Day 1 of the Trek: Lukla to Monjo

Waking through the village it is amazing to see how, even in one year, it is developing into a thriving hub of activity. Along the main 'street' you can buy everything needed for a trek, although I'm sceptical that all the well known brands on display are genuine 

The days walk is scheduled to take us from  9,000ft (2,750m) to 9,300ft (2,850). So the 6 hour journey is going to be relatively level - Wrong!

The trail follows the Dudh Kosi river and is steep ascents and sharp descents, but never level! It's a challenging first day, but rewarded with spectacular views, and best of all, the wonderful Nepali villagers who greet you with a smiling Nemaste as you pass by. 

Here are a few on the highlights:

6 suspension bridges over the river

Flowering rhododendron trees

Himalayan magnolia trees

And a lodge that I presume only accommodates Trekkers from Scotland!

Kathmandu to Lukla

The 35 minute flight from Kathmandu into the SoloKhumbu Valley and landing in Lukla is certainly an adventure in itself. 

Arriving at the domestic terminal it was good news to see they had started on a much needed new extension. The bad news was that we had to walk through the building as it was still being constructed. i.e over pikes of sand & gravel and through puddles of wet cement! From now on I will see Manchester airport in a completely different light. 

Once inside the old terminal it is nothing short of manic confusion: mountains of trekking bags and backpacks, groups of perplexed looking trekkers of every nationality, while Sherpas and porters dash around trying to queue jump at the check in desks of Yeti, Buhdah, Tara & Sita airlines, it's a wonder we ever get our boarding passes. 

Walking through the most basic x-Ray machine, security spotted that I had packed my Swiss Army knife in my backpack (by mistake of course). After a lot of shouting it was duly confiscated, although Our Sherpa promised I would get it back in Lukla - yeah right! 

The 19 seater aircraft was kitted out in what can only be described as bolted down deck chairs (but not as comfortable) and the inflight refreshments were a tray of boiled sweets and cotton wool balls to muffle the sounds if the noisy prop engines. 

However 20 minutes after take off, we were rewarded with our first sight if the majestic snow covered Himalayas

and then it was down to earth with proverbial bump. Lukla has the dubious honour of making the top 10 most dangerous landing strips in the world, with an upward sloping strip that ends in a stone wall. No wonder all the passengers burst into applause after landing (and opening their eyes!). 

amazingly and true to his word, our Sherpa retrieved my army knife from the pilot, faith restored. 

A Very Different Way to Say 'Goodbye'

A 15 minute walk from the hotel is one if Kathmandus holiest of temples, Pashupatinath. I was in two minds as to whether to make the trip as it's where they perform open air cremations; however I'm glad I decided to go. Along the river Bagmati are dozens of Hindu temples and cremation ghats. The ghats are platforms where the family of the deceased prepare the body by removing all clothing and bathing it in the waters of the river- to cleanse any sins- then the body is wrapped, apart from the head, and placed on a funeral pyre. In full view of all the family the fire is lit by the eldest son and farewells are said. I kept a respectful distance, but you can see the smoke in this photo 

To me and I guess most westerners, this seems a really horrific ordeal for the family. Nevertheless the Hindu religion and their views on life and death, prepares the family for this ritual and, for them, it is perfectly natural. Quite amazing. 

Because of its religious significance the area is a magnet for Sadhus, men who give up their worldly goods and embark on a spiritual search - but they do like you to tip them in return for photos!!

There are approximately 150 cremations a day and the whole area is crowded with families and tourists, making it feel like a festival rather than a sad place to say 'Goodbye'. Makes you think. 

3 Hops and You're There

There seemed to be a lot of waiting in airports today. 2 hours at Manchester, 4 hours at Heathrow and 5 at Delhi. 

However if you have to hang around an airport, it's not bad when you have entertainment like this! 

Arriving at Kathmandu airport is pretty much like arriving at many of the airports in India and the Far East; as you clear customs there is a surge of people with banners and opportunist taxi drivers. It can be a bit overwhelming, so imagine my surprise when Sherpa Palou appeared from the crowd to greet me. Palou was the Sherpa who led my trek in the Annapurnas last year. He was at the airport to collect a group of Germans and he recognised me and came over to say hello. Does this mean I'm memorable, famous or infamous!!! whichever, it was a very welcome welcome. 

My hotel pick up arrived soon after and we made the 15 minute drive to the Dwarikas hotel. It's hard to describe the journey, a cross between a destruction Derby, an F1 race and driving through Park Lane traffic the wrong way, with all horns blazing! A mix of exhilaration and fear. More about the chaos of Kathmandu in the next post. It's time for a shower and possibly an Everest Beer. 

I spotted this sign in the centre of Kendal, which is about 4 miles from the village of Levens where we now live. The direction to the right is Scaffel Pike, which at 3,210ft (978m) is the highest mountain in England. I was lucky enough to get to the summit twice last year, both times on glorious sunny days; however it's now time to set off for the direction on the left i.e. Everest. I'm hoping to climb to base camp which is 17,590ft and also Kalar Pattar at 18,209ft. It will be a long way short of Everest's summit of 29,029ft, but it's as far as I can go without getting into a technical climb!
I'll be making as many posts as I can to this blog using my iPhone, so please excuse typos, misspells and poor grammar - it's going to get cold.
I hope you will follow me on the journey and enjoy the amazing country of Nepal.