Total Distance: 8km
Duration: Approximately 3hrs
Hello everyone! It’s been a while since I wrote the “Preparationfor EBC in Kathmandu” and since then it seemed next to impossible to bring you
all up-to-date with my EBC Trek due to never-ending chores. Finally managed to
get my feet up, hands down, steaming cup of coffee standing by and start dancing
my fingers on the keyboard rhythmically. I left you at Kathmandu (KTM from here
on) last time going to sleep feeling all anxious for the upcoming day. Let’s go
find out what has happened to this crazy lone trekker, shall we?
I woke up and once again beat the alarm, for the umpteenth
time I presume. It’s usually a good sign that the day is going to be ok. I slept
like a baby and had no trouble whatsoever. So peering over the blanket, I squinted
at the still dark room. It was just gone 5.30am and I had three quarters of an
hour to get ready for breakfast and then join my guide Ngima at the lobby for
the cab ride to the domestic terminal (adjacent to the international one) to
catch our flight to Lukla.
The cold shower got me fully awake and in record time I was
ready and went up to the rooftop where the dining area is for breakfast. Nepalese
are not early risers and they tend to take their time to get moving in the
morning, probably due to the wintery conditions they have most of the year. So I
had to rouse the kitchen staff and managed to drink my last cup for the next 16
days. If you wonder why that is, do check out my “Useful Tips & Tricks for Your EBC Trek”. After the usual two slices of toast, boiled
& tempered potato and omelet, I got a bottle of hot water for the journey
ahead. So bidding farewell to the still-groggy kitchen staff, I ran down to my
room and got everything ready when I heard the friendly and warm “Sri, are you
ready? It’s Ngima”. It was so natural and routine and for the remainder of the
journey, this was something I heard every morning from my guide.
We got my gear down
and bid farewell to Hari, tour operator, and left my other luggage in the
hotel. KTM was still very much asleep when we raced through the dusty and
broken roads towards the airport. Getting out of the cab, we rushed and joined
the reasonably crowded domestic terminal. Our airline was Sita Air but for my
disappointment the flight was not due till 9.30am. I was hoping to get to Lukla
as early as possible due to the fact that Lukla is notorious for its ever-changing
weather. I wanted to avoid having to turn around due to bad weather. So here
are a few tips for your journey while we go through our check-in process. Mind you,
you’re only allowed 15kg of baggage in the flight and for every excess 1kg, you
gotta pay 100 NPR (approximately $1).
 |
| Domestic Airport |
- Insist on an early flight from your tour operator, preferably leaving before 8.30am. As we all are in very tight schedules, we mustn’t take chances with these kinda things.
- Tara Air seems to be the most frequent operator to Lukla and they have a better information center as well. Unfortunately, until it was the last minute, there was no one from Sita Air at the terminal to know about our flight or its status which was depressing.
- Try and keep your weight at 15kg but not at the expense of leaving behind things you’d really need. If you have extra weight, just keep some NPR ready (1kg = 100 NPR).
- Try and catch a left front seat of the aircraft for better mountain views but weather permitting.
 |
| Ngima waiting for the tickets at the back |
 |
| Time meant very little during the delay |
 |
| My boarding pass. I kept wriggling it to all the shapes in the waiting area |
I’d be damned if I had to stay behind due to bad weather in
Lukla and I can tell you that this was probably the most depressing and anxious
time of my life. I wished so many times that there was a friend of mine to talk
and get the frustration out of my system by using every bad word I knew against
everyone involved in this delay. Finally around 10.30am, Ngima came and said
that he got the news that our flight will depart at 11.30am. I was so relieved I
could’ve cried. So finally around 11am, our boarding passes were checked and we
got into a bus, remember no AC whatsoever. It was like an oven inside it and
the scorching hot waves went through my body like a sharp knife through butter.
We drove onto the area where domestic aircraft are parked and
they were mostly the small turbo-props. Our aircraft, Sita Air Dornier Do-228 was parked and waiting but we were not allowed on board probably
due to the fact that we’d have suffocated due to the heat. So we had to stay in
the relatively bearable heat of the bus sweating it out for the call to take
off. Then to add insult to injury, we were informed the flight is further
delayed due to congestion at the airport and won’t take off till 12 noon. Did I
tell you it was the same runway being used for both international and domestic
flights? The delay mixed with heat waves was getting on my nerves and I could’ve
pulled all my hair hadn’t I restrained myself.
