From Johor to Everest Base Camp: Day 12: Lukla - Phaplo - Kathmandu (A 20 Hour Journey)

Previously:
https://weesertan.blogspot.com/2018/11/from-johor-to-everest-base-camp-day-11.html

26 May 2018, Saturday, Lukla - Phaplu - Kathmandu

We all learned about a place call mysterious place known as "Pablo" yesterday, being an alternative of flying from Lukla - Kathmandu. "Pablo", or rather Phaplu is located 15 minutes helicopter ride away from Lukla. It is located at an elevation of 7918 ft (2413m) above sea level.

It turned out to be the only option we had.

A 'documentary' describing the situation at Lukla

After anxiously waiting the whole morning, we were glad to leave Lukla at 11.45am, after paying USD200/pax at the helipad, which acts as a top-up for our canceled flight from Lukla to Kathmandu. We bid farewell to our guides Henry and Din. I passed them dollars, so did the a few of my teammates, and wished them well.

Glad but a bit sad to leave

When you spend almost 2 weeks with a group of people in a harsh environment, you more or less become friends. Rumors said that Phaplu Airport has better weather / visibility, and that a Tara Air flight would then take us from Phaplu to Kathmandu. IF there are no flights from Phaplu to Kathmandu, a jeep could take us to Kathmandu in 9 hours. Simple enough solution isn't it?

See you again Lukla - You've been the best adventure in my life

After a scenic 15 minute chopper ride, we landed in Phaplu Airport, except that it's not really an airport. It was a 100m air strip.

The chopper ride was smooth, and the pilot gave us a perfect landing 

There were no facilities, no running water in the toilet, and no sign of any flights taking off and landing. There were, lots of hikers at the airport, no less than 50 of us, feeling like refugees.

It was just an airstrip on a mountain

We waited at the Airport aimlessly. Having a Nepali sim card, I tried communicating with our tour agent back in Kathmandu without much success. Tensions were growing. Everyone at the airport were getting anxious as the hours passed. It was obvious that we (and the rest of the group) were on our own from then onwards.

No guides, no support, no certainty...

Phaplu town - Pretty dire 

After around 3 hours of waiting, we made plans to hire a jeep back to the capital. Outside the airport, there was a sundry shop, which I bought some 'supplies' and reload my simcard. We also booked a 10-seater jeep, costing USD230. There were 6 of us (2 of my teammates got on the chopper to Kathmandu directly), and to make up the numbers (which we quite regret afterwards), joined by Ewan, a Norwegian and 2 North Yorkshire Englishmen. The jeep was in full capacity, and it wasn't ideal for such a long journey...

The sundry shop

We departed Phaplu at around 3.15pm. The winding mountain roads meant that we traveled at snail-pace.

A teammate vomit on the way down, which was understandable after hiking to Everest Base Camp. As the day darkens, temperature dropped, and fog started building up.

Positive mood before a 13-hour ride

By 6pm, it was pitch dark, and we wondered how the driver (Sam) could see the roads. The jeep was extremely cramp, and our legs were confined to a certain angle/shape most of the time. Sam would take breaks every 3 hours, and we break for late dinner at a village. Needless to say, we all ate Dal Bhat, which offered unlimited refills.

The drive was an eye opener

Dave and I had hoped to catch Liverpool VS Real Madrid in the Champions League Final (local time 10pm) in Kathmandu, but we end up in a stuffy jeep in the Himalayan mountains. The intermittent data connection I had meant I was at least able to catch the livescore in a cramped jeep. 1-0, 1-1, 2-1, 3-1... Liverpool lost the final, while we were still on our way back to Kathmandu.

Football is like life, or life is like football. You have 90 minutes in a game, and you've got to make full use of it. Sometimes you win, sometimes you don't. When you win, you acknowledge your opponents, and when you don't, you congratulate the winner. Bale's bicycle kick should've got the goal of the year award. I do like Jurgen Klopp's management style a lot, emphasizing on unity. I have learned to say no when it means no. Not sure if it's practical for the corporate world, but I choose to believe in it. 

We would reach Kathmandu Moonlight Inn at 4.15am, after a 13 hour jeep ride. We were so impressed with Sam, and gave him a handsome tip. He was really calm, composed and didn't put a foot wrong.

A sigh of relieved. It's 27 May 2019, and we made it back to Kathmandu in one piece.


Ps: Been super busy for the last 2 months, with work forcing me up against the wall. I was relieved to have a breather during Chinese New Year. 祝大家新年进步，万事如意。


Up next:
https://weesertan.blogspot.com/2019/02/from-johor-to-everest-base-camp-day-13.html