Our Himalayan Trekking Expedition begins

We left Kathmandu on the 18th to fly to Lukla, the starting point of almost everyone's trek toward the Everest base camp. The plane ride was only 45 minutes which was more than enough on a small and crowded turbo prop plane. Just before we left the US one of these planes crashed on the approach to Lukla's airport. Tala was very concerned about this but Gelu reassured her that it would be ok since the airline had five planes and there are still four left. It was pretty crazy to be flying between the mountains and then all of a sudden you are landing on one of the shortest runways imaginable. After our safe landing the whole cabin clapped and cheered. We set off after a cup of black tea with our two new Nepali friends, Sheba (our guide) and Lukba (our porter). The first day's hike to Phakding was relatively easy and short. The views are amazing but you have to watch where you are walking because the ground is very rocky and uneven. Not to mention yak dung is almost always underfoot. I stepped in no less than two fresh piles yesterday while I was looking around. This part of the trail is also very busy. It is the trekking season so there are many tourists and there are just as many porters carrying gear, food, and all sorts of other equipment. There's also the yaks and occasional horse or donkey. Our guide told us that all the supplies for the villages are carried in on the backs of man or animal. I don't know how these guys do it.
Our second day of hiking started off with a moderate hike but after lunch the real tough part began. We had about 2 and a half hours of hiking up steep switchbacks. We did, however, get our first glimpse of Everest. Both Tala and I were extremely grateful to reach Namche Bazaar and get into our room. I was also grateful for a warm shower. This village is the largest sherpa settlement in the area. Hence the availability of Internet access.
The accommodations are ok. Its kind of like staying at a rustic camping lodge. The rooms are a bit drafty since there are gaps around the windows and sometimes window panes, however, we rented a couple of nice sleeping bags and they make all the difference. Probably the worst part of staying in these rooms has nothing to do with the guest house itself. No it's the stench of my feet and shoes. I can only hope we get used to it or maybe we'll have to invest in some incense. All the buildings here are built of hand hewn stone blocks and the windows are set in heavy wooden frames. Some of the guest houses here in Namche are quite impressive. Some as tall as four stories. Tomorrow we hike again. We don't know where we are going yet. That will be determined over dinner. Until I blog again, wish us luck.

Monkey Temple

For our first outing in Kathmandu, Gelu took us to Swayambunath Stupa otherwise know as the Monkey Temple (http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq229/Cecilwolf/Picture003.jpg). It is one of the oldest stupas in Nepal. It sits on a hill west of the city that provides a panoramic view of the Kathmandu Valley (http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq229/Cecilwolf/Picture015.jpg) and it contains a Hindu temple, a Tibetan monastery and other shrines. So it is an important place of worship for both Buddhists and Hindus. While we were there we witnessed the start of a Hindu ceremony. Tala was very excited about all the monkeys and very shortly after arriving we witnessed an adult monkey's attempt to steal something from a vendor. There were also several dogs living at the temple as well. However, they did not seem as well off as the monkeys. Most were thin and mangey. We walked around the stupa, clockwise as is Buddhist custom, and spun a few prayer wheels which surround the base. We briefly stepped inside the monastery for a look and this was the first time we were required to remove our shoes before entering a building. When we departed, we took the steep eastern staircase down. The stairs were well worn and seemed to slant forward. This along with the steep decline made the decent a little precarious. Later in the afternoon Tala and I braved the streets and walked to Durbar Square. Thanks to my new compass watch we found it with little difficulty. Navigation of the streets is difficult because few streets have names. I am still amazed drivers know how to get around. The Square is a complex of many temples and shrines. For our trip back to the hotel that day we decided to take a cyclo/rickshaw. It was a fun little ride for us but seemed like a lot of hard work for the driver. He actually had to ask a taxi driver at one point for directions. I couldn't blame him. I certainly didn't know where the hell I was.

Photobucket

I am having trouble getting my pics from photobucket to this blog. I have a few on there now with more to come. If you want to try viewing them on photobucket search for them by my user name Cecilwolf. I'll try and get some up on the blog as soon as I can.

The Road to Kathmandu

Our travels to Kathmandu were not very exciting believe it or not. In a nutshell it was about 36 hours of flights and lay-overs in airports. We first flew over night to Frankfort, Germany. Not a bad flight especially since I had an aisle seat and Tala had a window seat. Our next stop was Munich where we anticipated an eight hour lay-over and we planned to go into the city to explore (drink:) a little. However, our plans were ruined when we learned our flight from Frankfort was canceled and we were rebooked on a later flight. A hell of a thing to happen on our second flight of many but something that wasn't too surprising. So we spent our time in Munich like we did in Frankfort, in the airport. We did get a good lunch at a cafe in the airport and I had a tasty weisse beer. From Munich we had another long flight to Delhi. Again unremarkable. Delhi was a cluster f*%k. The airport is undergoing a lot of construction and the waiting area we were placed in was lacking in seats and food and drink options. We did the best we could to catch a little sleep. Finally after 6 hours of waiting we departed for Kathmandu.

The flight was only an hour and half long but our excitement made it seem longer. As we approached the airport the terrain became more rugged and you could see some mountains coming through the clouds. Very cool. Also you could see some of the tops of the hills cleared off for houses and the land was terraced for farming. Once we landed we collected our bags and went through customs very easily. The airport wasn't very busy at all. As we walked outside I quickly spotted our guide, Gelu, who would take us to our hotel. Let me tell you Kathmandu has the craziest traffic I've ever seen. First they drive on the left side of the road, but lanes don't seem to matter much anyway. The streets are narrow and clogged with people walking, cyclos pedaling, motorcycles weaving in and out, cars doing a little of the same and everyone getting out of the way of the large trucks. The streets are dirty and trash dumps seems to be any clear place on the road side (http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq229/Cecilwolf/Picture035.jpg). Tala even saw a monkey jump out in front of our car. We made it to the hotel safely and checked in and had a drink with Gelu. After he left us we retired to our room to get some much needed rest and prepare to explore the city the next day.