Finally around 11.45am we were allowed on board and one of the Korean tourists beat me to the left front seat so I had to be content with the second best behind him. Once everyone on board, we started taxing towards the takeoff point to find it’s like one of the KTM roads as there was line of aircraft waiting nose-to-tail for takeoff signal. It was past 12.30pm by the time our rickety Dornier managed to clear the uneven tarmac and soar wobbly into the bright blue sky.
 |
| Beautiful sky with many aircraft parked |
 |
| Our aircraft. I was surprised by its size but the little lady did the trick of safely taking us |
Finally around 11.45am we were allowed on board and one of the Korean tourists beat me to the left front seat so I had to be content with the second best behind him. Once everyone on board, we started taxing towards the takeoff point to find it’s like one of the KTM roads as there was line of aircraft waiting nose-to-tail for takeoff signal. It was past 12.30pm by the time our rickety Dornier managed to clear the uneven tarmac and soar wobbly into the bright blue sky.
 |
| Confined cockpit but they were the best pilots |
 |
| Feeling anxious is quite normal |
While I’m getting used to this kinda flying, I’ll leave a short
note on Lukla Airport below so that you’d know what you’ll be getting yourself
into if you ever decide to embark on this journey. Also, you can watch the video below I took while us flying and can see the reactions of the passengers as well. The guy in the white t-shirt in the further back left hand is my guide Ngima who'd done this flight more than 50 times previously.
Lukla Airport:
Tenzing-HillaryAirport aka Lukla Airport is located at an elevation of 2,845m (9,334ft)
and has a runway of only 527m (1,729ft) long and 30m (98ft) wide with a 11.7%
gradient. It’s so small it can only accommodate the tiny 19-seat max turbo-propeller
driven aircraft such as DHC-6 Twin Otter, Dornier Do-228, PC-6, etc. A program titled “Most Extreme Airports”, broadcast on The History Channel in 2010, rated the airport as the Most Dangerous Airport in the world for over 20 years.
Arriving and departing aircraft must use a single runway.
There's low prospect of a successful go-around on short final due to the
terrain. There's high terrain immediately beyond the northern end of the runway
and a steeply angled drop at the southern end of the runway into the valley
below. What it means is that once an aircraft has started its descent approach
to the runway, there's no going back as the energy bled to the landing approach
can't be regained in a hurry; making this a one-way ticket.
Unfortunately the flight didn’t provide the breath-taking mountain
views coz it was all cloudy and gloomy and I wasn’t sure until we landed
whether we would have to turn around. In Lukla, the mornings are nice and clear
with great visibility by towards midday it gets cloudy and gloomy blocking all
the views and more often flight cancellations too. That’s why I keep insisting
on you taking an early flight both in and out.
The landing wasn’t as awkward as I imagined it would be. We just
came down between mountains and all I knew next was I was being pulled towards
the front of the aircraft with sheer force only to be restrained by the seat
belt. These pilots are so-skilled in flying in and out of Lukla so for them it’s
just another day at office. We taxied to one of the four aprons and parked
while all the passengers got out. It looked so gloomy and dark and I thought it
was going to rain. Oh guess what, ours was the last flight for the day to have
arrived in Lukla and I guess another half hour delay, it’d have been curtains
for us. Such a narrow escape!
I desperately wanted to hang around and take pictures of these hairy landings and take-offs but none to be had as there were no aircraft coming in. While we cleared the airport, our aircraft had departed before the weather closed in and it was nothing but this black airfield built in the sky I was staring at through a wire mesh fence surrounded by the mountains on all sides. Enjoy the video below and you can see it yourselves.
 |
| Finally here we are |
 |
| Our aircraft looked quite sexy after all |
 |
| Our crew taking a snack while waiting for the takeoff signal |
 |
| Airport in the sky |
 |
| Nothing exciting today except the empty runway |
I desperately wanted to hang around and take pictures of these hairy landings and take-offs but none to be had as there were no aircraft coming in. While we cleared the airport, our aircraft had departed before the weather closed in and it was nothing but this black airfield built in the sky I was staring at through a wire mesh fence surrounded by the mountains on all sides. Enjoy the video below and you can see it yourselves.
Ngima led us to Khumjung Guest House where we took a short break, arranged our gear, had lunch (vegetable fried noodles, remember no more meat for the remainder of the journey) and departed all under 45 mins. It was around 2pm by the time we left Lukla and soon entered the entrance to the path where it was going to be a downhill trek all the way to Phakding which is the lowest (at 2,610m or 8,563 ft) point you’ll come across on your way to EBC.
 |
| There were so many chopper but big ones like this MI-17 was very rare |
 |
| Vegetable Chowmein for lunch |
 |
| Ngima and me at the trail head |
We walked on and going was easier than I planned except for the uneven path. The thought of AMS (UsefulTips & Tricks for Your EBC Trek) was continuously on my mind but after a couple of kms, I simply forgot all about it until we reached Namche on the following day. It even drizzled slightly at the beginning of our trek forcing me to get into my newly bought rain suit but it worn off in no time and back my rain suit went to the day pack.
- There's something very important you should remember. Always give way for porters, yaks and ponies as they're carrying goods and must give priority at all times no matter how rushed you are.
- Then you must always respect the local people and always seek permission before taking pictures coz they are mostly very shy and reserved.
- Most importantly, keep the prayer wheels and stones to your right when you trek coz they consider it so rude and disrespectful to walk keeping them to the left.
