Sunday 4th April 2010 - Lukla to Kathmandu on the world's worst plane journey

Sunday 4th April 2010 - Lukla to Kathmandu on the world's worst plane journey

Today is the day I have been worried about for so much of this trip. I've tried to put it to the back of my mind until today. If we do not take off this morning I am not sure what I will do. Our flight is the third of the Tara Air flights due to leave today at approximately 08.30am. We get to the airport and it looks as if the flights are taking off, thank god. In all the time I was worried about it not taking off I am now actually nervous about the flight taking off. This has been dubbed the world's most dangerous flight and I have already had the privilege of seeing how steep the runway is so naturally I am a little nervous. I am not normally nervous with flying but this one has me edgy. The look of the plane we will by flying on does not really help.

I have to be a little anti social today and the only thing I can only on is plugging in my mp3 player and listening to some Keane, Snow Patrol and try just to relax. We have to wait for longer than expected which adds to the tension. Also, as our plane is only 17 seater and each flight has an air hostess Prackash has had to take an earlier flight out of Lukla. The actual take off does little to ease my nerves. The plane takes off like a bat out of hell thanks to the slope of the runway and we are wedged into this tiny prop plane, engines screaming into my ears and again I wonder how did I pay for this. I think everyone was nervous but show it in different ways. I don't recall ever being as afraid of anything in my life as I was taking off in that plane. The anticipation was worse than the reality, knowing the runway just stops and you either sink or swim is not a comforting thought. Landing was another experience I will not forget too soon, the plane feels like it is going to Flip over tail first when coming in for landing. Disembarking in Kathmandu I was a happy bunny. I think next time I will walk from Lukla, its only another week.

I was relieved for two reasons on landing in Kathmandu, one I wasn't dead and two I was a step closer to home and the doubt of will we wont we leave Lukla was gone. We had a long way before we were home but once in Kathmandu I knew I would get home. We arrived in Kathmandu early morning still so we had to find something to pass the day. We had been planning for ages to go to the Radisson for dinner again when we got back to Kathmandu. Its funny, I could not wait to leave this place but now I am so happy to be back here. I have a quick shower once we get back to the familiar territory of Hotel Tibet. I collect my belongings from the safe store downstairs including my clean clothes. Its great to change into shorts, they are a bit more weather appropriate now than trekking clothes. A few of us head to Baskin Robbins just around the corner, I get a vanilla milkshake, magic. The next port of call we have been talking about for several days now, ever since we started coming back down we have been planning our next location and salivating at the thoughts of it, KFC. It has only recently opened in Kathmandu and is apparently really clean and spotless inside. Kris,Jamie, Myself, Jonas, Yas and Scott, the other guys have even gone so far as to plan what they will order. KFC didn't know what hit it id say this day, six of us ordered enough food for sixty. I have never enjoyed a meal so much as I did this one. Definitely worth the wait.

We go to the local supermarket and stock up on some beer for the afternoon, our plan is simple, drink beer on the rooftop of Hotel Tibet, pass away the afternoon until dinner time. At one point the waiter from the hotel came up, saw the bottles of beer so I asked him for a few glasses, when he came back I gave him a more than generous tip to keep quiet so to speak, worked a treat. We go to the Radisson tonight and bring Prackash along with us. We have all contributed towards a tip for him and someone has gotten him an English flag and asked us all to sign it, I had some problems signing a flag that is not of my own nation but I bit my lip. Prackash had certificates for us all for making it to Base Camp, they are tacky but these things normally are. We have a great night, have a lovely meal and after dinner we head out to the Irish Bar and then onto Thamel to sample the bars. We dont stay out too late though as we have a long flight the following day. Earlier in the day Jonas and Asif had gone to a local tailor to arrange to get us some memorable tee shirts, hand sewn and made to commemorate the journey. They cost us 700 rupees each which to be fair is nothing for a hand made tee shirt. On the back is the route we took to Base Camp, they are very impressive shirts and thanks to Jonas for coming up with the idea.

This has been the most memorable trip I could have imagined. I have met some great people on this trip and I like to think I have made some lifelong friends as a result. We shared a special experience on this trip, our journey to Base Camp, Kala Patthar and back over the last 18 days. I hope to see some of them again.