On Route

The night before we left for trekking, I took on Thamel, Katmandu by myself. After wandering into an internet cafe and outfitter's shop, I couldn't find a cab back to the hotel. The streets filled with crowds of people and some roads had been blocked off. I figured that if I walked in the same direction, I would eventually find a major street with an empty cab. No such luck. I followed crowds through small winding streets; poor elderly woman sat on the stoop outside their one room homes, holding babies in their laps. Women were shouting from above and chickens clucked in their noisy cages. Finally, I wound up in a smaller square with a big stupa, similar to that of Bodnath (white domed, a gold crown, and blue painted eyes). Finally, I hailed a rickshaw and bumped along the cobblestoned road all the way home.

We left Katmandu for Lukla at 5 in the morning on a 16 person plane. Albert (the Georgian guide), Albert (DC lawyer client), David Mink (our family friend), Dad, and I braced ourselves for the landing, onto a 400 foot square landing strip. At the end of the runway, there was a deathly cliff and 700 foot-drop valley. No wonder is considered the second most dangerous airport in the world,; the first, I don't know. We started trekking... through smaller Sherpa villages of Pakding, Monju, and Jorsale. Along the way, we pass herds of tso (mix of cow and yak). Sherpas hurry past us with 100 pound packs of rice and lentils for their families, as well as beer, bottled water, and camping equipment for buying tourists. The people are all so friendly; they smile as they pass us with a "namaste!" Right now, we are in Namche Bazar at 11350 feet, where we will be staying to acclimitize. Everyone is dong well: Dad is moving along the trail without any problems, and the altitude has not posed a problem for anyone in our group. Tomorrow, we will continue up towards Periche.