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| October 6, 2006: Kathmandu to Lukla (2,850 m) to Phakding (2,640 m) |
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| Woke up around 7 am and got ready for the trip. Had a quick breakfast at the hotel which serves a pretty good breakfast buffett. I checked out and stored my suitcase at the hotel. Bharat picked me up at 8:45 am. He was always on time during my entire trip. Lima drove us to the Domestic Airport Terminal. Bharat's step sister was one of the security guards and managed to get us on an earlier flight than the one we were booked on. Gotta have connections! We flew Yeti Airlines. The flight announcement at the terminal is quite unique. You have to listen very carefully to hear the announcement of your flight. I am sure many people not too capable in the Nepali language have missed their flight here. One of the little things where having a guide with you really can make a difference. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| During the flight, I sat in the last row next to the female flight attendant, who was quite cute! As she was sitting on the left side of the plane where there were great views of the mountain, I gave her my small digital pocket camera and she took picture after picture after picture. Well, let me just say, she certainly was a better flight attendant than photographer...I had to delete most of the pictures she took. That flight could have been a little longer than the 35 minutes it took us to get to Lukla. Lukla's airport is quite interesting, to say the least. It is like flying into a mountain. The landing strip is uphill, as the runway is so short. There is not much wiggle room for the pilot and flights to Lukla are only occuring when the weather is decent as it is by sight only. We got our bags and stepped out of the terminal. What a beautiful scenery!!! We stopped at a lodge in Lukla, had some tea and got some water. Also, Bharat left our return tickets there. I briefly chatted with an American couple who was on the way back to Kathmandu and had a wonderful time hiking. |
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| Finally, we started our trek to Phakding. It took us 2 hours and 45 minutes to get to Phakding from Lukla, including a tea stop. It was a beautiful hike, mostly slightly downhill, but as it followed the river for the most part, there were also some short, steep climbs. We had lunch at our lodge in Phakding, the Khumbu Lodge, where we stayed for the night. I ate tomato soup and fried noodles. There I met Papa (Manfred is his real name), a white-haired elderly German from Ibenau in Thueringen. Papa visits the Khumbu twice a year. He looks like my Dad, and talks as much BS as he. A great guy!! I got my room which was roomier than I thought. Shared bathroom, the Western style. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| After lunch, Bharat and I went to a nearby monastery, the Pema Choling Monastery. On the way to the monastery, just past the Star Lodge at the northern end of Phakding, we ran into the Maoists. They wanted to collect their fee, but Bharat told them that we would pay tomorrow as we were only going up to the Monastery. The same guy with his Maoist cap we saw later that night while he walked through Phakding checking out everything. The climb up to the Monastery was quite steep. 24 Buddhist Monks live there full time. One monk opened the inner sanctuary. In there was a statue of the Guru Rinpoche, similar to the Thangka I bought the day before. There were also 3 smaller statues, including one of Buddha. During their big festival in July, about 2000 monks, pilgrims and visitors attend their big celebration in this monastery. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Phakding from the Pema Choling Monastery | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| We went back down to Phakding and had a good Everest Beer. Bharat says that only tonight and the following night, which was our first of two nights in Namche Bazaar, was I allowed to drink alcohol because of the altitude. This guys is worse than my wife!!! We had a nice dinner in the dining room. Garlic soup, fried noodles and a very delicious fried apple pie with custard on top was my dinner. I visited some more with Papa and his gang who turned outto be the kids of the Hilltop Lodge Owner in Khumjung, the place he always stays at when he visits Khumbu. They picked him up at the airport in Lukla. As Khumjung was on my list as an overnight stop anyway, we decided to stay at their lodge and meet again in three days. Went to bed at 8:30 pm. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Click here for more pictures from this day | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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