I'm still in Pokhara, Nepal. Actually, I was planning on booking a flight to Dehli this morning for a week from today but will wait a few days to see what happens with the situation there. So for now, I'm staying put. I'll post some photos this afternoon.
Namaste!
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Signs, signs, everywhere there's signs
Of course, I think the signs add to the scenery here.
On a boat in the lake in Pokhara. The word welcome is never written as one word here. Not sure what "Don't my veza" means.
I think the VIP room is the waiting room, or is it the toilet?
Promoting a university education.
In front of a lodge in the Gokyo valley...probably the Yak Guest House, or Everest View, perhaps, or maybe the Yeti Lodge, or was it the Namaste Lodge? It was one of those. How do I know? There are at least 10 of each on the Everest Circuit trek.
Wel come to the Hotel Ari zona. Such a lovely place. Such lovely place. Plenty of room at the Hotel Ari zona. (Dingboche)
Pointing the way across a lake bed on the way to Labouche.
Of course, there was only one monestary here, Tengboche Monestary, so I guess it was the one in charge.
Zoom in to see the fine print added to the upper right, "Save the snow leopard."
Hee hee. Love the name. Maybe I'll have to stay here a night.
What a great name for a kayak shop.
This has to be one of my favorites. Such a desparate plea from a shawl.
The most amazing golf course on Earth. Seriously.
They spelled it correctly on the upper right-hand corner (zoom in to see it), but I still question the truthfulness of the statment : )
If you're looking for typical, we have it here.
Love this one. It's written exactly how someone would speak it. Not sure if the word take ever appeard.
Makes sense (the cost difference).
See you.
On a boat in the lake in Pokhara. The word welcome is never written as one word here. Not sure what "Don't my veza" means.
I think the VIP room is the waiting room, or is it the toilet?
Promoting a university education.
In front of a lodge in the Gokyo valley...probably the Yak Guest House, or Everest View, perhaps, or maybe the Yeti Lodge, or was it the Namaste Lodge? It was one of those. How do I know? There are at least 10 of each on the Everest Circuit trek.
Wel come to the Hotel Ari zona. Such a lovely place. Such lovely place. Plenty of room at the Hotel Ari zona. (Dingboche)
Pointing the way across a lake bed on the way to Labouche.
Of course, there was only one monestary here, Tengboche Monestary, so I guess it was the one in charge.
Zoom in to see the fine print added to the upper right, "Save the snow leopard."
Hee hee. Love the name. Maybe I'll have to stay here a night.
What a great name for a kayak shop.
This has to be one of my favorites. Such a desparate plea from a shawl.
The most amazing golf course on Earth. Seriously.
They spelled it correctly on the upper right-hand corner (zoom in to see it), but I still question the truthfulness of the statment : )
If you're looking for typical, we have it here.
Love this one. It's written exactly how someone would speak it. Not sure if the word take ever appeard.
Makes sense (the cost difference).
See you.Friday, November 21, 2008
High five, still alive!
This is what a Norwegian girl on my trip said after a particularly difficult rapid : ) Really though, it went pretty well. I was the only kayaker on the first day of my trip along with one safety kayaker...I went with a rafting group. On the second day, we met up with a beginner kayak class.
The river (the Lower Seti, not the Sun Kosi as I had mentioned earlier), was decidedly not a beginner river : ) Ha! That's what I said after I swam twice the first day : o The best way to describe the river was that it had the pushiness of the Gauley but with class II-III rapids instead of class III-IV. Big-a** wave trains that knock your boat around...big fun. The scenery was beautiful, the water wasn't too cold, and the river was a pretty aqua color.
The first day, I couldn't for the life of me, put my boat where I wanted it so I ended up flipping and then missing rolls. The second day was supposed to get harder but I switched to a more stable boat and got the feel of the water and didn't flip. Yay!! The new boaters did amazingly well on the river, especially the last rapid of day 2, which was class III+ and was pretty big. It was carnage (about half swam, upside down boats everywhere) but half stayed up and made it through. Nice job!
