I'll be whisked through the city streets in a car specially marked "tourist only" headed once again to the sandbagged, machine gun guarded airport. Yesterday's ride was hair raising. Our drivers seem to have a sense of urgency as we ducked and dodged cows, dogs, children, bicycles and certain neighborhoods at a pace seen only in the U.S. by crack dealers fleeing from police. Admittedly, there's some excitement to it (don't worry mom!).