On top of the World
Trip Start
Jan 04, 2008
1
109
130
Trip End
Dec 17, 2008
Kathmandu,
Nepal
Sunday, October 12, 2008
We had a couple of glimpses of the Himalayas on the way but nothing we could really get pictures of and I was quite glad that we had booked the Everest flight. Having done no research I had expected to be able to see the mountains above the Kathmandu city rooftops but that wasn't the case.
Our first evening was Alison's birthday so we all went out to an expat restaurant called Rum Doodle where you can get a big foot from the barman, write on it and then hang it from the wall/ceiling with the hundreds of others
The Group
. Around the bar there were feet signed by many people who had reached the summit of Everest and if you present your summiting certificate at the bar you get free food and drinks for life - I like a good feed but I'm not sure that's worth the effort !!The next morning we set off for our Everest flight at 6am. The flight was for about an hour and went along the length of the Kathmandu range of teh Himalays. We were on a 16 seater plane so all had window seats and the views were breath taking. As you came up through the cloud you were greeted by a picture postcard view.
Unlike on a commercial airline we were allowed into the cockpit and the air hostesscame along every few minutes to point out what was what. Everest was really clear but we were just a little too far away to see if there was anyone on the summit. Having seen now how far it is from civilisation we agreed that this would be the only way we were ever going to see it. Well it's very unlikely that I am ever going to get the urge to do the basecamp hike....15 days, all uphill and no shower....
We got back to the hotel about 8.30am and Alex went off with the group to do some sightseeing (I was feeling a bit off with what now turns out to be Nepal Belly rather than Dehli belly). He went to the Monkey Temple and the Bodhnath Stupa up on the hill overlooking the valley. We sorted out our flight to Pokhara for the next week as the sound of a bumpy 6-8hour drive wasn't too apealing when a 30 minute flight was only $30 more each and the rest of our time was spent nosing round the shops - there's a lot of touristy stuff to buy plus plenty of good quality fake climbing stuff such as North Face and Mammut down jackets.
Next stop Pokhara for a chilled out week by the lake !
Comments
Top Pics
Super photos , probably some of the best of the whole trip so far. Could do with a couple of nice padded jackets as the weather has turned a bit chilly here.
Enjoy your break by the Lake
Mum & Dad
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