Departure to Lukla!
So we could finally depart to Lukla, the weather had changed and allowed us to fly in. I must admit that I was a bit nervous but it was too late to change my mind and I was also very excited about it.
We went in a Twin Otter, 14 seater. I knew that I would get the best views on the left side so I tried to get as far in front as possible so I also could film the landing.
After around 15 mins I could see Mt Everest and the Himalayas. It was fantastic. I will upload pictures when I can, but so nice. It's so high! Wow!
We started to turn left and flew pretty low, and I knew that the landing was near as all planes come in from that angle. The pilots started to put up flaps or what ever they do, and prepared for landing. I could only see the mountain so I hoped there was a landing strip. Suddenly it appeared and then we landed. The plane stopped in seconds and we went out. On the runway there was already a group waiting to board and they were gone in a few minutes. When the clouds are away it's shuttle traffic in and out of Lukla!
When we landed we went to a guest house for breakfast and to meet our guides, and they are pretty impressive and amazing!
Tashi Sherpa
Tashi is our head guide and he has been up Mt Everest TWICE! He has done it from both Nepali and Tibet sides and will do it again next year. We are obviously in very safe hands!
Bali is the assistant guide leading the group in front and he is so cool. On top of that we have two other Sherpas to help us. One thing most of us westerners got wrong is that Sherpas are porters. They are not. Sherpas are an ethnic group living in the Himalayas. They came 1548 from eastern Tibet and as nomads they moved until they found a good place for settlement, and they really liked the Himalayas. Their lives have changed since tourism came and has given them a new kind of income and work, but also a high demand. Us tourists demand water, showers, food we recognise etc. and we litter in the forest which is not ok. This has now got better, and the government is supporting the tourism. And I can only say that they do a fantastic job. All villages on the way are so pretty and well made, and the people are humble, nice and generous. I love them all and hope I come back. I will truly enjoy this trek.
Nepali flat and fantastic apples
Today we will trek for a few hours to our first camp site which is close to Tashis home, and it's a route in terrain called "Nepali flat". That means up and down, but not much either way. We arrived around midday and had lunch. Then we checked in to our rooms in our guest house and it was really nice rooms, so much better than expected. Both me and my roomie Barbora ("Babs") were truly impressed.
Then we walked to Tashis home and met his mother. She is probably one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen. So glowing and kind, and it was like a picture from a fairytale seeing her picking apples for us in the garden. Then we had a tea in their house, and that was so nice. Sherpa houses are built in a special way and they have wood downstairs, the stairs in the back and a dining room upstairs.
Tashi eating an apple from his garden
Tomorrow we will have a longer walk staring with Nepali flat, then turning into quite a steep climbing. We will also cross a really high suspension bridge which will be exciting :)
Good night!
Jen x
Comments
Post a Comment