The day we finally get to Kathmandu and cheaper food:)...Started trekking around 7 am( late , late , late!). I was dreading this one as this is the one part of the return trek where the path only goes up right till Lukla- no respite. But we were having a good conversation going on which helped...finally reached Lukla around 10-10.30 am.Widest smiles once we passed the welcome arch that said Lukla:). Passed Yak donalds and Starbucks Lukla.
We were hungry but decided to first get our flight sorted out and then eat. That day- no flight. The agent even mentioned that there was a possibility that we may have not get a flight out for quite a few days. WHAT! Well the alternative and sure shot way to getting down was walking all the way down to Jiri which meant another 7 days added easily. This didn't really lift my spirits...i was waiting for a shower and Idli and dosa and was homesick. Well like a friend pointed out, you can have family and luxury and all that forever once you're back, but not a trek like this ever. hmmph made sense.
We decided that if we can't fly out the next day , then we'd start walking down to Jiri instead of wasting time in Lukla. NOW FOOD. Left our bags in the dining hall of the lodge.( yes, mostly nothing will get flicked..pretty safe to do this). Ran into Paul and Lisa yet again as well as the German couple from last night. Lisa mentioned that they were headed to the Tara/Sita Airline office in Lukla to get direct tix so they can guarantee a flight out the next day. We decided to accompany them.
On the way, passed the Starbucks Cafe Lukla and the door opened- and the aroma of freshly pressed coffee wafted out. I HAD to go in , even if just a look at the menu. there was a huge bookshelf and 2 rooms. Adam walked in behind me. We decided to eat there. Had amazing coffee and a muffin. One of the rooms was a movie room. They had a collection of movies too. So just could watch movies. Didn't like the movie collection much. Someone was watching some stupid movie with the Rock in it. We kept reading and chatting, comfortably sitting on the couches. We only looked up at the screen when this amazing scene of the assasin doing insane yoga poses with such ease came up. Well the movie ended...after a while we look up- its the same movie again. Again we look up and watch that scene- then back to our books. Net time we look up- again the same scene. The movie had gone on a loop thrice. WE'D SAT THERE TOO LONG!Went back to the agents lodge and decided to stay there instead of searching for accomodation again. Means we could sleep in relative late as the lodge overlooked the airport and we wouldn't have to walk much....watched another movie on the iTouch back in the lodge...slept late again....
3 November: Lukla- Kathmandu- home.
Woke up at 7 to the roaring sounds of the planes. We could see the runway from our window. Dressed, had breakfast, packed and left.
Finally around 9-30 got on our flight . and decided to share a cab to Thamel. I had to go to my hotel in Thamel to collect my belongings, return the jacket that i'd rented and collect back my deposit and shop for gifts for people back home. Anyway i managed to do all of that., head back to the hotel , pack up the stuff and leave in a cab.So many people at the airport. I was finally hungry. I weighed myself at the baggage check in. Holy Moly 8 kilos poof...partyyyyyyy. Well I was hungry and there was nothing really. I found a small souvenir shop that was also selling food. Ate this smoked Mushroom sandwich that was really one of the best i have ever had. Reached home post midnight.Had a shower first thing before starting recanting my trek to my mom and aunt....
Final thoughts: I think it was getting off the cab and turning my back to my trekking mate that made it finally sink in - that its over and time to go home:).I just loved the unpredictability of the whole trip-every morning- you can see in your head where you're going- the map's in your head- you know what to expect coz you've just read about it in the lonely planet or Mc guiness's guide- but its still so different and unpredictable and beautiful - till you reach the end of the day. Coming down was most unpredictable- we did some unscheduled stop overs and saw some crazy things we swore we didn't see on the way up, we ended up trekking in pitch dark- in the forests- no light, no humans except a few late sherpas sometimes- cant see one step ahead of you- scary and yet felt safe there...
The smell of gas in the cab in Kathmandu (heading into the city after the Lukla flight )made me want to cry- till i rolled down the windows- the gas smell was coz there was a cylinder in the cab...and my poetic thoughts broke..he he he
Post trek analysis - If you travelled to another country without a fixed itenary really, you would leave room for magic. You would be able to explore discover, meet some awesome new people. A new opportunity doesn't come with map but you should embark on it:)
"This i wouldn't call any mountaineering feat really. However reaching Everest Base Camp isn’t just a light-hearted trek. It’s a mini expedition that will test you in more ways than one. But for the short time you are there all the pain completely disappears, leaving you to revel in what will become one of the greatest achievements of your life. Between the pats on the back, the hugs and the handshakes of congratulations, you’ll lose yourself in complete silence as you marvel at the spectre before you – the top of the world. Not many people can say they stood over half way towards that. And if you don’t make it that far, you will still have traversed one of the most beautiful trekking routes on the planet."
"Just because you are not stepping foot on Mount Everest, do not think that the trek to Everest Base Camp (EBC) is an easy undertaking. It’s so tough that at times you question your sanity and why you ever decided to do it. At other times you look at the scenery that’s so breathtakingly stunning and unlike any mountainous terrain that you have ever seen before – changing from lush green farmland, dense forest and glistening blue fast flowing rivers to barren land and glacial pools the higher you climb – that you realise it was a good decision. It’s one of the hardest physical and mental challenges I have ever faced in my life but one that, upon reaching Base Camp, became one of my proudest moments"
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