The bus ride back was a little sketchy. We left later than we wanted and it was dark for about half of the 4-hour ride. I will try to avoid that in the future.
I'll try to post some photos this afternoon.
The river (the Lower Seti, not the Sun Kosi as I had mentioned earlier), was decidedly not a beginner river : ) Ha! That's what I said after I swam twice the first day : o The best way to describe the river was that it had the pushiness of the Gauley but with class II-III rapids instead of class III-IV. Big-a** wave trains that knock your boat around...big fun. The scenery was beautiful, the water wasn't too cold, and the river was a pretty aqua color.
The first day, I couldn't for the life of me, put my boat where I wanted it so I ended up flipping and then missing rolls. The second day was supposed to get harder but I switched to a more stable boat and got the feel of the water and didn't flip. Yay!! The new boaters did amazingly well on the river, especially the last rapid of day 2, which was class III+ and was pretty big. It was carnage (about half swam, upside down boats everywhere) but half stayed up and made it through. Nice job!
The bus ride back was a little sketchy. We left later than we wanted and it was dark for about half of the 4-hour ride. I will try to avoid that in the future.
I'll try to post some photos this afternoon.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Kayaking tomorrow
I'm going on a kayak trip for the next two days on a river called the Sun Kosi with a company called Paddle Nepal here in Pokhara. Should be fun. No stress. I'll be in touch in a few days.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Okay, some scenic photos, finally.
By now, you're probably wondering if we saw any mountains on this trek. I haven't posted many scenic photos, mainly because my little point-and-shoot can't really capture the color and immensity of the scene. But since the scenery was the reward for the discomforts of trekking, I'll give it a try. Here are some taken from the 3-day trip up between Lukla and Namche Bazaar.
On the way out of Lukla, we passed through this gate. However, at this point, we haven't entered the Sagarmatha National Park. We're just getting a glimpse of the Himalaya but for a few days, we'll still be trekking in what is considered "hill country."
I wish I knew which mountain this is, but I don't. All I know is, it's not Everest : ) It doesn't matter though. They are all stunning.
This is our first view of Everest. You can only see the top of it over the ridge in front. It's the one with the cloud forming off the peak.
For the first several days, we trekked along the Dudh Kosi (milk river) and crossed back and forth across it several times (see previous post with the bridge photo). This photo doesn't do justice to the clarity and beauty of this river.
On the 2nd day (maybe the third?? I can't remember) we finally entered the Sagarmatha National Park. Sagarmatha is the Sherpa name for Everest. If I recall correctly, the name Everest came from the cartographer who discovered that it was indeed the highest peak in the world. I guess the more boring name stuck. Too bad. This is a building houses a museum and registration office. All trekkers had to have trekking permits registered at this office. They checked our permits again when we left but we got to keep them as souveniers.
Just past the registration office, is the main entrance. As you pass through, you can spin the prayer wheels (clockwise). I'll have more on this in a future post.
Signs here are always interesting. Read this one closely. It gives the rules to be followed while in this sacred park.
1. Refrain from taking life.
2. Refrain from anger.
3. Refrain from jealousy.
4. Refrain from offending others.
5. Refrain from taking excessive intoxicants.
Just past the entrance, we hiked down to the river. From here on out, we passed countless mani walls with the inscription Om Mani Padme Hum, a buddhist mantra or prayer that, evidently, has power in the number of times it is spoken. You pass with the walls on your right.
On the way into Namche, we saw a sign pointing the way back to Lukla. This sign will be a welcome sight when we visit it again on the descent. To us, it reads "This way to hot showers, real beds, and flush toilets" :
On the way out of Lukla, we passed through this gate. However, at this point, we haven't entered the Sagarmatha National Park. We're just getting a glimpse of the Himalaya but for a few days, we'll still be trekking in what is considered "hill country."I wish I knew which mountain this is, but I don't. All I know is, it's not Everest : ) It doesn't matter though. They are all stunning.
This is our first view of Everest. You can only see the top of it over the ridge in front. It's the one with the cloud forming off the peak.
