Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Richard and (eventually) Akichow head to Himalaya

Got chased out of Dzongla by loads of snow, so no Chola crossing for me...

Who'd have thought..
Got an invite from the Koreans to come visit up at EBC...
700 climbers...500 Sherpas...200 kitchen staff...
What's gonna happen this year...already one confirmed icefall death.

So, I'm hanging out at the Sunrise Lodge, which in a previous life was called the Garden Lodge (burned down in a heater accident a long while back), and the "baby" is basically running the show...

It's interesting how time flies...

This is another highlight moment and I'm loving the fact that I have WiFi so I can share some old memories with the parents...

One Last Hoorah...
Popped a few pain killers and paid attention to how I put on the knee brace and...
Did a day-climb of the Zatrwala La...
Poor weather...no views...but a real snow climb before leaving Nepal...(sorry honey...couldn't resist)...
Got a few more attaboys from some Sherpas up in the area...


Or Maybe Not...
Got bumped from my flight because I refused to pay a $10 fee to "confirm" my seat... I really am getting pissed at all the Stupid Tourists who fall into this corruption trap... I've got plenty of time to get back to KTM...


I wanna...
See the Thompson Clan...
Sit in front of a meal that tastes good and I can't finish.. (Think WPS...)
Hear Myles babble on about climbing...
See Amy's smile...

In other words, I'm ready to get home...and up to the Portal.

So Richard reminds me of the story about the flight where the plane was having engine trouble and after the first engine went down , the flight engineer says no worry a 15 minute longer flight, the second engine fails 30 minute longer flight the third engine fails one of the passengers in the economy section remarks if the fourth engine fails they will be up there all day!
Pay the $10.00 and come on home the crew is drifting in !

I'll second that!! (cute story Doug! )

Bottleneck (via improved weather) cleared yesterday...
I'll be in KTM by 10:00am, without paying the corrupt $10 fee) this morning unless...

Those stories are why I much prefer the Portal and Hostel these days...

BTW: for anyone's future reference on telecom in Nepal, I got the real story on Nepal Telecom...

Most NCell sellers in Thamel will tell you that foreigners can't but an NT SIM...

Not true. You just need to go to their main office in Patan.

NT has much better coverage throughout the country... The problem is...they (both companies) will bounce you off the network whenever they feel there is too much traffic on the net... I'm experiencing that right now in waiting for a signal so I can call my wife to let her know I'm flying...

You're gonna love this one Doug...

Plane Problems
...unless weather keeps the plane from taking off...I'm walking to Phaplu or Salleri now...an alternative airport, or the village where I'm going to attempt to steal a jeep...

But, I'm not the only one with plain problems...while walking, I was sure I recognized a Sherpa who was also walking...when he caught up to me, he asked if I recognized him...I said yes, but did not remember where...he stated that he was the one who told me to go down at Dzongla and not try to cross the Chola solo with the new snow...he asked if I had made Gokyo and I said yes...by going around... Now onto his problem...his passport was expired...they wouldn't let him get on the plane at Lukla...he was walking back to his home village to get some documents for renewal.

Hey Cayden
The baby at the Hotel in Gokyo was named Maya...

Ur In Trouble
Did you know you can get dehydrated in the rain? What was essentially a five hour walk in the rain...with no water because I dumped it prior to "getting on the plane"...and after drinking nearly two liters of Hot Lemon...no bathroom breaks overnight...I guess I'll have to drink a ton of tea at breakfast.

The Smell In The Room
Gets more and more colorful each day...I'm pretty sure I'm leaving my boots in Nepal...two months of Yak/Donkey/Mule/whatever dung...

My Pack Sure Feels Heavy
I guess when you think you're done carrying it and you have to pick it up again...looking for $4!7 to throw away right now...

My Knee Hurts
I've got at least 8-9 hours of hard walking if I want the walking to end today...

(Yeah, I know...I'm an idiot.)

If I Ever Get Back To KTM
I'm gonna try and get those "Eat At The Portal Store" shirts made up finally...ought to be cheap over here ...as long as a I do it outside of Thamel... Thinking a picture of the WPS and the caption in a semi-circle above... Make comments while I'm walking...

.......................

Addendum -
I got picked up by a Land Cruiser a few k out of Phaplu. My Sherpa Guardian Angel had told me not to pay more than 2500 rupies for the ride to KTM... I got a bonus ride down to town... We leave at 0400...

I guess I'm done walking...
I'm going to get a beer or two or three..
Bye for now...

Hey Richard,

Enjoyed the pics you've posted up so far and the updates. Safe travels home.

T

Doug your plane story is a hoot!

Thanks.
I added a few more photos to the album...
Amazing morning views of the Himalaya as we drove out from Phaplu...
I was going to add a heading "Stupid Sometimes Succeeds"...
But considering what happened a few hours into the fun four-wheelin, maybe Lucky Again is more appropriate...
I've decided that I'm done with high-risk adventures over here...might mean all I do for the next few days is drink beer.

