May 10, 2013 - Bhaktapur, Nepal

May 10, 2013 - Bhaktapur, Nepal

I met up with Carlos, Johan, and another guy from my hostel for a visit to Bhaktapur.  This old city if full of ancient buildings, statues, temples, and shrines. We spent a few hour wandering through the tiny winding streets and having lunch on a rooftop overlooking it all.

That night I met back up Lexi (the Colorado gal I had been sharing a dorm room with before the hike) and we had a celebration dinner and drinks.  We met some others and managed to close down the bar....though everything in Kath closes at midnight soooo it wasn't all that late.

Oh and a rather weird story.  I turned in my clothes from the trek to the hostel for cleaning. At less than a dollar per kg of clothes who would be washing their own clothes?  Not this girl.  Anyways, I left to grocery bags of clothes at the front desk with one of the staff.  Later on, another of the staff tells me he went through the dirty clothes to see whose they were and they he, and I quote,  "smelled my internal clothing".  Yeah that's right he told me sniffed my underwear.  And while Im getting very uncomfortable he is laughing and thinks its funny.   Completely weirded me out!  I just got up and left the room after his comments.  Ill also be leaving a very honest rating on hostelworld.

May 11, 2013 - Kathmandu

This was a super chill day.  Lunch with Lexi, got caught up on emails and just lounging!  I also scheduled a trip to Chitwan National Park for tomorrow!

May 5-9, 2013 - Escape from Lukla!

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.

May 4, 2013 - EBC Trek Day 11 - Namche to Lukla

May 4, 2013 - EBC Trek Day 11 - Namche to Lukla

Woke, packed, and breakfasted by 7:30.  Left Namche around 8:30.

The trail is VERY UP AND DOWN. VERY.  Arrived at See You Lodge in Phakding around 12:30 exhausted and hungry.

I have met some really interesting people on this trek.  All different kinds from all different places.  A reason I love traveling.

This has got to be the best diet plan known to man.  11 days of hiking in beautiful country and you can order ANYTHING off the menu for your meals.  I guarantee you come back in better shape.  And altitude tends to curb appetite!

At one point today we had to wait about 20 min for a long line of donkeys to cross a bridge.  There had to be about 80!

A funny - while we were walking along the trail we were trying to pass a group of jopkey and at JUST the right moment the jopkey stepped on a small water line and sliced it open.  Water sprayed all over poor Phurba.  I got to watch all of it happen right in front of me.  He was a bit shocked but we both got a laugh about it later.

We arrived in Lukla around 3pm.  Today was a day full of accomplishments.  Not only did I make it to Everest Base Camp and back, I have also finished a stick of chap stick before losing it!!!

Its been a long 11 days. I'm spent and exhausted and my body aches all over.  But I got up close and personal with the tallest mountain in the world.  What a journey!  I'm ready for a nice long hot shower and fresh clean clothes!

Accomplishments, Personal Bests, and Records:

Longest single trek I have ever completed - 11days ~80miles
Longest time without a shower - 10days
Highest elevation I have hiked to - ~18,000ft
Longest time I went with out changing clothes - 2 sets of clothes for 16days
Longest I have been without shaving - 16days
I'm a little bit proud of myself! :-)

What I have learned:  Ball point pens don't work real well at altitude.  I thought it was running out of ink but now that we are lower its back to being fine.