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.