BTW, it was nineteen hours before I was in a hotel room...not my own because they had locked up for the night...that's eighteen-plus hours of four-wheelin for less than thirty bucks...seriously, there may have been a little more than an hour of pavement...defies description what Nepal calls roads!

Not to be bragging or anything, but I made it to Namche a day faster than Chad Kellogg made it to Lukla:

http://www.explorersweb.com/kellogg7


There's also news from Ueli Steck about some brouhaha on Everest:

http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/politics/She...ml?cid=35670568

Just saw KT flash by as I was heading back into Thamel...tried to catch his attention...knew I wouldn't catch up without straining the knee.

how did you hurt your knees? i renewed my passport so got to stick around town another two weeks. at least it'll be valid for another decade. not that i plan to travel for that long...

i'm always good for a beer. the Everest and Ghorka beer kind of grew on me. we can complain about the prices in the Everest region. 600Rs for Dal Bhat?!?

The couple of days spent sleeping in my hotel room were used to sample some of the different Nepali beers...for some reason I really like Nepal Ice, but Everest, Gorka, etc will do just fine.

I'm flying home this morning...sorry I missed out on the opportunity to stop by The Courtyard.

Knee injury is probably just overuse...I put in a few really hard days going around to Gokyo and then hammered over the Renjo La too...didn't help that I did about fourteen hours of hard walking to get to Phaplu for the non-existant plane to KTM (I did enjoy seeing that part of Nepal.)

By the time I got back to KTM, I had blown over a K for about three weeks...I did whole vacations over here for way less in the past (minus airfare).

a lot cheaper (and better) way to stay sane than psychiatric care

But I think a lot would agree that I could use some time with a shrink...

I'd like to take this moment to share the Lukla experience.

Yes, you've probably all heard about it the "most dangerous airport in the world," according to a History Channel documentary in 2010. I now believe that it would be wrong, or at least highly frustrating, to think about the Lukla experience solely in terms of its functional value (i.e., transportation to Khumbu region). Om mani padme hum. It is part of the journey.

So, here are my impressions/experience. Photos and video may follow when I get back to the States.

April 16-17: Kathmandu to Lukla
A/k/a/ "We don't need no stinkin' plane!"

Uh oh. My guide informs me that our scheduled flight is at 9:30 a.m. on April 16. When flying to Lukla, the earlier the better...

By the way, no need to shut off your electronic devices, or put your cell phone on airplane mode. This may be your last day on earth, and you should enjoy it! And no one will stop you! (However, the security pat downs at KTH's regional airport make the TSA pat downs seem entirely chaste by comparison.)

Success! At around 11:00 a.m., we are loaded on to our plane, and take off! Wow! But I won't relax until we actually land in Lukla.

Man, is this a bumpy flight. Look, thunderheads. The previously chatty woman in back of me has turned to stone. Literally. She has become alabaster white and is staring straight ahead, unmoving. Her husband is holding her tight. What else can he do?

As we are nearing Lukla, the flight attendant is summoned to the cockpit. She then turns around. "We are going back to Kathmandu." Something about high winds. Or visibility. Or both. (They don't have radar in Lukla, from what I understand.)

Groan. I mean, om mani padme hum!

So we fly back through the now far more-developed thunderheads to Kathmandu. The ride out was smooth sailing by comparison. I am trying to experience this as a "free, unscheduled" aerial tour of the Kathmandu Valley. Om padme mani um. But I am not thrilled to be back in noisy, dusty, loud KTH for another day.

That afternoon, I am told that our flight has been rescheduled for 10:30 a.m. the next day. It seems that they honor the existing reservations for a day first, and then add flights to address the needs of previously unsuccessful passengers. So if you play this game, each day, your flight may be later and later, meaning less and less chance of actually leaving KTH. (If you show up at 6 a.m. at the airport and plead, you may be able to game the system and get on an earlier flight. My guide did not, however, propose that approach. Which turned out okay.)

So, on April 17, back to the airport for a flight that I am, from the start, certain will never take off. The guide installs me in the airport dining room. I enjoy the airport daal baht.

At some point, my guide comes running in and breathlessly proposes that we charter a helicopter flight with some other folks who are similarly stranded. The cost: $500, but I'll get a refund of my airplane ticket. (Guide: "It is the only way.") SOLD!

Sometime around 1 p.m., me, three other trekkers, and two guides load into this teeny weensy helicopter. I am in front, next to the pilot, with controls at my knees. I am prepared to be scared sh*tless. But I am also kind of thrilled. The helicopter sound starts to build and then the helicopter lifts, tilts forward, and swings away. Immediately, I love it, and there is no fear...just a huge smile plastered across my face as I quickly get use to the gentle sway of the copter. I even text a friend, in real time, how much fun it is.

