The Wise Man of the Himalaya
We'd been up Island Peak and had been in the hills for 4 weeks. We wanted out to warmth and green things and I wanted steak and beer. Heading to Lukla we stopped late in the day and I walked into a rather attractive lodge. I asked if they had rooms and the guy said yes but I couldn't afford to stay there. A bit offended as we still has a decent stash of cash I asked how much it was.
He replied matter of factly it was $150 a night.
I clapped him on the shoulder and advised he was very wise as I backed out the door into the cold dark night. We stayed next door for $2 and a guy called Sonam served us breakfast the next day. Over coffee and a chat we discovered he had been with Stu Peacock as a Sherpa on his Everest summit. If anyone speaks to him pass on Sonam's regards!
Insider Information
When we arrived in Lukla the airport had been closed for a week due to bad weather. Tickets were being re-confirmed and cancelled quicker than a bottle of wine disappears on a Friday night. Town was packed full of stressed out trekkers. Me and Liz arrived with no tickets or reservations but with some insider knowledge. The clouds cleared and the first flight left at 7 am the next morning. We were on the second flight at 7:10 am. Back in Kathmandu in 40 minutes. It had taken us 9 days to walk in that far. We left behind lots of angry and frustrated faces who had sat there for a week. Still my steak and beer tasted great.
Rest and recuperation
We headed to lakeside at Pokhara and stayed as the first and only guests in a new hotel. The owners spoke French and Nepali but no English. Communication was pantomime and pointing. I sat on the balcony for a week indulging in the local delicacies and Liz got restless. We headed up to Annapurna Base Camp a "quick" 8 day trip by our new standards. Base Camp is incredible perhaps more so than anything on the previous trek. An amphitheatre of mountains after you emerge out of bamboo forests. We played lots of poker with Bilbao Basques and Korean trekkers and walked up and down the thousands of stone steps that make up the trail. I do feel a bit trekked out now.
Hi Folks. Well done so far with your travels and adventures; I presume you're well into the swing of things now. I'm pleased you topped out on Island Peak - from what I remember it was not so easy, quite a tiring leg & lung buster on the final ridge but what a great summit point with an incredible vista! Merry Christmas and all the very best for 2011 - I look forward to hearing all about it. Cheers Neal.
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