We get up to receive our breakfast. For me, porridge and a good black coffee.
There is not much to wait before we set our way and start walking. Soon I discover Rivendel-like forests and wateralls, lots of pine trees and even one pinsapo (probably an himalayan alpine fir).
Xan asked me many times to tell him as soon as I see another. I doubt if what I saw was right because it wasn’t until the end of the journey that I spot another.
Many people wandering here: Other trekkers from all over the world. Mainly: americans, french, some german, many chinese and some friendly happy indian gang and one spanish group that is coming back from the Everest.
There are many porters, sherpas carrying goodies for other villages. Lots of them have a X-shaped basket, while many others carry stuff for people like us.
I cannot forget to mention about the many rows of horses and yaks that also carry staff. We must be wary when crossing them since the trails are narrow and with a stepped fall in one side.
I enjoy being here in these country villages, happy myself when I see children play and laughing. They are always the most authentic.
Jetha, Tundu and Sonam are very supportive and we laugh when traslating words from nepalese to spanish and backwards. E.g.: «vistarei» for «walking slowly».
My name seems to be like horse saddle, something that strikes me of more than a coincidence.
Before closing my report for today I should say that the hanging bridges have been fun and a beautiful sight from the distance, adding the paradise-like atmosphere to this place.
The trek seems nowadays like a must pilgrimage for adventure-hungry people of the world, and I say this, not only after seeing many people, also because there are many bars, shops, guest houses with english signs along the way.
We reach Namche Bazaar, the capital of the sherpa world. I pay to get wifi, a shower and to get the chance to buy a hat for the colder days to come.
I speak with Dad, A. and H. and after the dinner I get ready to write, read some and listen my old MP3.
The hotel was busy with some celebration, it seems like a wedding
The first thing that came to my attention is the amount of traffic on the streets, a river of cars and motorbikes and the traffic light that probably went abandoned 30 or 40 years ago. So the only way to cross this street is a leap of faith and start walking towards the other side, and like a rock in a river, the traffic starts to make room for us while never stopping going forward.
The cables tangled in every post. I wonder how are the repairs made. Probably just setting a new one over the old.
We visit an exchange place where we can get some rupees and after that some of us need to get some equipment, mostly for when we do our final ascension to the Island Peak, so I buy some mittens and a water bottle.
The next day we go to the airport where we can take a flight to Lukla, however there are no screen signs here, people is sitting everywhere on the floor, and the communication with the people at the desks seems to lead to nowhere. We spend hours there and it seems flights are getting delayed due to the weather in Lukla.
Hours waiting at the local airport.
When it seemed that we may even not flight today, one of the guides appear and to our delight he has arranged a couple of helicopters to flight us to Lukla. We walk around trusting that everything amidst this chaos have an inner order, and finally that is manifested when we are transported to a nearby facility where we will be able to catch the helli.
From here on, I continue with my notes from these days
14-October-2017
Second day in Nepal. We arrived today to our first shelter after some trekking.
The astounding beauty of the scenery is exceeding my previous expectations set in Kathmandu. I did not expect to find such splendid cascades falling as in slow motion. It is also a gift for my inner child to discover these evergreen sea of mountains while flying for the first time in a helicopter.
Our pilot, Eric «Riddler» Riddington does not seem to be a man of much words. Mónica is sitting on the left front sit. I am next to the left door at the rear, with David in the middle and Xan to the right.
Eric «Riddler», our pilot.
Mixed emotions overcame when the rotor started and I fixated my attention on when we would start to float.
The first surprise was, that when it happened, it was far from frightening. Joyously and confidently I set myself to record some videos to proudly show later to my family and friends.
We start to navigate through the countryside around Kathmandu that is surrounded by infinite hills.
Unlike Kathmandu, as crowded with houses from above as it is with people on the ground, the countryside presents a more appealing display for me, green mountains whose sides have been carved by man to cultivate the land with a set of artificial plateaus fit for farming. I notice that the houses take root on the lines that the slopes form at their top. Many blue roofs are seen from this vantage point of view.
Getting too near when a big slope is erected in our front sight set some of my alarms ringing, but only I get really worried when some wind pushes our helicopter upwards or side to side even if it is only for milliseconds.
After an hour flying, what appears to be a farm with a prairie on the skirts of a mountain, reveals itself to be a helipad with a landing point.
The helli dives down and moves again upwards after sweeping over and above the buildings. Amazed, I enjoy with how the pilot takes us circling around the mountain, a mountain which I can’t see the top, full of greenery and hidden by the clouds.
When he completed the circle we were back at the landing point. This time, slowly, as if showing off, the helli finally lands.
The little prairie is specked with the colors of the trekkers’ coats, trekkers that have come from all over the world and are here today.