The helicopter hugs the terrain (apparently this is how helicopters deal with the visibility problems that befuddle the planes). As we contour across ridges, we are so low that you can see the wave effect of the helicopter blast in the foliage below. Updrafts and downdrafts keep the pilot on his toes, and he is constantly making little adjustments. I am having the time of my life.

While visibility is poor, we do get occasional, tantalizing glimpses of glacier covered mountains far above us. Scale is impossible to assess.

We land in Lukla with no further delays, and start the trek. (Topic of later report).

Fast forward.

May 6: Lukla to Kathmandu
A/k/a: "What could be easier?"

We end our trek in Lukla on May 5. When we get to our lodge, my guide immediately checks to find out what flight we are on the next morning, and proudly announces that we are on the "first flight"! So, the plan is wake up at 5:30 a.m., to the airport at 6 a.m. I am very optimistic, based on this news.

We get to the airport a bit earlier, and it is an absolute madhouse. Trekkers, guides, every which way. Nothing landing yet except helicopters.

I get my boarding pass. It has a big "4" on it. Not a "1" but a "4." Oh well, still a low number. That seems good, right? The Nepali woman next to me look at my boarding pass, and then proudly shows me hers. It has a big "1" on it. She beams at me, pointing to her "1." She has won the lottery! (I am so used to imperfect communication at this point that I don't bother to ask my guide about the "4.")

Around 6 a.m., the first flight from Lukla lands. Someone official starts screaming "Flight ONE! Flight ONE!" Everyone with a "1" on their boarding pass excitedly pours out the door onto the tarmac. Flight 1 is still taxiing the short distance to its resting sport.

What happens next is hard to describe. Perhaps an analogy is best. Imagine being on an aircraft carrier, with planes simultaneously landing, loading, unloading, and taking off, all within a few hundred square feet. It is choreographed chaos. The goal being to move as many people as possible within the small window (of unknown duration) before winds/visibility become a problem.

As Flight 1 comes to a rest, Flight 3 lands (where is Flight 2?). Meanwhile, Flight 1 is unloaded, reloaded, and takes off in the shortest time imaginable. Wait, here is Flight 4 coming in. Finally, as we are loading Flight 4 (and as Flight 3 is getting reading to take off) Flight 2 lands. Meanwhile, helicopters are coming and going. This is a tiny airport, so everything is happening within a few feet of everything else. Everything is in motion. There are so many moving pieces that it is like being in a video game. Om mani padme hum!

I know not to relax until we actually take off. And we do! It's quite a runway...angled steeply downhill and terminating rather abruptly at a cliff edge. But the plane gets aloft quite quickly.

Success!

Not as exciting as the heli ride, but still a lot of fun. After maybe 10 minutes, I look right, and see Everest, Lhotse, Pumori in the distance.

The ride does get very bumpy for a while. For about 10 minutes, one of the pilots never takes his hand off the thing-a-ma-gig handles hanging from the roof of the little plane. He, like the helicopter pilot before, appears to be constantly making little adjustments. And then smooth sailing.

A flight attendant goes through the plane now handing out cotton balls and the worst-tasting candies I have ever tasted.

As we get off the plane in Kathmandu, I notice several women passengers are holding air sickness bags. The bags are bulging. The women are clutching them tightly, and forget to dispose of them before getting on the little bus that takes us to baggage claim.

And by 8:30 a.m., I am checked into my KTH hotel, enjoying an excellent breakfast of potatoes and an omelette.

Typing in the lobby of the Courtyard. Waiting for my second shower in three weeks.

(Yoo-hoo, Kevin! I am in the lobby of the Courtyard, typing on the computers there and waiting for my room to be ready!)

Hi I like those flying machines that make no sense why they fly and the drivers are always telling you how great they are , see a real plane would not fly in this weather!

You know at times it helps to drop a name or two of famous people to get to the front of the line. Hint seems like if you are following Richard P I would think about blasting out I KNOW Richard...... pay the $10.00, plan on buying more batts and smile wide as you pass customs.

Sounds like you are having a trip of a life time maybe a dual slide show this summer?? Stay safe. Doug

4th paragraph up reminds me that my Shotgun Seat in the 4WD from Phaplu was given to as young Nepali Girl who probably hadn't been in a Jeep before...they had to hand her shopping bags that she kept filling with barf...I felt sorry for her, but also think it may have been that she was knocked up and Morning Sick, rather than car sick...

Enjoyed the stories...Lukla is a fun place to hang out until you get bumped for multiple days in a row...

Yeah, I should gave just paid the baksheesh instead of doing an additional fourteen hours of walking and eighteen hours of bumpy riding...

Wow, Karin, I am just in awe of this whole trip of yours and your experiences… it has certainly been an adventure!! What a great report! I am NOT a good flyer and became more and more anxious as I read your descriptions of these helicopter rides and flights. Yah... I would have been the "alabaster lady" with my eyes closed and trying very hard to focus on my breathing. But I SO appreciate your posts, thank you for sharing!