Showing posts with label Kathmandu. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kathmandu. Show all posts
Getting to Nepal
April 3rd. 2015: Getting to Nepal
First task is to sort out all the gear I need for the trip, then chuck half it back into the press. While the weight allowance on the international flights is about 30kgs there are limits on (a) the internal flights from Kathmandu to Lukla and the return trip. I also have to consider the sherpas as they will have to carry most of the weight while I carry everything I need for each day. This vary depending on weather, distance etc.
I went into town yesterday (April 2nd. ) to purchase a device to facilitate carrying my camera on my chest while minimising the weight on my shoulders. I could not find anything that suited me or that would coexist with my backpack. So, back home I went to try a devise something. I created a gadget that attaches to the straps of my backpack thus removing the necessity to have it around my neck. With a few hours to spare before departing I brought the straps to a boot maker and outlined where I needed him to stitch it up. He didn't even charge me. Came home and attached it to the backpack. It has quick release clips to allow me take shots with ease while one side is still secured to my pack.
Gear sorted by 3:30am. My gear bag weights 17.5 kgs and my backpack for the flight is 5Kgs. Off to bed now to try and get a few hours sleep ZZZZZZzzzzzzz......
Brenda called me from San Francisco at 7am. While I was delighted to hear from her I would have liked another hour or two in my leaba (bed).
John decides to capture a couple of photos as I prepare to leave the house
Off to the Airport, checked in Gear Bag, went through security and into the lounge in Terminal 2. I met Ian there with Ronan, Viktor, Paul and John. We were then joined by Lisa, Catriona and finally Aileen.
The flight from Dublin to Abu Dhabi was half empty so many people moved to the empty spaces once the plane had levelled off. They lay across the four middle seats and slept most of the way. I had a window seat and a spare space beside me. Still I did not sleep, no surprise there. Aileen and I had an eight hour stopover in Abu Dhabi before our flight to Kathmandu.
We arrived at our hotel in Kathmandu just as the rest of the team we coming back from dinner. So, Aileen, John and myself took a short stroll down the narrow street and located a small restaurant where we enjoyed omelet and chips. Conscious that we had a early start the next morning we went straight back to the hotel to grab a few hours sleep.
The International Guest House is just one minute from the busy Thamel district of Kathmandu. Her you will find busy narrow street with restaurants, bars, shops etc. I will cover Kathmandu later in this blog.
First task is to sort out all the gear I need for the trip, then chuck half it back into the press. While the weight allowance on the international flights is about 30kgs there are limits on (a) the internal flights from Kathmandu to Lukla and the return trip. I also have to consider the sherpas as they will have to carry most of the weight while I carry everything I need for each day. This vary depending on weather, distance etc.
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| I took over a spare room at home to start sorting all my gear for the trip. |
Gear sorted by 3:30am. My gear bag weights 17.5 kgs and my backpack for the flight is 5Kgs. Off to bed now to try and get a few hours sleep ZZZZZZzzzzzzz......
Brenda called me from San Francisco at 7am. While I was delighted to hear from her I would have liked another hour or two in my leaba (bed).
John decides to capture a couple of photos as I prepare to leave the house
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| Not posed, I promise. John snapped this photo as I was leaving the house. Why was he not taking some of the baggage? |
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| L to R, Ian, Ronan, Caitriona, Lisa and Aileen |
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| Leaving the green fields of Ireland behind |
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| Coming in to land at Abu Dhabi Airport |
The International Guest House is just one minute from the busy Thamel district of Kathmandu. Her you will find busy narrow street with restaurants, bars, shops etc. I will cover Kathmandu later in this blog.
Lukla Airport - what's all the fuss about!!
Up at 4am for transfer to airport and flight to Lukla.
I have been looking forward to this flight since I first read about it. Go on-line and see all the hype about the trip to the No. 1 most Dangerous Airport in the World. Nothing like a bit of a thrill to get this adventure off to a great start. (have a look at this YouTube video Lukla Airport )
This tiny plane came complete with our own air hostess. After being crammed into our seats she gave each of us a sweet to suck and two cotton wool balls. Looks like this going to be a noisy flight too.
Here we go...
We fly above and through the mountains to reach Tenzing-Hilllary airport in Lukla. I am told the pilots use sight as opposed to instruments to navigate their way into the airport.
Apart from some minor turbulence our flight went off without incident with a perfect landing and docking.
Only half our team got on the first flight. We moved from the airport to a small restaurant where we enjoyed our breakfast and waited for the remainder of our group to join us.
You Must Haggle
(but please make sure they make a profit : ) )
I took a short stroll into a nearby street to purchase a map showing the trail to Everest Base Camp. I was unaware the young girl was actually haggling with me about the price. This is what they expect. She clearly thought I was demented or suffering from the effect of being at 2800mts. She kept bringing the price down. As my hearing is slightly impaired I did not always hear what she was saying so she picked up a calculator and entered the amount she wanted. As I fumbled with my notes she presented me with a lower number. And so it went without me ever objecting to the price. I also purchased some bottled water for this first day on the mountains.
When I rejoined the group I told them what I paid for the map. It was a small fraction of what others had paid after haggling. I could not claim any credit for being a good haggler as this was a very one sided event. I just hope she still made a profit, I'm sure she did.
On the issue of water, I had taken sterilising tablets with me but in the end decided I would purchase bottled water each day instead. We had been warned that it would get more expensive the higher up the mountains we went. This is completely understandable as everything has to be carried up the mountains on yaks or manually by the locals. They are a relatively small people but yet they can carry weights greater than I could lift, just amazing.
Eventually the rest of our trekking group arrive. We all meet the trek staff and porters who will assist us for the rest of our journey to Base Camp and back. While the second part of our team get some food our bags are loaded up to be transferred to our destination for day 1. At this point there was some uncertainty because of the late arrival of the second half of our group.
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| A beautiful early morning for our flight to Lukla |
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| This is our plane - Looks OK? - Baggage crammed into every available space. |
Here we go...
We fly above and through the mountains to reach Tenzing-Hilllary airport in Lukla. I am told the pilots use sight as opposed to instruments to navigate their way into the airport.
Apart from some minor turbulence our flight went off without incident with a perfect landing and docking.
Only half our team got on the first flight. We moved from the airport to a small restaurant where we enjoyed our breakfast and waited for the remainder of our group to join us.You Must Haggle
(but please make sure they make a profit : ) )
I took a short stroll into a nearby street to purchase a map showing the trail to Everest Base Camp. I was unaware the young girl was actually haggling with me about the price. This is what they expect. She clearly thought I was demented or suffering from the effect of being at 2800mts. She kept bringing the price down. As my hearing is slightly impaired I did not always hear what she was saying so she picked up a calculator and entered the amount she wanted. As I fumbled with my notes she presented me with a lower number. And so it went without me ever objecting to the price. I also purchased some bottled water for this first day on the mountains.
When I rejoined the group I told them what I paid for the map. It was a small fraction of what others had paid after haggling. I could not claim any credit for being a good haggler as this was a very one sided event. I just hope she still made a profit, I'm sure she did.
On the issue of water, I had taken sterilising tablets with me but in the end decided I would purchase bottled water each day instead. We had been warned that it would get more expensive the higher up the mountains we went. This is completely understandable as everything has to be carried up the mountains on yaks or manually by the locals. They are a relatively small people but yet they can carry weights greater than I could lift, just amazing.
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| The rest of our group arrive |
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