As our descent began, you can see the intrusive white peaks rising above the cloud layer. One of those peaks is Mt. Everest. Somewhere below the white clouds turn into a yellowish smog over the city. The air is thick and stifling here.
Hundreds of tourist and locals disembark from the planes and make their way inside the terminal.
After the long visa line, visa payment line, currency exchange line, customs line, and X-ray machines line, I was finally reunited with Shadow. He was waiting for me outside. After a welcoming hug he hands me a face mask, we grab a cab, and head across town to the hotel.
The roads are mostly dirt although some of them may have been paved at some point. Traffic looks chaotic, but it's more like a dance. Even with all the vehicle horns, no one is aggressive and everyone gets we're they need to go as long as you keep moving.
Small shops line the streets selling anything and everything you can imagine. The women dress anywhere from conservative Western style to the beautiful and bright sarongs. Dogs mix with the pedestrians cruising around the city.
Shadow has been here for 10 days now and is a regular at our hotel, The Ganesh Himal, a quiet oasis in the city. Away from the noise, there is a beautiful courtyard with green grass and flowers with outdoor dining. I'm exhausted from traveling so we eat a late lunch before crashing.
The morning brings an early wake up call for our flight into the mountain airport of Lukla. The domestic side of the airport is hectic. We are early and were able to catch an early flight. After weighing everything and everyone, we waited at gate #1 along with everyone else. There's only two gates. 10kgs for checked bags and 5kgs for carry ons. We make our weight with room to spare while others, drug huge duffle bags of crap and paid additional fees.
There are many small airlines and a lot of people that want to go to Lukla because it's in the Everest region of Nepal. Home to the famous Everest Base camp, which I have heard is more like a high altitude privy. The overhead speaker blares and we look at each other for direction. We make out our flight number and are directed to a bus outside. A gate agent whacks on the side of the bus to let the driver know not to hit the building while backing. We pile on, but it was the wrong bus for us and we had to move to another one. The ride out to the plane is more like a joyride. Small planes line the tarmac passengers getting on and off. Trucks and buses are flying around. Coffee breaks are taken under the wings. Our bags are loaded, fuel is added, and we board. A flight attendant passes out candy and cotton pieces for your ears.
The engines start and we are off. It's a 25 minute flight. Soon after departure, the flight attendant tells us we are going back to Kathmandu due to weather at Lukla. We land, wait on the plane for a while then re-board a bus which is sitting behind the plane on the ramp. There's a Canadian across from me that exclaims "I don't care what language you speak, this sucks." BJ and I look at him and I say, "I would rather be here, than crashed on the side of a mountain."
There's a bathroom on the edge of the ramp. Shadow and I go. There's a guy near by whacking a stick on the bushes trying to chase away a monkey. I guess that's what keeps them out of the cities and in the bush.
We are hurried back on the plane again only to be turned around at the end of the runway due to the Lukla airport being closed again.
It was lunch time by then, so they let us off the plane and took us back to the terminal. Our baggage stayed on the plane, which is a good sign. Our other passengers were upset that we didn't takeoff. The flight attendant showed them a photo from the Lukla airport covered in clouds, but that didn't help. Shadow and I didn't try to explain why this airport was considered the most dangerous airport in the World. Seriously. Go to YouTube and check out the videos.
At this point the terminal with, only twos gates, was packed. With no flights leaving, the terminal was a traffic jam of people. No air conditioning, not enough seats and the constant noise from announcements did not help. Shadow and I found a place on the floor with others near the door. Between the breeze and cold concrete with a post to lean up against, we were content.
Around 2pm we saw a guide talking to another couple and Shadow went to check it out. All the flights had been cancelled for the day. That information was never broadcasted, nor was the information about finding your luggage and rescheduling. Turns out, to reschedule you have to go through the agency you book through and not the airline.
Some of the people hired a guide from the city for their hikes. Thats common here. Then hire an additional person in Lukla called a porter to carry all their crap. It's too early to tell if you really need one. We seemed to get by without one, but I could see how it would make things easier. What fun is that though? We are here for the adventure, not to be spoon fed. It really depends on how much money you want to throw at it. One guide offered us a helicopter trip to Lukla. Huh.. no thank you! I don't do helicopters, even in the USA.
Welcome to Kathmandu
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