Day 1 - Lukla to Phakding

Tuesday, 9 April 2013

Day 1 – Lukla (2,800m) to Phakding (2,650m)

Flight duration: 30 mins
Average trekking time: 3-4 hours
Difficulty: Easy

Today was the first day of our trek to the Everest Base Camp. Himalayan Glacier, the agency we engaged to manage our trip, had booked us on the 7.15am Sita Air flight from Kathmandu to Lukla. Susan and Graeme from Canada were on the same flight. Yesterday Mr. Narayan had advised us to keep our luggage to below 10kg – an airline requirement, and also in consideration of our porter who will be carrying for both of D and me. That had made packing much more challenging. I consider myself a fairly light traveler, but I wasn’t about to risk not having something I might need up there in the freezing mountains in the middle of nowhere. By the end of the night, I was quite sure my bag was over 10kg.

When we arrived at the domestic terminal of Kathmandu Airport at 6.30am, the Sita Air counter was still closed. After hanging around the counter for some time, I decided the most productive thing to do was to sit down and eat the breakfast provided by the hotel. Breakfast consisted of very dry and crumbly toast, muffin, danish, hard-boiled egg and juice. After 40 minutes of waiting, we were checked in. And quietly and embarrassed, I paid the Rp500 I was asked to, for my 15kg bag! That’s Rp100 for every kg in excess.

True to its reputation for long waits and delays, after check-in, it was another hour long wait in the waiting area. I took a nap with my head on my pack and GN’R blasting in my ears.

Kathmandu Domestic Airport - ready to board the Sita Air flight to Lukla

Our flight was finally called at 9am, and quickly everyone boarded the bus and headed for the plane. Then right there on the tarmac, we waited again. Our plane was nowhere in sight. After 15 minutes on the bus, the 15-seater Sita Air Dornier finally pulled up the tarmac and we were called to board as soon as it was vacated.

That was where I met Fernando and Loretta, a lovely middle-aged couple from Canada. (I only learned their names much later on the trek. Up till then, I took to referring to them as Jimmy Choo and wife, because Fernando reminded me of Jimmy Choo, though he looked nothing like Jimmy Choo, really.) They were on the 14-day Everest Luxury Lodge Trek also with Himalayan Glacier, which was almost identical with our Classic Everest Base Camp Trek except it’s 3 days shorter and they got to stay at upscale lodges. Loretta looked so pretty and dainty, but underneath the bright red lipstick and pearl earrings, I sensed a very tough and capable lady. Fernando, friendly and always with a smile, was a man chasing his dream.

Word got around to sit on the left side of the plane, so that you could see the mountain ranges as the plane approached the Everest region. As it turned out, all 6 of us from Himalayan Glacier took all 6 seats on the left side. D was on the first seat right behind the cockpit, followed by Susan, Graeme, Fernando, Loretta, and lastly me. To be honest, I couldn’t care less where I sat and what I could see from the plane. Lukla airport was reputably one of the most dangerous airports in the world. I prayed and hoped for a smooth ride and to land in one piece. I wasn’t ready to crash and die out there. Mountain ranges were the last thing on my mind. Next to me, on the right side of the aisle was an English guy. I made enough out of his cockney accent to learn that he did not have an itinerary, and may or may not go to EBC. Trekking without an itinerary sounded so cool.

The flight took off, quite uneventfully, to my relief. The flight attendant came around with candies and cotton balls. Cotton balls? What in the world are the cotton balls for? Naturally, I took the candy and declined the cotton balls. (I now know they are ‘ear plugs’!) As we approached the mountains, excitement grew in the cabin – everyone was clicking at their cameras and peering out the windows. From my window, I could see white, snow-capped peaks poking out from above thick, white clouds. Then things got interesting.

The plane started to dance, doing little dips and soars and swings from turbulence. Looking downwards I saw land, or rather hills or mountains. We were literally flying between mountains and hills. The ground looked so close at some points that I thought if I threw a stone from the plane, I would see it hit the ground. Suddenly, a jerk and a loud noise came from the plane – the wheels were out! A minute later, the plane approached what looked more like a driveway than runway, the wheels hit the ground with a bump, brakes were slammed on, and 5 seconds later before I could catch my breath, the plane slowed to a near-halt, turned right and parked.

Arrival at Tenzing-Hillary Airport, Lukla

The door opened and we were out in an instant. Outside was a group of people hanging around, waiting to get on board. As soon as we’re out, they’re in. (I later learned that depending on weather conditions, the window for landing and take off at this airport can be as small as an hour a day. I guess they waste no time when such opportunities arise. This knowledge gave me new respect for the people who run this airport.)