For the first several days, we trekked along the Dudh Kosi (milk river) and crossed back and forth across it several times (see previous post with the bridge photo). This photo doesn't do justice to the clarity and beauty of this river.On the 2nd day (maybe the third?? I can't remember) we finally entered the Sagarmatha National Park. Sagarmatha is the Sherpa name for Everest. If I recall correctly, the name Everest came from the cartographer who discovered that it was indeed the highest peak in the world. I guess the more boring name stuck. Too bad. This is a building houses a museum and registration office. All trekkers had to have trekking permits registered at this office. They checked our permits again when we left but we got to keep them as souveniers.
Just past the registration office, is the main entrance. As you pass through, you can spin the prayer wheels (clockwise). I'll have more on this in a future post.
Signs here are always interesting. Read this one closely. It gives the rules to be followed while in this sacred park.1. Refrain from taking life.
2. Refrain from anger.
3. Refrain from jealousy.
4. Refrain from offending others.
5. Refrain from taking excessive intoxicants.
Just past the entrance, we hiked down to the river. From here on out, we passed countless mani walls with the inscription Om Mani Padme Hum, a buddhist mantra or prayer that, evidently, has power in the number of times it is spoken. You pass with the walls on your right.
On the way into Namche, we saw a sign pointing the way back to Lukla. This sign will be a welcome sight when we visit it again on the descent. To us, it reads "This way to hot showers, real beds, and flush toilets" :
Sunday, November 16, 2008
People on the way to Namche
So I'm really behind in the photo posting. Here are more from the first few days journey to Namche Bazaar.
Lots and lots of kids out running around. They all seemed to know that tourists usually come with candy. Giving children candy or handouts is looked down upon by Nepalis so we didn't give in to their cute faces.
The trekking valleys of the Everest region contain some of the richest Nepalis in the country. Even though Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world, people here are healthy and seem generally happy.
The Nepali army has a pretty strong presence on the trails and in Kathmandu. They wear camouflage but instead of shades of green, it's shades of blue...odd.
These men are Nepali army taking a break along the trekking trail. I guess hiking up these trails is tough for everyone. The dog...well, there are stray dogs everywhere. For the most part, they seem to be well-fed.
Okay, as an aside, there is a little girl in this internet cafe who is singing the alphabet tune (but in Nepali) at the very top of her lungs while looking at her reflection in a window. Cute. But maybe later, when I trying to talk via Skype halfway across the world, it won't be so cute : )
Many times along the path, we needed to move to the inside, maybe halfway up a cliff, to get out of the way of a dzopku train. Harka is laughing at me because I crawled so far up the rock to get out of their way. They made me a little nervous after 1. we heard of a tourist being gored in the leg a few days earlier in Namche and 2. I was chased by one in Namche for maybe 20 yards a few days later. All turned out okay, really. There's a slightly longer story to this that I will save for another post. Anyhow, I give them their distance.
Okay, this is all for now. I'll post more tomorrow.
Lots and lots of kids out running around. They all seemed to know that tourists usually come with candy. Giving children candy or handouts is looked down upon by Nepalis so we didn't give in to their cute faces.
The trekking valleys of the Everest region contain some of the richest Nepalis in the country. Even though Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world, people here are healthy and seem generally happy.
The Nepali army has a pretty strong presence on the trails and in Kathmandu. They wear camouflage but instead of shades of green, it's shades of blue...odd.
These men are Nepali army taking a break along the trekking trail. I guess hiking up these trails is tough for everyone. The dog...well, there are stray dogs everywhere. For the most part, they seem to be well-fed.
Okay, as an aside, there is a little girl in this internet cafe who is singing the alphabet tune (but in Nepali) at the very top of her lungs while looking at her reflection in a window. Cute. But maybe later, when I trying to talk via Skype halfway across the world, it won't be so cute : )
Many times along the path, we needed to move to the inside, maybe halfway up a cliff, to get out of the way of a dzopku train. Harka is laughing at me because I crawled so far up the rock to get out of their way. They made me a little nervous after 1. we heard of a tourist being gored in the leg a few days earlier in Namche and 2. I was chased by one in Namche for maybe 20 yards a few days later. All turned out okay, really. There's a slightly longer story to this that I will save for another post. Anyhow, I give them their distance.
