May 5, 2013 - Lukla
I was meant to be on the 9:30am flight to Kathmandu. The weather was too bad and they cancelled the rest of the flights for the day. I was on the very next flight!!!
May 6, 2013 - Lukla
Still no luck getting on a flight. Once your flight has been cancelled you are put at the back of the waitlist. Weather is not looking good. Of the 21 flights that we booked yesterday only 9 made it out.
I have found Martha and Magin! They will try to take the helicopter to Phaplu and then catch a jeep to Kathmandu (at least 12-14 hours). The flight will cost $200 for 6 min!!! If I manage this I will be reimbursed for the original flight that was cancelled. I have also moved lodges. The guy organizing all the flights at my previous place seems a lot like a hustler, trying to get money any way he can from the tourists.
They guy at the new lodge has managed to get me on the first charter flight out in the morning! There was one seat left and I was lucky enough to land it! Wahoo! And its only $90 more than the original flight. I'm excited to get outta here!
May 7, 2013 - Lukla
I have been traveling for over 7 months now and getting out of the place has been the $@!*iest travel experience to date! This place is full of hustlers and people getting kick backs from the plane and heli folks. I paid for, had a boarding pass, checked my bags and was through security for my charter flight. Then, 30 min before the flight left, some guy I had never seen before asked for my boarding pass. I handed it to him and he marked out that I was on the 1st flight put that I was on the 2nd flight! I had just gotten kicked off the flight I had paid for. My name was on the manifest. I, of course, followed the guy back to the office. As I was trying to figure out why they had changed me ( and getting very angry) I saw them mark my name off the manifest and write someone else in!!!!!!!! WTF?!!?!? The only reason they could give me was that the guy paid yesterday.....well.....I PAID YESTERDAY TOO. Ughhhhh, I was furious.
Its one thing to have to wait, the weather is unavoidable. Its another thing to be thrown around, scammed, and I'm pretty sure lied to. I cant help but think that the guy that took my place simply paid a bit more to be put on the flight!
I am so ready to be outta here. The worst part was the 2nd flight never came and I couldn't get on a heli to meet up with Martha and Magin.
Ill have to try again tomorrow.
May 8, 2013 - Lukla
I met a couple of guys that were in a similar situation at my lodge the night before. Some how we have managed to get on another charted first thing this morning! Once again my bags were checked and we were waiting to be boarded. BUT the weather was so bad so early that no a single airplane even made it to Lukla. Holy Smokes!!! Its seeming like I am not meant to leave this place!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The 1st charter for tomorrow is booked and we will attempt to get on the 2nd one. I am now just tagging along with these guys in the adventure to ESCAPE FROM LUKLA. Fortunately, they did turn out to be quite fun.
May 9, 2013 - Lukla
Once again, no luck on the flight. We waited and waited and waited. And finally decided to just take the heli all the way to Kathmandu. I have been trying to avoid this because its gonna cost $500! However, this is my 6th day in town and I am missing out on the rest of Nepal.
Like clockwork we are told the weather is too bad for even the helis to land in Lukla. We are given the option to hike an hour down the mountain to a place with better/clearer weather. So, we hire porters to carry our stuff down for us. Only 350Rupees each. Like clockwork it starts raining on us on the way down. And like clockwork we arrive at the helipad and are told to wait! The heli has to take a load of passengers to Kathmandu and come back for us later. OMG!
So we waited. And waited. And waited. And were seriously worried that we were gonna either have to hike back up the mountain or stay in the tiny little tea house next to the helipad. I was not a verry happy girl.
But a miracle happened! The helicopter came back! We were rushed into the heli and set off for Kath. I couldn't believe it. I was giddy with excitement. One, at leaving Lukla and two, at being able to take a heli through the Himalayas and to take in the view. I even got the front seat!
When we arrived in Kath the pilot told me if we had been 2 minutes later the Kath airport would have been closed to the helicopters and we would have had to stay. Thank goodness that didn't happen!
I'm back in Kath and I am stoked.
I showered! A nice, long, hot shower! Then met up with the guys (Carlos and Johan) at KFC for a really tasty bad for you meal. Then drinks afterwards!
Ahhhhh its good to be back.