A girl in her first twenties races towards the helli, she seems to be organizing the arrivals. A shabby man that reminds me of a nepali version of Johnny Depp asks us some questions, and soothes us to leave behind our concerns about our missing bags, partners and guides. He ushers us towards the hall room and take some tea.
We haven’t finished the tea, while the girl is helping us calling Parajuli, our contact in Kathmandu, when Sonam, Luru and Jetta arrive alongside with the porters. In a matter of seconds, and once again, I discover how everything seems to unfold perfectly while I feel myself confidently trusting in the people that are taking care of us.
Presentations are made, Luru asks me if I am the leader, I told him that no, but that I could be, and he laughs and says «you seem like an smart guy».
The trek starts. Jewels from nature are everywhere so slowly we leave behind our morning concern about waiting at the airport for our twice delayed flights.
The trail is an stepped path carved on the rock, surrounded by sudden falls into the valley. I can only see trees, plants and from this height I can see rivers, waterfalls and the gigantic mountains on the opposite side that dwarf the ones I walked in Grazalema or Málaga.
We cross many little villages, buddhists mantras engraved or painted on the stones or flags…
One of the many suspension bridges on the first stages.
Stupas
Near the end, Tundu and Tenshi comes to guide us to the guest house where the meal is served.
To wash myself, only a faucet and a rocky basin helps me to wash a bit my face and arms clean.
We enjoy noodles and masala tea comforted in their warm personalities, full of hospitality and good sense of humour.
I set myself to sleep while remembering the many events, the dog that followed us, the little girl and boys that laugh and play in the villages, my friends and family with whom I could not contact today, although Mónica kindly lend me her mobile to send a SMS to my father. I wonder what is H doing today.
This is the second post with the chronicles of the travel I did to Nepal on 2017, including the Trekking on the himalayas and the ascension to the Imja Tse (Island Peak).
Yes, all started with a poster. It was during my second visit to Oseling, that I saw the picture and recognized the name of my friend announcing it. I knew I had to be there. I met Cristina during my first time I went to Oseling, so quickly after going back home I contacted her and with the help of her company I started to arrange all that was needed. He sent me detailed instructions, things to carry, vaccines needed when traveling, meds that could be needed and that are common knowledge between mountaineers that venture at such altitudes.
The thing is that due to my work I could not go during the Spring to Tibet, so the plans changed and I decided to go at the end of summer to Nepal and the heart of the Himalayas instead.
Changing plans and going to the Himalayas
The days approached and Cristina helped me a lot solving doubts that arose, and another friend of mine, Arturo (Check his travel blog http://alfabravo.org/), helped me buying all the stuff I would need. I did not have proper winter gear so we made a good stash with the clothes, sun glasses, trekking cane, etc., the cashier was amazed when she saw all the collected stuff and more when he heard it was for such a far place.
Alfa Bravo giving his wise counsel when getting the equipment.
I remember that as the day to depart approached I was very nervous, not only for the travel (I needed to go
from San Fernando to Madrid by train first to catch the plane there), but because I was preparing an exam, and
the test was one day before catching the flight.
Before packing
After packing
They day came, and I could spend the day with my friends in Madrid: Monica, Rober and Emma. I passed the exam, yay! So with the heavy backpack at my back, I headed my steps towards the Madrid airport where I met Cristina again after a year and the ones who would be my travel partners in the Nepal Adventure: Luis, Xan, Monica and David.
Visiting Monica and Rober before catching the plane
I never took a flight so long, but luckily the wariness I had on flights years ago had dissapeared, and we arrived to Delhi first. On the airport we could see many peoples with the bindi, the red dot on the forehead, and although some of us were worried about being able to catch the next plane to Kathmandu, everything went smoothly including customs.
The guides were waiting for us at the airport and Kathmandu was around us.
There, we met Tomas, after the checking was done at the hotel, we met Tomas who came from the UK and joined us. The team was assembled, it was time to celebrate our first night in Kathmandu!
During October 2017 I embarked myself on an adventure that took me across the world to a place that is revered by many: by tourists that seek to visit the colourful Kathmandu; by trekkers that adventure themselves on the natural park around the highest peaks of the world that is also the home of the sherpa people; by buddhists because north of Nepal is close to Tibet and there are temples and ancient scriptures on the rocks there; and also by alpinists who look to reach the highest peaks there; be that the Everest or one of the many one that crown the Himalayas.
At the skirts of giants
I wrote a diary during that days and I have been reluctant to publish it till now, so maybe the distance of time and space allow me to revive that days with a sense of wonder anew.
In the next posts I will be posting some chapters of it with some photographs. Let serve this to reconnect with the nepali and sherpa people whose hospitality was outstanding in all the places we crossed, and with all the members of the travel that participated on this.
Ater landing with the helicopter
One of the many suspension bridges on the first days of the trekking
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