Okay, this is all for now. I'll post more tomorrow.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Slight change in plans...
So, I've decided to travel to Pokhara to stay for a week or two...or three. Pokhara is a much smaller town than KMD situated about...well, about 6 hours drive west of KMD. Georgia (my friend from England) and I took the Greenline bus, leaving KMD at 7AM this morning. I have to say, this was probably the best bus ride I've ever had. Not because the bus was really nice (it was okay, probalby luxury compared to riding on top of a bus, maybe), but because the scenery was FANTASTIC!! People, rivers, valleys. It's a Saturday, the weekly day off from school and, if you're a lucky Nepali, work too. Lots of people out. Lots of things being carried. It's also rice harvesting season so we saw rice in every stage of harvest. Unfortunately, my camera wouldn't have done the scene justice so I don't have very many pictures.
Pokhara: I've only just arrived but it's very scenic. The town sits on a lake beneath the Annapurna mountains. Really pretty. This town is quieter and cleaner, and seems safer. We're staying here for $15/night total (not per person...a steal!!! Brand new, hot showers, flush toilet...all the ammenities that I've grown to love).
I'll post more photos tomorrow. Promise!
Namaste!
Pokhara: I've only just arrived but it's very scenic. The town sits on a lake beneath the Annapurna mountains. Really pretty. This town is quieter and cleaner, and seems safer. We're staying here for $15/night total (not per person...a steal!!! Brand new, hot showers, flush toilet...all the ammenities that I've grown to love).
I'll post more photos tomorrow. Promise!
Namaste!
Friday, November 14, 2008
1st Trekking Days
More photos : ) Each one takes about five minutes.
On the left is Mingma, our Sherpa guide, though he's not Sherpa, who walks in front of the group, and Harka, our guide who walks behind the group. In this photo, Mingma looks like thug but he's really not : )
These are not our porters but it's typical of what they carry (these baskets are everywhere). Most porters carry a very heavy walking stick that doubles as seat. Each of our porters carried two large, red, World Expeditions duffels along with a tent. Lots of stuff. On our way out of the park two weeks later, we saw men carrying tremendous loads including several cases of beer. Oh, and the average height of a porter is shorter (and thinner, ha!) than me.
These boys were playing marbles on the "street" in Lukla (they were quite good). They really loved the camera and seeing themselves on the LCD screen.
Here is our first campsite, in Ghat. See our orange tents in the background? This particular site was occupied by a baby cow who trotted around after us like a puppy. Our lunch table was usually a blue tarp placed on the ground (we wouldn't want to sit on dung, would we).
A Typical bridge: we crossed several back and forth across the Dudh Kosi (milke river...because of all the white water!!). This one is 109.5
meters long and is constructed of steel (nearly all are, at least what we saw in the Everest region).
On the left is Mingma, our Sherpa guide, though he's not Sherpa, who walks in front of the group, and Harka, our guide who walks behind the group. In this photo, Mingma looks like thug but he's really not : )
These are not our porters but it's typical of what they carry (these baskets are everywhere). Most porters carry a very heavy walking stick that doubles as seat. Each of our porters carried two large, red, World Expeditions duffels along with a tent. Lots of stuff. On our way out of the park two weeks later, we saw men carrying tremendous loads including several cases of beer. Oh, and the average height of a porter is shorter (and thinner, ha!) than me.
These boys were playing marbles on the "street" in Lukla (they were quite good). They really loved the camera and seeing themselves on the LCD screen.
Here is our first campsite, in Ghat. See our orange tents in the background? This particular site was occupied by a baby cow who trotted around after us like a puppy. Our lunch table was usually a blue tarp placed on the ground (we wouldn't want to sit on dung, would we).A Typical bridge: we crossed several back and forth across the Dudh Kosi (milke river...because of all the white water!!). This one is 109.5
meters long and is constructed of steel (nearly all are, at least what we saw in the Everest region).
