Monday 22nd March 2010 - Flying to Lukla?

Monday 22nd March 2010 - Flying to Lukla?

Today is the day we crack on and get out of Kathmandu. The day begins early with a 05.30am wake up call. We were told last night to strip our rucksacks down to the bare essentials, 12 to 15kg's each. I typically have packed way too many spare items in comparison to other people so I have a lot to strip out. At least I will have loads of clean clothes to wear once we get back to Kathmandu. Luckily our passports and other personal items can be left at Hotel Tibet in a secure room. One less thing to worry about looking after. Having what I think is my last hot shower for some time we meet downstairs at 06.00am for breakfast. I am excited but also a little nervous. I have read loads of information about the Lukla flight and I am really not looking forward to it. Needs must however and I cannot wait to get out of Kathmandu and into the mountains.

Today I indulge in some cornflakes, coffee and a fresh omelet and I even have a croissant. Calories are not an issue for me on this trip. We load our gear onto the roof of the bus and leave the hotel at 07.00am or so. The airport itself is built for handling only the internal flights of Nepal so is quite small. We have to wait around for quite some time before getting through security, this in turn is followed by another long stint of waiting on the other side. Before too long we know something is wrong and soon our fears are realised. Due to overcast "hazy" conditions in Lukla the planes cannot land on the runway. It's funny but this never occurred to me the entire time I was planning and waiting for this trip to come around. Unfortunately for us and for countless other trekkers the flights would eventually be cancelled for the day, but it took until lunch time for them to make that decision which meant sitting on the floor for endless hours trying to pass the time. One benefit I guess is it has afforded me the opportunity to get to know some of the other guys a bit better.

I take the time to have a look around the airport at the faces of my fellow travelers. There are trekkers, climbers, Sherpas, guides, porters and locals all waiting for flights. Before checking in through security I noticed a lot of expedition equipment and I find myself looking into the future at myself being back here, older, hopefully wiser and awaiting my own expedition, only then to the top of the world rather than base camp. I can imagine the excitement of those fortunate enough to be going there now and I have to admit to a feeling of jealousy - my day will come but for now back to the task at hand.

It's hard to put down time like this, still it could be worse. Some people were en route to Lukla and had to turn around and come back to Kathmandu. During this time I also notice that the locals like to stare a lot. Asif explains to me that this is because they are as fascinated by us as we are with them, they just want recognition by way of a nod or a smile. I have found that on previous holidays I have never made an effort to immerse myself into the local culture, to meet new people and expand my horizons. I think that's down to fear of the unknown. This time however I will have to, I am on my own for the first time and I have to admit to thoroughly enjoying it. Yes I miss home but I like having responsibility for my own actions, decisions about what I want. It's liberating.

It's at least 1.00pm before Prackash gets official word of the flight being cancelled and while we know its coming its still disappointing news. We were all looking forward to getting out of Kathmandu but now its at least another night in Hotel Tibet. I think of myself being at base camp and being told you cannot go to the summit due to bad weather, that's real disappointment and frustration. Once we get re-checked into our rooms I get another shower. After a day sitting on the floor at the airport I feel I need a good clean, another benefit I guess of still being here is the ability to email home and more importantly Laura.

Ten of us (all male for some reason) decide to head to Thamel again tonight for dinner. Ebrahim and Asif told us about the Halal restaurant they were in the night before, it sounded good to us so we all decided to eat together again. We allow Asif full control over ordering our meal for us. We decided to order loads of different dishes and sample each dish. It was an excellent idea and nice to taste loads of different

flavors. I think we ended up paying 800 rupees each, thats about £8 in UK money. What a bargain.