Mount Everest flight

 

The four of us grabbed a cab from the hotel to Kathmandu airport at 4:45am… traffic was not a problem.  It was a bit strange arriving to the airport with NO bags to check or carry on… only our cameras, money, passport, etc.   On check-in, we received a preview of the 22 +6000m peaks we would see on our flight leaving Kathmandu and returning one hour later… a map of the peaks including: Makalu and Lhotse (4th and 5th tallest in the world), Gosain Than and Cho Oyo (two of China’s highest), and or course, Everest.

The plane is small… 16 seats, all window seats which is great for such a flight.  We lift off into the ever-present smog and dust that is Kathmandu, even at 7 am.  I was a bit worried we’d have poor visibility, but about 10 minutes in we popped up above 15,000 feet into crystal clear skies… and mountains!

Flying east from Kathmandu, we fly along the southern edge of the Himalaya, close to the Nepal/Tibet border.  We look on and snap a thousand pictures.  Those on the left side of the plane have the best view for now but the plane would eventually do a 180 back to Kathmandu to give the others the same unspoiled view.  One by one, each passenger is allowed to go up into the open cockpit (we are definitely not in the US anymore) to meet the captain/ co-captain, see the forward-looking view and hear a bit about the mountains in view at the time (I was told about Melungtse which is a sacred mountain for Nepalese and therefore not allowed to be climbed).

Gauri Shankar (left, 7134 m) and Melungtse (right, 7181 m)

 

Video of some of the mountains

 

Finally, everyone stirs as it comes into view… the tallest place on Earth--Mount Everest (elevation 8848 m/ 29,028 ft).  At this time of year and time of day, there is no banner of snow and ice blowing of the peak so we are lucky to have a clear view.

 

Mount Everest is the tallest triangle one the right

 

 

 

We all received “flight certificates”, which we thought was kinda funny… :-)

 

Back at the hotel it was still early… Yves and Rahel shared their purchase of fresh fruit from the day before… papaya, banana, tangerine and mango.

The rest of the day would be spent shopping for souvenirs and knick-knacks for family and ourselves. 

 

  

We stopped by a bar called the Rum Doodle, which has an “Everest Club” with notes and signatures from various famous mountaineers who have made the ascent.  The pictures above show the note and signature from Ed Hilary and Rob Hall.

Finally, the four of us go to dinner, at the same restaurant we went to before our trek… apropos to celebrate a fun and safe trek before saying goodbye.  They would fly west the next day to India and we would fly east to Bangkok.  After a month in Nepal, we bought into the hype (their tourist slogan is “once is never enough”), but were looking forward to a more “developed” Thailand!