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Photos, finally!!
Namaste!
Yes, namaste is used as both a greeting and a closing. I'm still in Kathmandu. I've done some switching of hotels but will be settling into one place for seven days starting Saturday. I'll spend this time researching India and touring places in KMD. The seven days will be at the Kathmandu Guest House, a tourist mecca. I ate lunch there today and have already met another single, female traveler. So it should be a great place to meet people and possibly someone to travel with (yes, I've ended in a preposition and I'm just fine with it : ).
Here are more photos. I've been having a terrible time downloading even a single photo. They've all been transferred to my flash card and, from there, I copy a few onto the desktop. But when I try to post, it gets hung up. Each photo takes between 5 and 10 minutes and any hitch in the connection during that time causes the download to fail : ( Technology here is a bit unreliable to say the least.
I hope Holly doesn't kill me for posting this one : ) Here she is getting on our tiny plane, bound for Lukla. She looks a little worried.
Our first view of the Himalaya (okay, 2nd...the first was on the flight from Dehli to Kathmandu). The snow-capped mountains on the horizon are the Himalaya. The brown peaks in the foreground are the "hill country".
Here's the runway in Lukla. I'm photographing from a walkway that runs above the wall that a plane would crash into if its brakes didn't work : )
I wonder what the "24" means. There's only one runway. Neal, Eve, any guesses?
See the end of the runway? Yep, it pretty much drops off a cliff. Just to the left of the runway, from this view, you'll see a building with a shiny roof. I'm pretty sure this is the lodge we stayed in on our last night, with the hot shower, flush toilet, and real bed.
Welcome to Lukla. This crowd of men is standing outside of baggage claim waiting for trek portering or guiding work. We already had a guide, Harka, who met us in Kathmandu. And our cook (Purshu Ram) had already hired our porters, who were waiting for us up the road a bit in town. The airport is named Tenzing Hillary after Sherpa/climber pair who made the first ascent of Everest.
This is the "main drag" in Lukla. From here forward, transportation is only on foot or hoof, unless you're getting helicoptered out due to severe altitude sickness (or other equally life-threatening illness). The buildings are typical Sherpa architecture; stone with brightly-painted window and door frames.
So, after that hair-raising plane ride (and I didn't even describe the hairy-scary trip to the KMD airport in the dark at 5AM), my badder was full and it was time to dig out some of that precious toilet paper. Here's one of the not-so-fancy toilets I mentioned. Yep, they're called toilets. In Nepal, bathrooms are used for bathing and may or may not contain a toilet. What's the Buddhist prayer for "please don't let these boards break"?
I guess you can't judge a toilet by how pretty it looks from the outside : ).
That's all for today. I'm glad I was finally able to get a good connection and post some photos. Maybe more tomorrow!!
Yes, namaste is used as both a greeting and a closing. I'm still in Kathmandu. I've done some switching of hotels but will be settling into one place for seven days starting Saturday. I'll spend this time researching India and touring places in KMD. The seven days will be at the Kathmandu Guest House, a tourist mecca. I ate lunch there today and have already met another single, female traveler. So it should be a great place to meet people and possibly someone to travel with (yes, I've ended in a preposition and I'm just fine with it : ).
Here are more photos. I've been having a terrible time downloading even a single photo. They've all been transferred to my flash card and, from there, I copy a few onto the desktop. But when I try to post, it gets hung up. Each photo takes between 5 and 10 minutes and any hitch in the connection during that time causes the download to fail : ( Technology here is a bit unreliable to say the least.
I hope Holly doesn't kill me for posting this one : ) Here she is getting on our tiny plane, bound for Lukla. She looks a little worried.
Our first view of the Himalaya (okay, 2nd...the first was on the flight from Dehli to Kathmandu). The snow-capped mountains on the horizon are the Himalaya. The brown peaks in the foreground are the "hill country".
