Back again folks.
After flying back to Bangkok, I had a single night near the airport before flying to Kathmandu to begin my Nepal leg. Tina flew out that night at midnight, and after some good byes, I tried to get my head back into the solo travel mode ( not easy but necessary ). My gut had other plans. Human bodies are strange things, and as soon as Tina drove off, I ran to the bathroom. Well timed! My second bout of traveler’s sickness attacked ( 3rd overall intestinal battle ). I was flying at 10 am to Nepal, and was not sure I would make it. I was up most of the night with this one and had no antibiotics to keep it at bay. I loaded up with immodium, and through no small miracle, made my flight.
I landed in Kathmandu around noon, and was greeted by my trekking company. Kathmandu is a much wilder city than I’ve been to before, with a much more western Asian feel, like how you would imagine India. I settled into my hotel in the Thamel district and had 3 nights to rest up, and get healthy before I journeyed into the mountains for 17 days. Not thrilled by my state of health, I laid pretty low.
The Thamel area is loaded with chaos. Tight streets with no sidewalks, shops everywhere peddling trekking goods and random trinkets, and drivers ripping around in cars, on motorbikes, and riding barefoot on bikes make it a wild scene. After checking in with my trekking company, meeting my guide, and grabbing last minute goods, I basically laid in bed resting in hopes of being healthy to begin the physically demanding adventure. I was a bit sad not to take in the city tour, as Kathmandu has many famous sites to see, but I would have a couple days on the other side to see the city.
My 3 nights passed by, and on the 22nd of April, my guide Venn picked me up in the morning and we headed to the airport. We boarded our tiny 15 seater propeller driven plane to fly into one of the sketchiest landing strips in the world, Lukla airport. The flight was smooth, cruising in between the mountains, when suddenly the pilot points the nose to the ground and dives into the runway. Not for the faint of heart. We landed fine on the uphill strip, and banked hard right to finally stop. Not so bad :).
After collecting my bag, a moderate 15kg ( 33lbs ) I would have to lug up and down the mountain side with me, we headed straight out on the trail. The first day was a modest 2.5 hours into the first mountain town of Phakding. I got a taste of the glorious views I would be treated to. Words and photos cannot do it justice. This lower elevation also has beautiful flowers, trees, and some high up suspension bridges to get you over the fast flowing glacial rivers.
I was on my way down the Everest highway, very excited to see how I would handle the altitude and challenges that lie ahead.
Stay tuned!