There I was, standing on the tarmac of the famous Tenzing-Hillary Airport in Lukla at 2,860m in the Himalayas, about to start on a trek to the Everest Base Camp. I took a deep breath and a moment to let it all sink in.

But no time for that, as we were immediately led to collect our bags and meet our guide and porter. Our guide was one Mr. Ang Kaji, a Sherpa, and our porter, a shy young chap named Phuri, also a Sherpa. Kaji looked to be in his 40’s, maybe late 30’s, it’s hard to tell. He had the look of a hardened mountain man – lean and tanned, serious and straightforward, and got straight to business. He ushered us to a nearby lodge, and briefed us on what lied ahead. We were to have our lunch here and now (it’s only 11am), so that we could start and focus on the trek (and I suspect, head straight to Phakding without further stops.).

Soon enough after lunch, we’re off on the EBC trek. The trail was welcomely easy as the path out of Lukla was mostly flat and downhill. There were many trekkers coming from the opposite direction, heading towards Lukla. It was April, the high season for trekking after all. How effervescent and fresh we must have looked, for most of them looked worn and weary, and in great hurry. I imagined them seasoned travelers of the trail, carrying with them the experience and glory that we could only dream of and hope to attain at the time. Most of the trekkers were Mat Sallehs, fully geared in their North Face, Marmut and whatnots. Some had a thick slather of sunscreen on their faces. Some had awful looking red and browned cheeks – I wondered if it was sunburn or windburn and made a mental note to take care of my face out there. I am not going home with my face like that! ‘Namaste’ was not as generously exchanged here as it had been on the Poon Hill trek. I wondered if we would sport the same look, and attitude on our way back.

The journey begins,,, path out of Lukla

After 30 minutes or so, we passed through the village of Cheplung. The buildings were mostly painted with the colors white, red and blue. Soon we passed through Thadokoshi and Ghat, and a couple of suspension bridges. The novelty of the suspension bridge would soon wear off as we crossed many throughout the trek. The trail was also very, very dusty. Many descending trekkers wore a bandana or gaiter over their faces. I have read about the dust on the trail but actually experiencing it was something else. I made a mental note to get a good neck gaiter at Namche Bazaar.

We reached Phakding by mid-afternoon. Phakding was an interesting town. Besides the normal lodges, tea houses and shops, bars seemed to be everywhere – Reggae bars, liquid pools whatever that is, and snooker joints that blared Reggae music all night long. Our room at the lodge was small – 2 single beds, a small bedside table tucked between them, and some floor space for our bags, but it did have an attached bathroom – no hot water though. The dining hall was the size of a small shop lot, and adorned with long tables, wooden benches and plastic chairs. In the evening, the lodge operator would fire up the chimney/stove and pull shut the curtains to keep insects away. Guests, guides and porters sat around the stove for warmth and to share stories.

Phakding

Bars and pubs in Phakding

Our room in Phakding

Thukpa for dinner - delicious!

We had our first taste of how cold it could get – Phakding was only 2,650m above sea level and we were heading for more than 5,000m. After cleaning up, we quickly changed, and headed for the dining hall for warmth. Outside the hall, sitting alfredo in the frigid cold, was a group of Italian trekkers, led by a cool looking dude in dreads. D recognized him from a poster she saw. He was Carlo Mamberto from viaggiaconcarlo.com. Apparently he was a guide, lived in Nepal, and led groups on treks and expeditions throughout Nepal and the Himalayas. Cool guy with a cool life. Sigh.

Tonight marked our first night on the trek. Kaji prepared us by sharing this advice: "On the mountains, you only ever have 2 choices – ascend or descend. Many parts of the trek will be steep and very hard. It will get colder as we ascend. Everyday will be hard and cold, and if you want to do this trek, you must accept that. Take care of your bodies by eating healthy food and drinking lots of water. Don’t eat meat or cheese especially as we go to higher altitude as they are carried up from Lukla and have usually been stored for very long periods of time." 

This advice would stay with me for a long time. We retired to our room at about 8pm. This would become our pattern throughout the trek – dinner at 6.30pm, bedtime 8 or 9pm, breakfast at 7am or earlier on days with longer treks. And every morning after sleeping in our stinky rented sleeping bags, we would wake up with feathers stuck to our clothing.

Knowing how important sleep was at altitude, I tried to get as much sleep as possible that night, and did.

Next Day > Day 2 - Phakding to Namche Bazaar