Here's the runway in Lukla. I'm photographing from a walkway that runs above the wall that a plane would crash into if its brakes didn't work : )I wonder what the "24" means. There's only one runway. Neal, Eve, any guesses?
See the end of the runway? Yep, it pretty much drops off a cliff. Just to the left of the runway, from this view, you'll see a building with a shiny roof. I'm pretty sure this is the lodge we stayed in on our last night, with the hot shower, flush toilet, and real bed.
Welcome to Lukla. This crowd of men is standing outside of baggage claim waiting for trek portering or guiding work. We already had a guide, Harka, who met us in Kathmandu. And our cook (Purshu Ram) had already hired our porters, who were waiting for us up the road a bit in town. The airport is named Tenzing Hillary after Sherpa/climber pair who made the first ascent of Everest.
This is the "main drag" in Lukla. From here forward, transportation is only on foot or hoof, unless you're getting helicoptered out due to severe altitude sickness (or other equally life-threatening illness). The buildings are typical Sherpa architecture; stone with brightly-painted window and door frames.
So, after that hair-raising plane ride (and I didn't even describe the hairy-scary trip to the KMD airport in the dark at 5AM), my badder was full and it was time to dig out some of that precious toilet paper. Here's one of the not-so-fancy toilets I mentioned. Yep, they're called toilets. In Nepal, bathrooms are used for bathing and may or may not contain a toilet. What's the Buddhist prayer for "please don't let these boards break"?I guess you can't judge a toilet by how pretty it looks from the outside : ).
That's all for today. I'm glad I was finally able to get a good connection and post some photos. Maybe more tomorrow!!
Monday, November 10, 2008
Getting my act together to post photos
Okay, I'm trying to download my photos again. The computer I'm using today (right next to the one I was using yesterday, which is now occupied by a Nepali boy playing a video game), is having trouble multi-tasking. I'm copying 100 photos at at time and am hoping the computer doesn't crash. Something sounding like Nepali Ricky Martin is playing on the radio. Oh, and another funny thing about this Internet cafe, which is a hole in the wall that doesn't serve coffee or beverages of any kind: all the keyboards have the letters handwritten on little pieces of paper and taped on. So, the keys don't stick but my fingers stick to the keyboard.
Okay, here are some pics from the first few days of the trip.
Day 1 and 2: 101 World Heritage sites in 8 hours. These were from our sightseeing day around KMD with Shree. You will find more on Brian and Anelle's site.
We visited the gigantic Bodhnath stupa. Surrounding the stupa are hundreds of small shops and several monasteries. We were allowed to go inside one of the monasteries between prayer ceremonies and take photos. At first, I thought the juxtaposition of the traditional and modern was interesting. But then I realized that this clock was positioned in the front of the room within easy view of the monks. Hmmmm. I guess the Rinpoche sometimes gets a little long-winded?
Okay, more photos tomorrow, I promise. I've spent the last three hours downloading disk 2 onto a flash drive. Huge pain in the a**. In fact, I can no longer sit in this seat : )
Namaste!
Okay, here are some pics from the first few days of the trip.
Day 1 and 2: 101 World Heritage sites in 8 hours. These were from our sightseeing day around KMD with Shree. You will find more on Brian and Anelle's site.
We visited the gigantic Bodhnath stupa. Surrounding the stupa are hundreds of small shops and several monasteries. We were allowed to go inside one of the monasteries between prayer ceremonies and take photos. At first, I thought the juxtaposition of the traditional and modern was interesting. But then I realized that this clock was positioned in the front of the room within easy view of the monks. Hmmmm. I guess the Rinpoche sometimes gets a little long-winded?Okay, more photos tomorrow, I promise. I've spent the last three hours downloading disk 2 onto a flash drive. Huge pain in the a**. In fact, I can no longer sit in this seat : )
Namaste!
