Headed to Lukla - Trek Begins

Next morning, we were wakened at 4:45am in order to get to the airport in time for the early morning flight to Lukla, in the Himalayas (scheduled for 6:30am). Lukla is a little Sherpa village, with an airport (an airstrip, really) that serves as the jumping-off point for most of the treks. Weather is a risk factor for these flights. Often, fog or other visibility problems, either in Kathmandu, or en route to Lukla, cause delays or outright cancellation of these flights. Fortunately for us, conditions were good, and we were in the air by 7am.

The plane is tiny, but full (16 people.) The flight is quick, out of Kathmandu and swiftly into the mountains. We seem to just skid by a few mountain passes, then come in for a dramatic, hair-raising landing in Lukla. (The entire trip took less than 45 minutes.)

After stopping at a nearby tea-house to get organized and to team up with our two porters, we are soon on our way on the first leg of the trek. It is relatively easy, with a few steep ascents, but more generally, flat or descending. About 3 hours later, we reach Phakding, our destination for the first day. We have a long, pleasant lunch in the sun - pleased with ourselves at having survived the first day. We're checked in to the curiously named Beer Garden Hotel - very simple twin rooms - a bit cold, with a minimal bathroom in the corridor. About what I expected...

Mar 9: Trek Preparation

I finally met up with Pradip (my main contact at Mountain Monarch) to get oriented and get prepared for the trek ahead. My initial contact was not impressive. He quickly went through a canned description of the planned trip in the Himalayas, and the group "tour" & pre-trip meal we'd have before heading off. However - clearly - his main concern was to get paid for the outstanding balance I owed him. In addition, as I had arrived two days early, he tacked on an additional charge of $45.00 for each of the two nights -- an outrageous charge for the hotel in question, and something he had given me no advance notice about. I was furious at this underhand manoever.

After bidding goodbye to Pradip till the afternoon (when we'd meet up with the rest of the travelling group) I met up with some older folks from England and New Zealand who had just completed the hike to Base Camp/Kala Pattar and back. They were shattered, and they had a lot of scare stories for me about the cold, the effort involved etc. At 4pm I met up with Pradip again, and with my friend Bipina & with Neil and Kim, the other trekkers, for our formal intro. We were also introduced to Buddha, who would be out guide for the trip, and we received our duffel bags. Beginning to feel a bit excited, at last...!

After getting organized, Buddha took us for a traditional Nepalese meal at a (shamelessly tourist-trap) Nepal Kitchen-style restaurant. I had my first taste of Dal Bhat, and some curious meats (wild boar?) before we adjourned upstairs to watch some Nepalese dance and have a taste of the local Raksi liquor. Good fun!

Mar 8: Kathmandu - Seeing the Sights

Monday morning, I still have some time to spare before the trek "proper" starts. I bump into Johanna, a fellow trekker at the hotel, and we decide to walk around the city and see some of the more well-known tourist attractions. The hotel manager had given me walking directions to the "Monkey Temple", Swayambhunath, so we decide to head there first.

It's a fairly straightforward walk out of town from Thamel (though the streets are hot and dusty in the morning, and things are chaotic as usual, with honking cabs and motorcycles, and the odd sacred cow(!) wandering about...) The manager gave me a tip to climb up along the streets behind the temple, and when I get closer, I see why -- the main approach is a long, very steep set of steps up to the temple complex. It's still difficult enough walking along the streets towards the back entrance. There's a fenced-off area of trees and parkland, and there are large numbers of monkeys screeching and playing all around. Once we get closer to the top, there are lots of vendors selling typical trinkets, and a large number of tourists and worshippers. There are several temples, and a golden buddha. According to one seller, the temples are sacred to both Buddhists and Hindus.


From the top, there's a good vista over the hazy streets of Kathmandu. We sonon descend down the steep front steps - hawkers on both sides all the way down. I naiively fall for one guy's shtick, and end up with my own "singing bowl", reputed to ease tension and to cure all sorts of other ailments...

Afterwards, we head for Durbar Square through some very grim and desperate-looking streets. We stumble into the square after a walk of less than half-an-hour. The place is crowded with tourists and very aggressive "guides". A 300 Rupee fee is charged. (It's a UNESCO heritage site) However, the place is very chaotic, and I was underwhelmed by the jumble of significant palaces and temples. (The constant attentions of the "guides" following us didnt help.) We eventually escaped to "Freak Street", close-by. Formerly a happening hippie stop (in the 60s and 70s), today, it's a fairly depressing, run-down street that has seen better days.

