Cross the second major ridge feature then descend into the fertile and increasingly populated Hongu valley. It is generally an easy and very interesting days trekking.

Leaving Najingdingma, cross a small stream then make a sharp climb to reach Surkie La, also known as Sipki La (3085m), a notch in the ridge above Najingdingma in about 45 minutes. This rocky and sometimes muddy climb can be slippery at times. From the pass itself it is worthwhile making another small climb up to a path to a lookout that offers a panoramic view of the backside of the very peaks you have been admiring from Khumbu. Panch Pokhari, meaning Five Lakes, lies two days walk further north along the ridgeline.

After the viewpoint re-join the main trail and descend from the pass bearing right. The path winds through spots of thick forest into the Hongu Valley. Bears are known to wander the Upper Hongu - note that Nepal's bears do not hibernate during winter, however you would be very lucky to see one at any time of year. In 1992, a fire thought to have started in Najingdingma destroyed a huge area of forest in the Upper Hongu. From here it may also be possible to take a more nor-easterly diversion via the village of Cheskam and then onwards to Bung or Gudel via another village named Tumong, however at the time of writing I am a little unsure of the exact logistics. The trail junction is a short distance below the pass - turn left for Cheskam and right for the direct trail to Bung as described. Apparently there is a very basic lodge and a small Rai museum in Cheskam, with the locals keen to get onto the trekking map. The people of the Upper Hongu are for the most part of Rai ethnicity.

Pass a series of ancient mani prayer walls and at a large stupa on a spur look down valley to see Boksom Gompa nestled within a ring of tall trees a short distance below. Take the downhill path to a small lodge, then make a detour off the main trail to visit the gompa itself (also known as Chambaling Gompa). In 2001 the gompa seemed all but deserted but may have undergone some recent refurbishment. It's an impressive and peaceful spot, completely surrounded by a ring of mani stones and now mature junipers. The trees were originally imported as saplings from Darjeeling, in India. Reach the gompa about 2 hours from the pass

If you can pull yourself away from Boksom Gompa head further gently downhill through Upper Kiraule. This very fertile valley soon resembles a huge sculpted rock garden with a scattering of Rai houses here and there. There are a couple of options to take through Kiraule (2400m) and Lenji Kharka: from the gompa either return to the main path, or take an alternative route to the left through the school yard following the general slope of the valley and passing numerous hamlets.

It's another few hours walk before reaching Bung, a typically large Rai village tumbling down a steep hillside and covering an elevation range of perhaps 500m from top to bottom. In fact Bung is the largest village in the area. In upper Bung (1800m) they grow millet, yet in down in lower Bung (1420m) they grow bananas and other tropical delights. Follow a trail through a gully into Bung and head downhill. There are some shops and lodges in middle Bung and another lodge or two further below in lower Bung. Curiously, I noticed that the only two more solid Sherpa-style buildings, possibly ex-hotels, where nothing but shells having been recently gutted by fire. You can see the village of Gudel high above on the ridge opposite. At first sight the climb to Gudel will may you consider retracing your steps to Lukla so you may like to stop in Bung stop for the night and tackle the climb in the morning. I gather you are supposed to show your Makalu/Barun park entry permit in middle Bung, however I was neither in possession of, nor was I ever asked to present one - the authorities having long since vacated this area of East Nepal to Maobadi (Maoist) influence.

You might have the pleasure to experience the resourceful Rai pig toilet during your stay here - a long-drop hanging precariously over the awaiting pigs in the pen below. Also you might to try some tongba, a brew common to most of eastern Nepal, being made from fermented millet, perhaps served in a brassware vessel and sipped through a filtered bamboo straw. I can vouch that some very strange insects dwell down in lower Bung, which can feel a little like the very bottom of the world in the evening as the light goes and the cloud comes in.

From Bung it is also possible to make a route southwest to the airstrip at Phaphlu via Sothang