Sunday, November 9, 2008
One little photo
Okay, if you want to see more photos, go to Brian and Anelle's blog. They have their act together and have been posting photos along the way. I'll be adding photos to my blog as soon as I get them downloaded. After downloading 540-something of 576, there was an "unexpected error" and I had to start over. I did this twice. Ug. There goes 20 rupees. I'll try again tomorrow doing maybe 100 photos at a time to see which photo is causing the hangup.
Here is one from card 1 of 3. Remember the woman cleaning the cow's tail with her hands? Here she is : ) Brian and Anelle will provide the scenic vacation photos. I'll provide the comedic ones. back in kathmandu. the pilot stuck the takeoff : )
hi all,
i'm in an internet cafe in kathmandu. the shift keys stick a bit, hence the lack of caps and some punctuation : ) actually, all the keys stick but the right shift barely works. this must be why it's 40 rupees per hour instead of per minute? for some reason, i still don't have cell service. i'm going to try to get this cleared up today.
we got up at 5:00 am this morning from our deluxe lodge right next to the lukla airstrip. i might sound sarcastic, but really, this place was nirvana. a private bathroom with a free hot shower and flush toilet, and a bed! lovely! i washed my hair 3 times.
this morning, we walked about 5 minutes to the "airport" and harka (our guide who has kept us alive and happy these past 3+ weeks) worked on getting us on an early yeti air flight. yep, yeti airlines. nope, the pilot wasn't a yeti. 6:15 at the lukla airport reminds me of the floor of the stock exchange. pure chaos (but strangely, no farm animals inside the building). the flights for each airline are first-come, first-served. everyone with a reservation for a given day will get on a flight but there are several flights in the day. you are not guaranteed a certain flight. harka managed to get us on an early flight. our flight number was "3" (funny).
the takeoff is even more sketchy in person. the single runway starts at the top of a hill pitched at maybe 30 degrees...i guess it's the only way the pilot can gain enough speed for takeoff : ) flights here are nothing like the US, and not just for the obvious reasons. you don't need to show ID (harka takes care of everything). you don't need to put liquids in a bag. no one checks to see if your seatbelt is fastened (like it matters), no one gives any sort of safety talk (again, like it matters). your carryon bag doesn't go into the overhead compartment (what overhead compartment) or under the seat in front of you...it goes between your knees. it's all about turnaround time. a plane lands, they spend about 3 minutes unloading bags and passengers, another 3 loading, and you're on the runway before you stuffed the cotton in your ears (passed out in a basket by the flight attendent wearing full sherpa attire).
tomorrow, when i have more energy, i'll try to post some photos of the entire trip and maybe some video too.
namaste
i'm in an internet cafe in kathmandu. the shift keys stick a bit, hence the lack of caps and some punctuation : ) actually, all the keys stick but the right shift barely works. this must be why it's 40 rupees per hour instead of per minute? for some reason, i still don't have cell service. i'm going to try to get this cleared up today.
we got up at 5:00 am this morning from our deluxe lodge right next to the lukla airstrip. i might sound sarcastic, but really, this place was nirvana. a private bathroom with a free hot shower and flush toilet, and a bed! lovely! i washed my hair 3 times.
this morning, we walked about 5 minutes to the "airport" and harka (our guide who has kept us alive and happy these past 3+ weeks) worked on getting us on an early yeti air flight. yep, yeti airlines. nope, the pilot wasn't a yeti. 6:15 at the lukla airport reminds me of the floor of the stock exchange. pure chaos (but strangely, no farm animals inside the building). the flights for each airline are first-come, first-served. everyone with a reservation for a given day will get on a flight but there are several flights in the day. you are not guaranteed a certain flight. harka managed to get us on an early flight. our flight number was "3" (funny).
the takeoff is even more sketchy in person. the single runway starts at the top of a hill pitched at maybe 30 degrees...i guess it's the only way the pilot can gain enough speed for takeoff : ) flights here are nothing like the US, and not just for the obvious reasons. you don't need to show ID (harka takes care of everything). you don't need to put liquids in a bag. no one checks to see if your seatbelt is fastened (like it matters), no one gives any sort of safety talk (again, like it matters). your carryon bag doesn't go into the overhead compartment (what overhead compartment) or under the seat in front of you...it goes between your knees. it's all about turnaround time. a plane lands, they spend about 3 minutes unloading bags and passengers, another 3 loading, and you're on the runway before you stuffed the cotton in your ears (passed out in a basket by the flight attendent wearing full sherpa attire).
