A Special Invitation
The 2007 movie The Bucket List immortalised a new term which is now synonymous with people wanting to do a select list of special things before they die. I imagine most people have come up with some sort of their own bucket list since the movie or has said, “That’s definitely on my bucket list”. Well, full disclosure here, one of the top items on my bucket list has always been to trek through the Nepal Himalayas, enjoy the magnificent panoramas of the world’s highest mountain range, feast my eyes on Mt. Everest itself and eventually make it to the Everest Base Camp. But to be honest, I kinda gave up thinking I would ever make it.
And then a call came from our daughter Anna, living her own life with partner Carl, travelling extensively due to their generous shift work leave allowance, to be married next year. Anna and Carl said they had planned a ‘trip of a lifetime’, to go to Nepal and trek to the Everest Base Camp. And they said “Would you like to come with us?” Are you kidding me?
They knew that Julie wouldn’t embark on such a high altitude and rigorous journey but they were generous enough to include me, knowing how highly I rated such an adventure. So, in a word, hell yes, I would be honoured and thrilled to go to Nepal with them and trek to Everest Base Camp.
For example, we were told Kathmandu needs about 900 MW of power per day but in the dry season with the river very low, and their only source of power is hydroelectric, it can only produce about 500 MW per day. Hence for many long hours there is no power in the city, no supplemental source, no backup plan. The city gets cold and dark, even traffic lights don’t operate. Shops and hotels tend to have their own generators and the people seem quite stoic (I learned to carry a torch at all times) but it’s a failure of government not provide a better service. And don’t get me started on the main city roads that would be easier driven in four wheel drive or the dusty polluted air that we all had to breathe.
Having said that, Kathmandu has a lot to offer the intrepid traveler and we had a hoot of a time exploring it. First we went to the historical and cultural centre of Kathmandu, Durbar Square, or Royal Square. Durbar Square is where it has all happened since the first temples and palaces were built there in the 16th century and since then has housed Malla and Shah dynasty kings, been the site of royal marriages and coronations and the construction and destruction of various religious temples (depending on the prevailing religion of that time). The architecture is unique to Nepal and the overall effect of the whole area is quite compelling. We admired the unique temples, went into one of the royal museums, a bit dusty, and admired the local shops selling a variety of colourful items to locals and tourists.
We then went to the Swayambhunath Temple, also called the Monkey Temple due to the presence of holy monkeys (yeah, right) but had an Everest training session by climbing the 365 steps to the top. The stupa itself had eyes, nose and eyebrows colourfully painted on it, colourful prayer flags in long strings flying everywhere, completely different to what we are used to in Thailand. I instantly liked the facial paintings as it added sort of a human living touch to the temple.
The next stop was Boudhanath Stupa, the largest in Nepal, a massive round and blindingly white bell-shaped stupa surrounded by shops and multiple monasteries. This was an impressive beast, complete with the eyes and nose again as well as the ubiquitous strings of prayer flags, and we admired it at length from our roof top restaurant.
Finally, running out of puff, we made it to the Pasupatinath Temple which is the oldest Hindu temple in Nepal (non-believers can’t go in) and another World Heritage site. But it draws tourists because it is on the banks of the Bagmati River are the ghats which have the most revered (and popular) cremation pyres in Nepal. We stood there for some time in a voyeuristic sort of way watching families say good bye to their loved ones and then someone lighting the fire and burning their dead. To hear the wailing and watch the smoky fires at the base of this ancient temple was quite an experience. Time to move on.
But enough of this stuff. We’re here to trek and trek we shall. The next morning we were met at 0530 by our young trekking guide Arjan, transferred to the Domestic terminal in the dark and waited for our flight to be called. And not just any flight – we were flying to the mountain town of Lukla, high in the Himalayas at 2830 metres (about 8,800 feet), thereby shortening the trek by six days each way.
But Lukla is frequently covered in cloud, which our little twin prop plane can’t see through so as to avoid those big bad mountains, so we waited and waited (Arjan said it was ‘too much foggy’) until apparently someone said it was clear enough to manage the 30 minute flight. So 15 of us trekkers from around the world crammed into this tiny little plane, all rugged up against the early morning cold, all anxious about this little aviation adventure and hoping the clouds behave themselves.
The whirl of the prop, the smell of excitement, the limited mountain views out the window and the open cockpit door which allowed us to watch the pilot battle the air currents all added to the bumpy ride to Lukla.
But the best (or the worst!) was yet to come because the Lukla airport is like no other. The runway has been cut into a mountain with one end dangling on the edge of a deep canyon far below while the other end was at the bottom of a huge rock cliff face. And the distance between these two non-airport features was only a few hundred metres. But more amazing was that the end at the top of the canyon was 60 metres lower than the end at the base of the cliff which means the runway is at a hell of a tilt – and all surrounded by majestic snow-capped mountains.
I’ve flown in a lot of planes and landed at a lot of airports but nothing comes close to Lukla – an aviation experience to beat all else. Our pilot had to swoop below the runway (agreed, that doesn’t sound right) and then land the plane as it was rising so that it could handle the steep incline. Then he had to slam on the brakes to stop before the cliff. Within a minute we were unloaded and were still standing half stunned in the freezing cold when the plane took off again by racing down the hill and running off the cliff. As you do.
But Lukla was only our starting point. After sorting out our porters for the journey we walked down the only road of this remote little vehicle-less mountain town and after an official pause at the police check point we walked through the arch way that marked the start of the Everest Base Camp. And off we go!