I was meant to be on the 9:30am flight to Kathmandu. The weather was too bad and they cancelled the rest of the flights for the day. I was on the very next flight!!!
May 6, 2013 - Lukla
Still no luck getting on a flight. Once your flight has been cancelled you are put at the back of the waitlist. Weather is not looking good. Of the 21 flights that we booked yesterday only 9 made it out.
I have found Martha and Magin! They will try to take the helicopter to Phaplu and then catch a jeep to Kathmandu (at least 12-14 hours). The flight will cost $200 for 6 min!!! If I manage this I will be reimbursed for the original flight that was cancelled. I have also moved lodges. The guy organizing all the flights at my previous place seems a lot like a hustler, trying to get money any way he can from the tourists.
They guy at the new lodge has managed to get me on the first charter flight out in the morning! There was one seat left and I was lucky enough to land it! Wahoo! And its only $90 more than the original flight. I'm excited to get outta here!
May 7, 2013 - Lukla
I have been traveling for over 7 months now and getting out of the place has been the $@!*iest travel experience to date! This place is full of hustlers and people getting kick backs from the plane and heli folks. I paid for, had a boarding pass, checked my bags and was through security for my charter flight. Then, 30 min before the flight left, some guy I had never seen before asked for my boarding pass. I handed it to him and he marked out that I was on the 1st flight put that I was on the 2nd flight! I had just gotten kicked off the flight I had paid for. My name was on the manifest. I, of course, followed the guy back to the office. As I was trying to figure out why they had changed me ( and getting very angry) I saw them mark my name off the manifest and write someone else in!!!!!!!! WTF?!!?!? The only reason they could give me was that the guy paid yesterday.....well.....I PAID YESTERDAY TOO. Ughhhhh, I was furious.
Its one thing to have to wait, the weather is unavoidable. Its another thing to be thrown around, scammed, and I'm pretty sure lied to. I cant help but think that the guy that took my place simply paid a bit more to be put on the flight!
I am so ready to be outta here. The worst part was the 2nd flight never came and I couldn't get on a heli to meet up with Martha and Magin.
Ill have to try again tomorrow.
May 8, 2013 - Lukla
I met a couple of guys that were in a similar situation at my lodge the night before. Some how we have managed to get on another charted first thing this morning! Once again my bags were checked and we were waiting to be boarded. BUT the weather was so bad so early that no a single airplane even made it to Lukla. Holy Smokes!!! Its seeming like I am not meant to leave this place!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The 1st charter for tomorrow is booked and we will attempt to get on the 2nd one. I am now just tagging along with these guys in the adventure to ESCAPE FROM LUKLA. Fortunately, they did turn out to be quite fun.
May 9, 2013 - Lukla
Once again, no luck on the flight. We waited and waited and waited. And finally decided to just take the heli all the way to Kathmandu. I have been trying to avoid this because its gonna cost $500! However, this is my 6th day in town and I am missing out on the rest of Nepal.
Like clockwork we are told the weather is too bad for even the helis to land in Lukla. We are given the option to hike an hour down the mountain to a place with better/clearer weather. So, we hire porters to carry our stuff down for us. Only 350Rupees each. Like clockwork it starts raining on us on the way down. And like clockwork we arrive at the helipad and are told to wait! The heli has to take a load of passengers to Kathmandu and come back for us later. OMG!
So we waited. And waited. And waited. And were seriously worried that we were gonna either have to hike back up the mountain or stay in the tiny little tea house next to the helipad. I was not a verry happy girl.
But a miracle happened! The helicopter came back! We were rushed into the heli and set off for Kath. I couldn't believe it. I was giddy with excitement. One, at leaving Lukla and two, at being able to take a heli through the Himalayas and to take in the view. I even got the front seat!
When we arrived in Kath the pilot told me if we had been 2 minutes later the Kath airport would have been closed to the helicopters and we would have had to stay. Thank goodness that didn't happen!
I'm back in Kath and I am stoked.
I showered! A nice, long, hot shower! Then met up with the guys (Carlos and Johan) at KFC for a really tasty bad for you meal. Then drinks afterwards!
Ahhhhh its good to be back.
that sounds like a miserable week! thank goodness you got out of there.
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