Travels in Nepal #4 Our trek starts
Near Lukla, Nepal
After the excitement of the flight into Lukla we were ready for anything. A calming cuppa in a nearby lodge helped before our first taste of the adventure set before us.
Lukla is one of the larger villages in the Everest region. It probably would be more accurate to call it a town. It is heavily dependent on tourism these days, trekking in particular. Anyone trekking towards Mt Everest will pass through the town at the start of their trek. There are many lodges, hotels, internet cafes, trekking supply shops and general tourist type shops. We stopped for none of them. We were keen to start on the trek.
As we left the town we followed the valley towards our first overnight stop. As we kept up a good pace along the track we passed many farms and houses like that in the picture above. The whole valley was delightful. Quaint and humble dwellings and tiny villages were brightened by the colour of the prayer flags strung up everywhere.
The most impressive aspect of this first day’s trek was the sheer magnitude of the mountains. I could not have imagined that mountains could be so steep, so high, so magnificent and so totally awesome. Overworked words, yes, but it was just how I felt. Words do not do the amazing terrain any justice at all. It has to be experienced to be believed.
Travels in Nepal #3 Flight to Lukla
Lukla Airport, Nepal
Anticipation
The anticipation of the trek beforeme hit me hard when we had a trekking group meeting in the gardens of the hotel. Suddenly I was torn between the excitement of seeing the mountains I had dreamed of for several decades and the feeling of “What have I let myself in for?”
My little moment of terror must have shown in my eyes. My daughter said it was quite easy to see that I was way out of my comfort zone. It was her idea that we go on this trek. She was on her way home to Australia after a teaching exchange in England for all of 2005. It had take me but a few seconds to agree to join her. Then it had taken me 18 months of hard training to be ready.
In the early 1980s I had a deep desire to go trekking the Himalayas. I read every books I could get my hands on, but then the conservative, steady, sensible me took over. Too hard, too complicated (with a young family) and too expensive. I shelved – no buried – my dreams. Now it was about to be realised. The anticipation was almost overwhelming.
The flight to Lukla
I had been warned by my travel agent that the flight to Lukla was spectacular but inclined to be a bit rough. All part of the excitement, all part of the adventure. Others on the trek seemed a little overwhelmed by the experience but I found it exhilarating. And the view when one alights at Lukla airport is simply stunning. Nothing had prepared me for the absolute grandeur of the scenery.
To read more about Lukla airport and the landing click here.
Travels in Nepal #2 Kathmandu
Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal
Glimpses of Chaotic Kathmandu
We had a day in Kathmandu before the trek began. This was partly for acclimatisation. At 1300 metres this was nearly the highest altitude I had ever been. There are not too many high mountains in Australia after all. And where I live is barely 50 metres above sea level, if that. That wasn’t to prove to be a problem, not like on the trek – but more of that later.
On our first day in Kathmandu we were taken on a guided tour of some of the highlights of the city, including the magnificent temple shown in the photo above. I was fascinated by the sights, the sounds and the smells of this amazing city. It was very interesting coming to terms with a totally different culture, people and the religions. Coming to a culture where a totally different religious belief system is in your face at every turn can be confronting.
Travels in Nepal #1
Kathmandu, Nepal
First Time out of Australia
In January 2006 I had the delight to visit Nepal. It was my first trip overseas; what a place to visit on one’s first venture out of Australia! My three weeks in Nepal included a trek from Lukla to Tengboche. This is the track one takes on the way to Mt Everest. We had good views of Everest along the way.
Over coming days and weeks I am going to give some snippets of my impressions of Nepal, the trek, the scenery and the people. It will take a few weeks because I am being selective in the photos I upload to my photo gallery.
Chaotic City
Before arriving in Nepal I had 3 days in Thailand. I thought that Thailand was a challenging enough cultural shift; Kathmandu was something else again! The chaos of the roads on the short trip from the Airport to the hotel was amazing. I was astounded that there weren’t car wrecks on every corner. Despite the turmoil, despite the poor conditions of so many people, despite the lack of many things we take for granted in Australia, this struggling little country is bravely attempting to come into the modern world.
Maoist Rally in Kathmandu
The polical turmoil in Nepal seems destined to continue, despite the advances made in recent weeks. This week there was a massive rally – perhaps as many as one hundred thousand people – in the capital Kathmandu. It was organised by the Maoists who have controlled large parts of rural Nepal for about a decade.
More than 100,000 people have turned out for a mass rally by the Maoist rebel movement in Nepal.
There was a big show of force by an insurgent group, which after 10-years of ruthless violence claims to want a legitimate role as a peaceful political movement.
The Government says many people living in Maoist-controlled areas had been intimidated into attending the rally.
It is easy to be critical from afar but the resurgence of the Maoist cause does not seem to me to be the way forward for this troubled, yet beautiful, country. To say that they have a legitimate role in running the nation is hypocrisy in the extreme. It is their very actions in killing more than 13000 people over the past ten years, in addition to countless bombings, that have almost brought this country to its knees. Coupled with a ruthless and despotic king it has left the people desperate for a peaceful way forward. Bully tactics by the Maoists – and the king – have not worked. Democracy is struggling to survive against such ruthless opponents.