Ngima led the way and we passed the beautiful mountain villages along the way, and I came across two very amusing but important things in my trek which you can see first.
 |
| Lifeline of the Everest - Porters and he was carrying 90kg. I almost fainted just hearing that |
 |
| Simple village life in the mountains |
 |
| Carefree |
 |
| Porters and Yaks are the mainstay |
 |
| Prayer stones and wheels. Always keep them to your right |
 |
| Two firsts in one go. Suspension Bridge and the Yak Train |
 |
| They look like beasts but in fact very soft animals |
The first was the
first of eleven suspension bridges built across deep gorges. These bridges are
built in Austria and are highly reliable despite some misgivings by the
traveler. Of course looking down from the middle of it is quite a scary
experience especially for those who have a fear for heights. Secondly, I came
across the first-ever Yak Train in my life and coincidently it happened on the
suspension bridge itself. These black and white beasts full of fluffy fur and
tails carrying so heavy loads made me sadden. Mind you, you gotta watch your
way when Yaks are passing by on these tiny trails as they simply don’t care
about people and go on their way. Always, give them the way as well as porters
and stay on the mountain side of the trail as even a small nudge from one of
them can send you hurtling down to glacial river gorges hundreds and thousands
of feet down.
Here's the video of the Suspension Bridge and the Yak Train. Quite fascinating, wouldn't you agree?
Here's the video of the Suspension Bridge and the Yak Train. Quite fascinating, wouldn't you agree?
We kept on and arrived at a place called Ghat at 2,565m around 6km from Lukla.
 |
| @ Ghat |
 |
| Everest region is predominantly home for Sherpas who are Buddhists. There are many monasteries like these |
 |
| More prayer wheels and stones Those writings are so artistic |
We’d trekked for nearly 2hrs by then and it was getting really dark. From here, it took less than an hour for us to reach Phakding and soon I was entering our Guest House called “Green Village Guest House”.
 |
| Here I am. My destination for the day |
It was getting cold and as soon as we entered the large and warm dining area, I felt so relieved coz I managed to stick it out on Day 1 without any incident. Dropping my backpack on the floor and sitting on one of those comfy cushions was the best thing and to top it off, I ordered a Ginger-Lemon-Honey Tea. Gosh, even as I type, I can smell the sweet aroma of it and it moistens my mouth as I can imagine how tasty it was, especially after a tiring day.
Few things for you
to note:
- There’s nothing free on offer on EBC Trek, except of course the oxygen and never-ending heavenly views. You gotta pay for even hot water to drink after a meal as they don’t serve any water with a meal unless you order it. A small glass of hot water (150-200ml) can cost you anything between 40 NPR to 100 NPR while tea costs more and has many varieties such as Mint, Ginger, Lemon, etc.
- I strongly recommend drinking some hot tea after your meal instead of cold water as it’d help you sleep well.
- Dhal Baath seems to be the most economical meal as not only it’s cheaper but also you could ask for more rice and vegetables if the first serving is not enough. Try and have Dhal Baath for dinner coz your body needs plenty energy to fend off the cold and also a full tummy will help you sleep better.
- Porters don’t usually eat or sleep in the same guest house but at a nearby place which is cheaper and affordable for them. Remember they too have to pay for their own lodgings out of their wages.
- Guides and guests are not given meals at the same time or are allowed to eat in the same guest areas. They have to wait until all the guests are eaten before getting their meals.
- Guides don’t share rooms with their guests even if the guest is a single traveller, just like me. They always get their own sleeping areas in the guest house and sometimes it’s the dining hall itself with a few cushions and blankets.
I had a hearty Dhal
Baath meal and the waiter ended up serving two extra helpings to me which left
both him and my guide Ngima speechless. They must’ve thought I was some kinda
refugee who’d not seen rice in years. I wanted Ngima to keep me company while I
ate and he reluctantly agreed to sit by me and my trying to get him to eat at
the same time was simply out of the question. I was so frustrated with the fact
that those guides have to wait till every guest has eaten. It got on my nerves
so much and it led to a heated argument in Pangboche (more days to go) with the
guest house folks but eventually had to resign myself to their culture.
Well folks, I guess the chain of events turned out to be
longer than I planned and hope it didn’t bore you to death. Tomorrow is going
to be the real tester as we’d gain approximately 830m (over 2700ft) in
elevation gain over 11km to reach Namche. Our initial plan was to trek to Monjo
(few more kms closer to Namche) but the delayed flights ruined all the plans. So
if you ever do this, your first stop should be Monjo (another 5km from
Phakding) at 2,835m. It’ll help you tackle the Namche uphill trek rather
easily.
Ok, my tummy is full and I’ve had a rather long day and time
for me to tuck into the rather inviting sleeping bag. It really is very cold
but my sleeping bag is rated for -10 Celsius plus I’ve got a comfy mattress
too. So here I go to my dreamland and will come again with Day 02 where I’ll
have to tackle probably one of the most difficult parts of this trek.
Until next time then! Stay safe and travel safe!
Sri
Abeywickrema – Trek with Sri…
Related Articles: Everest Base Camp Trek | How to Plan Your EBC Trek |
Detailed Itinerary for EBC | Useful Tips & Tricks for Your EBC Trek |
Things to Carry on Your EBC Trek | Preparation for EBC in Kathmandu
LIKE | COMMENT | SHARE | SUBSCRIBE
No comments:
Post a Comment