This is a continuation from the last post:
https://weesertan.blogspot.com/2018/06/from-johor-to-everest-base-camp-day-0.html
15 May 2018, Tuesday
Kathmandu (1400m) - Lukla (2810) - Phakding (2610m)
Helicopter ride Kathmandu - Lukla: 45 minutes (Additional US$200)
Lukla - Phakding: 3.5 hours (Mostly downhill trek, manageable)
After spending an unwanted night in Kathmandu, we were punctual and gathered at the hotel lobby at 6.00am, as Ryan, fast becoming our team leader, insisted. Our guides (Henry and Din) nonchalantly arrive at 6.30am. There wasn't any urgency for Henry and Din, as they seemed chilled and relaxed, presumably confident that we will reach Lukla. Most of my team were pumped-up, and a bit anxious.
There were already disquiet against our guide, on why we didn't tried harder to fly into Lukla the previous day. The 3 American girls who were on our cancelled Sita Air flight managed to get themselves into Lukla the previous evening, as helicopters continued to fly into Lukla even after we left the airport at 5pm. However, it seems their baggage were delayed. I do not know how much they paid for their ride though.
I am actually with Henry on the decision to not fly into Lukla on Monday evening, rashly. He was ultimately responsible to get the 8 of us, plus Din and himself to Lukla, together with all our belongings. He was also answerable to the tour company and his boss, who was definitely responsible to source for 2 helicopters for the 10 of us. There was no point sending half of us to Lukla, or arriving there without our guides. The team needs to stick together. We may lose a day of acclimatization, but that was not the worst case scenario, as we had rest 2 days (at Namche and Dingboche).
A lesson learned is that for EBC, try travel in groups of 2 or 4. I met 3 groups of Malaysians along the way, who were in groups of 4. I would say a team of 4 with 1 guide and 2 porters is the optimum combination.
I noticed the calmness of Kathmandu Airport on that Tuesday. There were less people, tourists and shorter queues. I think because of schedule and leave application from their day jobs, hikers would fly into Kathmandu on the weekend, rest for a day and head to the mountains on Monday. We were told 2 helicopters were booked for us, at 7am, and we were 8th in the queue. It costs US$200/pax, while Sita Air will refund US$177 for the cancelled flight the previous day. I kept the cancelled flight ticket to claim for 'Travel Delay'. Maybe I was the only one who misunderstood the arrangement. I thought it was agreed that the helicopter ride was US$200, and that we will just top-up US$23 with our flight refund of US$177. It was a good deal. We also insisted that the tour company refund us the US$177 before we would pay for the helicopter ride.
However, when we completed the trek, and got back to Kathmandu 2 weeks later, we were told to pay up US$200 for the helicopter ride. It was then that all hell broke lose. At the end, we didn't pay anything, while the tour company actually compensated us US$150 each for hardships, anxiety and negligence. I will reserve this epic negotiation for the right occasion.
It was a sign that not all words can be taken seriously in Nepal. There seem to be a lack of credibility in people, or maybe it's just because situation changes within a blink of an eye. NO one seems to know anything, or could give any promise. I realized there was no use pressuring Henry, as he couldn't make any decisions. I picked up my phone, and called the tour company's director - Jay, who I had knew since the climb to Annapurna Base Camp 5 years ago. He promised to source for the 2 helicopters we desperately needed. So there you go, a difference in statements between Henry and Jay, with one saying a chopper was booked, and one saying he is still finding.
As I sat waiting in the airport lobby, I remember seeing a ray of sunlight from afar, through the boarding gate and waiting room windows, directly from the runways. Today will be a beautiful day, and we'll get into Lukla, I told myself.
Somehow or rather, like in any occasion in Nepal, Jay 'pulled strings' and it worked, we were 'checked-in' for our helicopter flight at 11.30am.
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| Weighing our luggage bags (10 kg each) |
We hopped onto a van, drove around 20 minutes, and waited at the helipad for about 30 minutes.
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| Tribhuvan International Airport |
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| And our helicopter finally arrived |
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| All set~ |
And take-off!
It was my first experience taking the chopper. My initial thought was that, it wasn't really safe! The chopper was basically a metal cage with windows, with some ceiling fans on top. The fact that helicopters are the main mode of transport in the Himalayas speaks volume. After around 15 minutes, most of us became lethargic, and then dozed off. We must be hovering around 12,000 ft, and the sudden change in altitude caused a drop in oxygen levels.
Alas, the 45-minute chopper ride was really good, except the occasional rain, where our windscreen wasn't visible as a result of the rain.
Arriving in Lukla
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I was really impressed with the pilot, and relieved to finally reach Lukla. My research afterwards showed that these helicopters are made for high altitude flights.
