Prayer monuments and engraved prayer tablets are now a frequent sight as we descend past Dingboche down the Dudh Koshi River Valley towards Namche Bazaar.

Ama Dablam resumes its familiar elegant form as we pass it and now view it from the south again.

The valley walls are dotted with waterfalls, and the increased vegetation marks our descent into warmer elevations.

Snow-covered peaks still surround us and remind us of the terrain we only recently left behind. The Thyangboche Monastery sits proudly on a ridge just down the valley.

The river-carved portion of this valley forces the trail from one side to the other when the faces become too steep, and these hanging suspension bridges become a very familiar sight.

The steepness of these valley walls defy all development except for the precarious foot trails that wind along the faces, visible on the right.

The suspended bridges seem like major feats of engineering...

... considering the amount of material that had to be brought in on foot.

The washed out lower bridge makes us wonder what it took to bring it down... high water? ...one ounce too much weight? ...one step too many on weathered cables? Gulp!