We walk all the way back to Thamel through narrow streets clogged with markets and shoppers, finally stopping at Kilroy's restaurant for some lunch. An adequate place - which we had almost completely to ourselves. I ordered a beer and the "Bookmaker" Buff steak - served on a sizzling plate, with some fries. The steak was interesting, a bit chewy, but not unpleasant.

Mar 6 - 7: Orientation in Kathmandu

I was finally situated in my hotel, the Hotel Shakti, a good place a little ways away from the middle of things in Thamel. I was calm (at least, after I got over the fact that the Mountain Monarch trekking guy completely overcharged me -- $45.00 a night for my 2 additional nights at the hotel! Outrageous!! I finally managed to Zen out and focus on the positive...!)

I took a nap & woke up a few hours later, in darkness. Power was out. Apparently, Kathmandu has a schedule of daily power outages for several hours every day - something people get used to, apparently! I tried the shower - cold (possibly related to the power outage...)

I ventured out into the street -- everything was dusty and chaotic -- cars & motorcycles coming seemingly from every side with no apparent concept of lanes or real order (and an incessant honking of horns...) Not too many street lights, so I navigated the rough streets as best I could. I located the main tourist thoroughfare. There were not too many Westerners around, but lots of hawkers selling trinkets, and (in particular) offering hash, seemingly at every corner. After an hour or two, I felt burned out by it all and retreated to bed at my hotel! A hectic first day...

Mar 5 : Arrival - Kathmandu

After an excruciating (but almost completely trouble-free) full day of travel (i.e. 24 hours!) I arrive in Kathmandu. Exhausting trips on completely-full China Airlines flights from San Francisco to Taipei to Bangkok were followed by a much more pleasant final leg on a three-quarters-empty Thai Airways flight to Kathmandu. The task of getting a visa was painful and chaotic as expected, but it was quick, and soon enough, I had my bags, located the Mountain Monarch guy, and was on my way in to Kathmandu city center.

The city is warm and dusty (though not unpleasantly hot, at this time of year.) Traffic is noisy and seemingly without much order or reason to it. (There is a perpetual din of honking horns and the screeching brakes of motorcycles and taxis.) Nevertheless, we reached our hotel, the Hotel Shakti without incident! The place was impressive-seeming from the outside but really fairly basic. However, my room was a bright corner-room next to a pleasant balcony. Not bad! I was hit with a feeling of relief at having navigated this fairly stressful first leg of the trip, and I promptly crashed out for an emergency nap!

Almost Time for the Plunge

It's Wednesday afternoon, and I'm making final preparations for the long series of flights to Asia, leaving at midnight tonight. What to bring? It's not easy to plan for both a cold-weather trekking trip and a back-packing jaunt in hotter climes, all on the same trip. And - is a laptop computer an indulgence on this kind of trip, or is it an essential? (I'm leaning towards the latter, but I'm conflicted.) So, my no-compromise compromise is to bring two backpacks, one a day-pack that I can use on the trek to Everest Base Camp, the other an all-purpose travelers pack that can be used for more general schlepping across SE Asia. And yes, the computer is coming -- hopefully, I wont regret that one. The Nepal leg is relatively easy - I can deposit the bulk of my stuff at a hotel in Kathmandu, and bring the minimal essentials along in my day-pack on the trek. Before going onward to Thailand, however, some difficult decisions will need to be made!

So, tonight at Midnight, it's time for a fairly horrendous-sounding 14-hour flight to Taipei, followed by legs to Bangkok and, finally, Kathmandu, getting in at 4 PM local time.

I have signed up with Mountain Monarch trekking company for the Everest Base Camp trek. Far as I can tell, they have a very good reputation (for a local Nepal-based company) and they should have someone at the airport to greet me. Then, a couple of days of sight-seeing (and, presumably, recovery from jet-lag) in Kathmandu, followed by a flight to the higher-elevation Lukla and start of the trek proper, on Sunday.

OK, what am I forgetting...?!

Re-purpose

Time to re-purpose the blog!

Clearly, the Marathon des Sables will not be happening (at least, not in 2010!) And my running has dwindled down to a few pitiful jogs in a week...! (I have been sick -- lots of extenuating circumstances...! Nevertheless...)

So, time to re-focus the blog towards my preparations for Donal's "Grand Tour", starting with the upcoming trip to Kathmandu & on to Everest Base Camp. I've been very low-key in my preparations (almost ridiculously understated) - so, I think it's time to start a more verbose catalog of the lead-up, then a journal of what I get up to.

Preface complete! I'll be following with some substance about what's to come (and about my none-too-clear mental state...!)