Those of you who watched us training for this hike may have imagined us striding vigorously along the trail, singing selections from the sound of music in four part harmony (well perhaps those of you who have heard Adam or I sing knew there was no four part harmony going on). But perhaps anyone who's ever hiked at high altitude can imagine the reality. The higher you hike, the slower you go. Take the film of us in your mind and run it in slow motion. Now slow it down a little more. Going up steep parts of the trail close to the top we might take 10 slow steps, then stop to catch our breath. The Nepali guides in the back of each group can be heard murmuring " Bistari, bistari, - slowly, slowly". That's good advice in many ways. Walk slowly, and also gain altitude slowly, no more than 1000 feet per day. We were by no means the fastest group in the area, but " Bistari, bistari, we made it to our destination safely and back down without getting sick or injured.
Here are Adam and Meg arriving in Lukla!
Today our trip down from Lukla was an exercise in hurry, hurry, hurry - wait. We got up early after a night of trying to sleep through the noise of large trekking groups drinking, singing and yelling. One person passed out in front of Wendy and Adam's door. We packed with as much speed as we could, then hurried up to breakfast. Our hotel overlooked the airstrip, but that wasn't enough for Toby and Adam so they ate a quick breakfast and dashed off to stand by the airstrip and watch the first set of planes land. Our guide said the trick was to watch for the first three planes from our airline to land, then go to the airport. So Wendy and I lingered in our lodge, watching the runway on closed caption tv until it was suddenly time to dash for the airport. Slowly, slowly- run! Once at the airport we waited in a long line to get our baggage weighed, another line to have our baggage screened (a quick pat down and a few questions) then stood around for a while before joining the security line.
Security in this airport is on the honor system. Are you carrying any explosives, weapons or sharp objects? No? OK. Then you are patted down ( the line for women was much shorter than the men's line) and enter a second waiting room where you stand around again, watching for planes to land and hoping the right number of planes actually lands before fog or winds shut the airport down for the day. I used the waiting time for a lovely chat with Chhamji Sherpa, a lodge owner we met in Mongla. We talked about work, children, retirement and schools and the time passed quickly. Two more Tara Air planes landed and unloaded, including a huge stack or plywood and a dozen large batteries. The next plane would be ours. Would it actually come? It did, and we rushed out the door in time for a long wait on the tarmac, where we watched more plywood emerge and our seats quickly reinstalled before boarding our plane for the short trip across the mountains to Kathmandu.
After an afternoon of showers, food, and repacking, we are off to Chitwan National Park, where we hope to see rhinos and monkeys.
- Meg
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