We had reached Lukla a day earlier than planned, i.e. on May 30th. That afternoon we visited Tashi at the gompa in Lukla where he was busy preparing for an upcoming festival.
The gompa in Lukla
With Tashi Sherpa at the monastery
Masks for the upcoming festival in the gompa's store room
Junior monks making display items out of dough
Kathmandu, we have a problem
There is an interesting system (or lack thereof) for actually getting on a flight out of Lukla. Of course, you must have a reservation but that's just for starters. There is a complex system of patronage between lodge owners and the airline staff which determines which flight in the day you actually get scheduled on. When the weather is reliable, this is not so important but when it isn't, it's much more likely that you will get out if you're scheduled on an early morning flight.
On the 31st, we were scheduled for the 11th flight of the day but only 4 flights actually made it. Of course, our original reservation was for the 1st so this did not throw us off too much. Now, there's absolutely nothing to do in Lukla so we were very much looking forward to getting out on the 1st, which was our original schedule. For reasons unknown, we were placed on the 12th flight for that day despite having a reservation for 9 AM. We spent the entire day at the airport watching flights come and go but by the time the 11th flight for the day departed, we feared the worst. The 12th flight never showed up and we were stuck for at least another day. All around were folks who had spent several days in Lukla and we were now joining their ranks. Strangely, the airline staff makes no attempt to get stranded passengers out. If anything, they place them on later flights in the day making your chances of actually getting out get worse with each passing day.
On the 2nd, there were absolutely no flights in (and hence out of) Lukla. Helicopters were, however, flying. Since the walk from Lukla to the nearest road takes three days and our flight out was on the 5th, we were starting to panic. It's fair to say that the 2nd of June was quite stressful - the cell phone networks were dreadful and so we were at the mercy of the lodge owner to come up with an alternate arrangement. Eventually, he was able to charter a helicopter for us from Kathmandu but only after I had paid a princely sum to a random airport employee... Welcome to the third world!
To cut a long story short, as the helicopter neared Lukla, the weather packed up with a vengeance. The ground staffer suggested that the helicopter could land at Chaurikharkha, about 30 min back down the trail where the weather was better. With bags and all we began a frantic rush to the helipad, back down the EBC trail! Out of nowhere, Pemba reappeared and was quickly pressed into service. Finally at about 5.30 PM, the helicopter showed up, but of course, the weather in Lukla had cleared up by this point so it went there for fuel. It then landed in Chaurikharka and picked us up and off we went to Kathmandu.
Of course, the helicopter ride was thrilling. It was a huge relief to be getting out. We couldn't wait to get back to the apartment in Kathmandu, take three showers in a row, and eat some 'home-cooked' food. Fortunately, there were no more hiccups and we were back in the very comfortable Retreat Serviced Apartments by late evening.
Around Kathmandu
We had nearly three days to decompress in Kathmandu. Given that some of us were nursing colds and a cough, we were somewhat reluctant to step out into the rather polluted streets. We did however visit Swayambhunath Temple, Bhaktapur and Pashupathinath Temple.
A couple of photographs to close out this post and our trip.
At Swayambhunath temple
We later discovered that we were all about 10 lbs lighter!
This is a common style in Kathmandu - pagoda shaped temples that house Hindu deities
At Bhaktapur - a Newari city of temples. There was a significant amount of earthquake damage here
There are clear Tibetan and Japanese influences on what was essentially a Hindu town
Some beautiful woodwork still survives
At a Thangka art school and gallery. Bhaktapur is a complicated mix of residential, business, and historical sites
A famous window.
Pashupathinath Temple. Photography is not allowed inside and it was extremely crowded.
Outward Bound With all the preparations done, clothing and equipment gathered, and most importantly, the kids' school year finished, we set out from Phoenix on May 12th for Kathmandu. Of necessity, we would be trekking at the tail end of the tourist season, hopefully just beating out the crowds and the monsoon. In high spirits just before leaving home Kathmandu We arrived in Kathmandu in the late evening of May 14th. The airport has a small town feel and we found that this description is appropriate for the capital city itself. We were soon settled into the Retreat Serviced Apartments where we would stay until our departure for Lukla on May 16th. The property is located close to the Swayambhunath temple. Swayambhunath Temple - check out that Jacaranda! A view of Kathmandu from our apartment We spent most of the 15th in Thamel, the trekking district of Kathmandu, tying up details with Bikram Thapa of Summit Treks and Adventure, whom I had engaged t...
The long way home Gokyo to Mongla The route out from Gokyo follows the moraine of the Ngozumpa glacier for a long time; passing a few lakes similar to the one at Gokyo. Cho Oyu (8188m) occupies the rear view mirror but the weather didn't cooperate too well. On the trail back from Gokyo. It passes by a series of lakes. Cho Oyu (8188m) The trail then passes through beautiful alpine meadows via the villages of Phanga, Machermo and Dhole. Frustratingly, it descends into each village that is set in a valley and then climbs out again. Machermo village. The trail drops into each village and back up again on the far side. We finally stopped in Dhole for lunch. Indeed, this was our original destination when we left Gokyo but since we were making good time, Mingma decided that we should head on to Mongla. Little did we know that a brutal climb lay ahead. Indeed, our elaborate plan to avoid the climb back up from Phunki Tenga on the Bhote Kosi to Nam...
Dingboche to Lobuche Leaving Dingboche, the trail first heads to the little trekking village of Dughla. Our itinerary (courtesy Lonely Planet) called for a halt at Dughla but it appeared that most people were headed straight to Lobuche. Looking back towards Pheriche which is at the bottom of the valley. Dingboche is to the left. Kangtega and Thamserku in the distance. The trail in these parts was quite sandy and there was a good deal of dust. Latha was careful to keep her mouth covered as much as possible. Kangtega, Thamserku, and Ama Dablam (not in the picture, towards the left) dominate the skyline here Ama Dablam Although the trail was relatively flat, the altitude was definitely taking a toll Pit stop at Dughla We were soon at Dughla which is at 4620m. It turned out that it was not the best place to stop for the night with only two simple lodges and not much else to do. It was clear why nobody was stopping there. Leaving Dughla, w...
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