NEPAL DAY1

<

>

x

LUKLA ̶ PHAKDING
Our guide got us tickets for the first morning flight (06.00) from Kathmandu to Lukla. When we arrived to the airport it was still closed and there was a huge line of people waiting outside. When we finally got in, 15 minutes before departure time, everything was very chaotic but also very fast. Our little propeller plane could take 15 passengers, each with a luggage of 10 kilos and hand luggage not over 5 kilos. This limitation puts many travelers, especially mountain climbers, in trouble. Ourselves we had to place at least five kilos worth of camera lenses and batteries each in our pockets. The flight was absolutely spectacular. We flew close to huge mountain walls and could even see Mt Everest from the plane window. The air strip in Lukla is notorious and when it was time to land all cameras were up in the air and the plane was filled with nervous giggles. The strip is short, sloping and ends in a wall. When safe and sound in Lukla we had some time to organize our luggage before starting the trek. The walk started through Lukla, a small lively city with some stores, restaurants, and even it’s own “Starbucks”.The gate to the national park is adorned with Pasang Lhamu, the first female sherpa to reach the top of Mt Everest in 1993, unfortunately she didn’t survive the journey back down.
Our first day was quite easy with a gentle slope up viewing lush green hills and farmlands. The sun was shining and the weather was nice allowing us to have an outdoor lunch. We got fried rice and fried potatoes. We arrived quiet early to our lodge in Phakding and did an afternoon trip to a nearby monastery for acclimatization. For dinner we were served tomato soup with popcorn as a starter and then spring rolls and pasta. At this first stop we had our own bathroom with toilet and shower which we soon found out was an extreme luxury.

vimeo.com/sixweeks