tomorrow, when i have more energy, i'll try to post some photos of the entire trip and maybe some video too.
namaste
Thursday, November 6, 2008
In Namche again
I'm in Namche again on the way down. Feeling good, cold almost gone. It's pricy here so I'll be quick. Click on my profile and then on to Brian and Annelle's blog. They have a few photos downloaded. I'll figure the photo thing out when it's 20 rupees per hour in KMD rather than 20 per minute here.
Oh, and YEA YEA YEA Obama. People here are very excited and hopeful. It's amazing how closely they've been watching. It's BIG news here. One sherpa woman was wearing an Obama button : )
Later all. I should be KMD in a few days (3, 4, who knows). The airport in Lukla just opened today after being fogged in for 3 days. The weather is clear and beautiful now.
Oh, and Madonna (Like a Prayer), is being blasted in the room below. Odd.
Namaste
Oh, and YEA YEA YEA Obama. People here are very excited and hopeful. It's amazing how closely they've been watching. It's BIG news here. One sherpa woman was wearing an Obama button : )
Later all. I should be KMD in a few days (3, 4, who knows). The airport in Lukla just opened today after being fogged in for 3 days. The weather is clear and beautiful now.
Oh, and Madonna (Like a Prayer), is being blasted in the room below. Odd.
Namaste
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
oh yah
I really miss everyone. It's very weird being out of contact. I hope I get cell service soon.
I'm still standin'!
I'm in Dingboche today. Pretty little village. It's been a long...lots of days, can't count. I'll write more when I get to a cheaper spot. This place has plywood walls and gravel floors and no heat, of course. Funny.
Trekking in Nepal is amazing. The mountains tower over us with each step. It's physically but more mentally exhausting even though I'm doing pretty well, relatively speaking. I haven't had any issues with altitude though mild AMS has plagued my trekmates. Everyone has been on Diamox except me. Unfortunately, Holly had to descend at Machermo due to moderate AMS. She's doing well and probably on a plane back to the states as I write this. So, I'm on my own a little earlier than anticipated. But, so far so good.
So, we're on our way back down. I'm happy about that. It's really very cold up here and I'm happy to not have to sleep in a down coat inside a down sleeping bag. Cho La pass was definitely the most physically exhausting 7 hours of my life. The first three hours involved crawling up a boulder-strewn cliff. The next hour involved crossing snow and ice. And then three hours down a boulder-strewn cliff. Yep, tears were shed : ) I was sure a porter would have to carry me out. But I later realized that I was coming down with a slight cold and had a low fever. My energy was sapped. I could barely put one foot in front of the other.
I'm good now. Feeling good. I'll write more later.
Trekking in Nepal is amazing. The mountains tower over us with each step. It's physically but more mentally exhausting even though I'm doing pretty well, relatively speaking. I haven't had any issues with altitude though mild AMS has plagued my trekmates. Everyone has been on Diamox except me. Unfortunately, Holly had to descend at Machermo due to moderate AMS. She's doing well and probably on a plane back to the states as I write this. So, I'm on my own a little earlier than anticipated. But, so far so good.
So, we're on our way back down. I'm happy about that. It's really very cold up here and I'm happy to not have to sleep in a down coat inside a down sleeping bag. Cho La pass was definitely the most physically exhausting 7 hours of my life. The first three hours involved crawling up a boulder-strewn cliff. The next hour involved crossing snow and ice. And then three hours down a boulder-strewn cliff. Yep, tears were shed : ) I was sure a porter would have to carry me out. But I later realized that I was coming down with a slight cold and had a low fever. My energy was sapped. I could barely put one foot in front of the other.
I'm good now. Feeling good. I'll write more later.
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