Mt Everest from Gokyo Ri Part II

There is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing

Sir Ranulph Fiennes

Believe you me, this quote can only be comprehended when you walk knee-deep through snow with inappropriate shoes!

What a flying experience to Lukla! Clearly not for the faint heart. Duration from Kathmandu to Lukla is only 30 min. In 30 min, it seems every min is the last min of life, because the wind makes the aircraft so unstable that you feel you are actually taking a Roller Coaster ride! I was recording from my phone and from no where a hand tightly grabbed my arm. An unknown guy right next to me was crying, literally crying and was gasping for breath. Consolation did not work on him either. If you ask me, Wasn’t I scared? I really did not get time to figure out what was happening as I have not sat in such unstable flying machine ever in my life. It actually thrilled me 🙂 Green mountains were passing by frame after frame and soon snow covered peaks were visible. We then heard the announcement from the lady Pilot, ” 7 min to land to Tenzing Hillary Airport, Lukla”.

Wait…have you checked out Part I ??

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Thoughts were stirring in my mind, How will it be? How will be my guide? Will I be able to finish the trek? What if I suffer from AMS(acute mountain sickness)? Will it be safe to trek solo? With these questions and confusion I landed and as I stepped out from Sita Air, there were snow peaks all around. Lukla Airport is tiny but highly functional with non stop aircraft and Helicopters landing and taking off.

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I got my backpacks and the next task was to identify my guide “Dawa Tenzing Sherpa” out of 50 or so, standing right outside the Airport. And it turned out to be the other way around, he found me first as I was climbing the steps to reach the Paradise lodge. He quickly came to me and escorted me to the restaurant for quick lunch! I lost the mobile connectivity so the new SIM was waste of money. Luckily WiFi was available. Dawa’s introduction was quite impressive as he had summit Mt Everest twice with his clients. And here I was with only one trek experience in Kanchendzonga Base Camp! Without further ado, I was given a quick summary of how next couple of days were going to be and how I should be very honest with him, the moment I feel sick! After having a hot cuppa of tea and a sandwich we started heading to Phakding and Day 1 of trek began…..

Day 1: Lukla (9,300 ft) to Phakding (8,600 ft), 4-4.5 hours, 9 km

Trail to Phakding was through beautiful with views of tiny villages and a mix of up-down hill. Greeted by so many nationalities. I was amazed to know how much favorite this trek is for many, that there were some who were here for the 15th time!

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It was serene. Trees and plants were showing signs of blossom as it was soon going to be Spring. Passing through the Garlic and Cabbage farms. Something took me by surprise. There were Puris stuffed with Chana and Alu (similar to Masala Puri – Indian Street food) in the big jars in the shops and a big smile came on my face 🙂

Day 1 ended with such views. We reached to Mountain Resort, Phakding.

Day 2: Phakding (8,600 ft) to Namche Bazaar (11,290 ft), 7 hours, 10 Km

I woke up with soreness in the whole body and it was just Day 2! I packed things and came to the dinning room. Quickly had breakfast and we moved on to the next destination – Namche Bazaar.

This trail was longer and steeper than the first day. Dawa told me there were 2-3 hanging bridges to cross. For the next 2-3 hours, we came across not a single bridge. And I realized that this was indeed going to be exhausting trail with constant uphill, muck all over the shoes.

It was already lunch time and I had not crossed even a single bridge.

After lunch, in about half and hour first bridge was visible, then second..

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After crossing the second bridge, there was a viewing point. Mt Everest could be spotted from here. But we were late, clouds were already all over the place. There was a check post to enter Namche Bazaar.

After check post, in 30-45 min we reached Namche Bazaar.

So Namche, I found it be the most developed place in the Solukumbhu district. It had shops with international brands. Spas, Pubs, ATM and a big vegetable and grocery market.

Camp de Base had everything for me, cozy room, food and a cat 🙂

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Day 3: Namche Bazaar (11,290 ft) to Khumjung (12,435 ft), 3-4 hours

Woke up with a view of snow peaks from the window. Trail to Khumjung was continuous ascent and with the clear sky, my eagerness to see the peaks from Khumjung nudged me to hike fast.

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In Khumjung I was hosted by a Sherpa family. Food was so delicious and I got to know a lot about the Hillary foundation and Hillary school in Khumjung.

Next Page continued..