Everest

 Tuesday, March 14, 2023

Today is the day!! I tried to get good sleep and drink a TON of water. We were up early for our ride to the local regional airport to helicopter to Everest Basecamp. The regional airport experience was an adventure in itself. After security we were taken to the heliport. I was already a bit skeptical about the adventure and torn between really wanting to do this and scared shitless. My concerns grew more when we saw the heliport.  It was made out of containers.




We took one last picture of ourselves in case they needed to identify our bodies. 


Our flight pattern included several stops for fuel (even more settling). Here is the intended flight pattern dependent on weather, wind, and the number of air rescues being requested. This was not helping my anxiety. (Honestly, I left a note in my luggage at the hotel with phone numbers of my family in case I didn't return.)


The views were spectacular from my front row seat in the copter. This was a great way to see Kathmandu. Nepal is the approximate size of Arkansas (pop 3 million) with a population of 30 million people. Kathmandu has 3 million alone.  The earthquake in 2015 left the country devastated and 8850 lives were lost. You can still see the remnants today. 


 Every moment of this adventure was more awesome than the next. The Himalayas are more than majestic if that's even possible. 


Drum Roll........ Welcome to Euphoria.......







While I would have loved to stay longer, I could feel the effects of the 17500 feet. We were only allowed to stay outside the helicopter for 10 minutes. It was the most incredible feeling to be there. 

On the return we landed at 12000 feet for breakfast with Everest. The view was somewhat obstructed by the clouds that were coming in. But still.....it's EVEREST!


Another highlight (and another off my bucket list) was this magnificent creature! He came out just as we were leaving. 



There is a wild YAK story that has been in my family since Krista Kay was a youngster. A friend of niece Liz had told Krista that YAKs were mean and nasty creatures and would eat her alive if she didn't behave.  It may have been funnier back then but still brought a tear to my eye when I saw the YAK. 

The rest of the flight back to Kathmandu was uneventful despite the near zero visibility which increased my anxiety once again. But our pilot was great....even though he had only been on the job for three weeks and was from BELGIUM! 

I slept well after the anxiety and excitement had settled. A dream come true! 









Comments

  1. AnonymousMarch 16, 2023 at 7:36 PM

    So cool! I am currently watching a documentary Finding Michael which is about Michael Matthews who disappeared on Everest after summiting in 1999.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Kali Temple (1000 Steps)

Image
 Saturday, March 18, 2023 My friend Karl has been looking forward to the 1000 steps since he got here in November. I was all in until I realized I need to see a pulmonologist when I get home. My lung capacity is CRAP! But...I promised I would go. I sillily assumed we would take a taxi to the trailhead. WRONG! We hiked two miles from the lodge to the trailhead before beginning the 1000 steps to Buddha. Lordy! The hike through the villages was interesting. Lots of markets and living quarters.  The start of the 1000 steps: Door to nowhere.... There were many side temples on the way up. We finally reached the Buddha. We were asked to remove our shoes and walk around.  The Hindu temple was another 100 steps and less impressive. The most exciting part of this hike was a little girl who came up to me and asked where I was from. She had lots of questions about the US. She was 10.  Her mother and aunts were with her and all wanted my picture because I was a "blonde American"....
Read more

Temple Tour Kathmandu

Image
 Wednesday, March 15, 2023 Today was about cultural learning and respect for other religions, primarily Hindu and Buddhist.  Our first visit was to Swayambhu or Monkey Temple. The stupa (shrine) is the oldest religious site in Nepal. It is primary Buddhist but is also frequented by Hindus. Monkeys are considered holy by Tibetan Buddhists and Hindus. The picture of the monkeys on monuments is where the former Dalai Lamas are buried. There were 13 of them.  Second stop....Patan Durbar Square. Located in Lalitpur Nepal it is one of the three squares in the Kathmandu Valley that are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It is made up of multiple temples and is both Buddhist and Hindu. The most famous and historic temple is Krishna Temple. Most of the square had to be rebuilt after the earthquake in 2015.  Third stop....Pashupatinath. This stop was very uncomfortable to see. I felt as if I was intruding on people's privacy.  This is the holy site for cremation. Th...
Read more

Maternity Ward Visit

Image
 Thursday, March 16, 2023 Today was spent visiting the maternity hospital in Dhulikhel.  After what I've seen I can honestly say that I wouldn't have any children here. The maternity hospital houses a pregnancy center, birthing center, and post-natal ward. They are in the process of building a NICU. The birthing center is comprised of several rooms housing 5-8 women in one room with a bathroom. The actual labor room houses two beds as shown in the picture. Privacy is an unknown word here.  While I was there a woman was in the midwife room. She was young and having her second child.  No pain medications or epidurals are given here. All natural childbirth.  After the babies are born the family is responsible for taking care of the baby while the mother recovers. A natural birth allows for a 24 hour stay. The cost is 300.00 USD. The family takes the newborn out to the balcony and massages them with mustard oil. They stay out in the sun for hours.  Only cloth d...
Read more