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| The pilot and I |
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| There were flights in and out that day |
We were quickly joined by the second chopper. And by 2pm, we were having lunch in a restaurant near the airport.
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| Order my first of many Dal-Bhats |
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| First of many Malaysian flags along the way |
Our tour package covered 1 set of meal on the menu, excluding drinks. The prices will increase as the altitude increases. So it is still better to sign up for a tour that pays for your meals, as you could save the hassle taking out money.
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| Prices at Lukla in Nepali Rupee, US$1 = Rs 100 |
A 1 litter bottled water in Kathmandu is sold for Rs 80, while in the mountains, it varies from Rs. 180-400. That's US$ 4 for 1 litter of water! And we are supposed to drink 4 litters each day, especially if you are on Diamox.
My daily drinking regime was simple. I had a 700 ml and 1 litter water bottle which I carry everywhere, even when I sleep. Every morning, I pop a 1000mg Radaxon Vitamin C pill into the 700 ml bottle and drink it throughout the day. It gave me a consistent stream of Vitamin C, which aids cell recovery and protection against (the famous) Khumbu cough, flu and cold. I would refill my bottles during lunch. I estimate I drank around 3 litters of fluid (which may include the Dal from the Dal Bhat) during the day. During night time, I would normally wake up once in 3 hours to drink water and to go to the toilet. At higher altitude, I felt drier.
I admire how much water my teammates carry in their backpacks (4 litters), and drink during the hike. But if you are on Diamox, you'll definitely feel thirsty, and have a couple of other side-effects. It's only normal to feel a bit dizzy at higher altitude. That's why there were 2 acclimatization days for you to get use to the oxygen concentration. You'll eventually feel better and have stronger lungs as you hike upwards.
Meanwhile, my prior experience with tap water, or 'mountain water' at Annapurna meant I was sufficiently confident with it. I bought chlorine pills from Kathmandu and drank tap water for most of the trip, except in Gorak Shep, where they said tap water from the glacier was not clean. I was fine all the way drinking 'mountain water'. To be honest, the locals don't even need to purify tap water. I would say drinking tap water felt really good, and fresh. Of course there are times when you see sediments at the button of the water bottle. Just throw it away, and wash your bottle everyday. It's like the most natural mineral water in the world. You are at the Himalayas, and you should try to go with the flow.
Another advantage of having mountain water, is that you could use it for washing after any (natural) toilet breaks along the way. I wouldn't want to wash my hands with mineral water bought from the shop. I would gladly wash my hands cleanly with mountain water, which I could refill anywhere along the road.
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| Everyone was energetic, excited and ready to go |
We really wanted to start hiking, or just do something. It's been too long of a wait. I felt a bit of the altitude of Lukla (2810m). My head was a bit heavy, maybe because of the chopper ride, or my stomach was empty. But I felt great after lunch, as I tighten my shoelaces, repacked my day-pack and did my stretching and warm-up.
I would be the only team member who do stretching and warm up everyday before a hike. It was like a mental preparation or a signal to my body to get ready. In any sports I play, or before I jog, I run through my stretching and warm up routine, religiously. This was what I was taught as a kid, it sticks with me.
We finally kick-start our adventure at 3pm. We started trekking to Phakding (2610m). Like what the altitude says, it was mostly a downhill trek, fairly easy. The trek took us 3.5 hours.
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| Tourist taking photos at the hanging bridge |
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| Followed the Tibet prayer wheels - Always go clockwise (Look at how fresh everyone was!) |
One of my teammates Pat was visibly struggling, vomiting and having a stomach bug. Another teammate Neil looked to have shrugged off his. It's the worst thing that could happen to you, having diarrhea in the mountains, as you will be dehydrated and exhausted. But credits to both of them, who didn't give up. They would recover gradually, and complete the hike to EBC.
We would reach Phakding around 6.30pm. It was then that I realized everything was money. A cup of hot water was Rs. 70 (US$0.70), phone charging (full charge) is Rs. 250, hot shower was Rs. 350. It was slightly different than Annapurna Base Camp which I went 5 years ago. Here, you could see that taps have 'hot' and 'cold' valves. But the 'hot' valves, (which means it once was supplying hot water) is no longer in use. Throughout the whole trek, we all brushed our teeth, washed our face with cold water.
I am fine with charging tourists extra, and to be honest, most of us could afford to pay-as-we-use. Maybe the earthquake 2 years ago rocked the Nepali economy, and that they need more funds to rebuild society.
We hurried into bed after dinner, like most days. It was a healthy lifestyle. Sleep early, wake up early.
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