Everest Mountain Flight - On Top of the World even if I am another year older!!!

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Happy Birthday to Me! Whilst at Kopan I celebrated by birthday. A present from my parents was a morning Mountain Flight around Everest. And wow what a memorable birthday!

Waking up early to catch the morning flight was not difficult because I had hardly slept for excitment.
I was kept company for the flight two friends made at the Monastery - Cornel and Ricardo. We took an early morning taxi to the domestic airport and boarded a small plane (me slightly nervously as at this point I remembered I don't like actually getting into small aircraft but knowing I was going to see the World's Highest Mountain made it less daunting). Hey and for once there was issue over getting a window seat with this little aircraft everyone has a window seat and an aisle seat come to that!

Soon we were up in the air and getting our first wonderful views of Himalaya Mountain Ranges, a pathway of mountains leading to the highest one of all - Everest. Each mountain we passed seemed to get more spectacular, the sun glinting off the snow and the angular lines of the summits though most remained unidentified despite been given a leaflet showing them with there names. But it didn't matter because the beautiful things do not need names.

Then very soon we were approaching Everest and we were individually taken for trips to the cockpit for the our first and clearest views of the Highest Mountain. I am not sure why but I thought Everest stood as a solitary mountain, so I was slightly surprised to find it surrounded by other impressively high peaks but as it goes Everest stood tall and proud in it's Number 1 position as the highest, its daunting and dramatic slopes cascading downwards and covered with deep precipices.

And I was lucky enough to be in the cockpit for the second time as the plane made its turn around Everest and got to expereince close up views of the peak before the plane turned and returned to Kathmandu.

It was strange to look down on the mountain that from the ground would be the closest you could get to touching the sky. I can see the draw for climbers to get to the point where the earth touches the sky. But at the same time I couldn't help thinking how her magestic snow covered slopes was also the final resting place for many climbers that had attempted to do just that - reach for the sky and never made it.

So am I tempted to get close and climb Everest - even just to Base Camp? Nope - it looked way too cold and daunting - the comfort of the mountain flight is just fine for me!

What an amazing and great Birthday memory and present. BIG Thank You Mum & Dad from the Top of the World.

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Photos

Me, Cornel and Ricardo before the flight
Still half asleep after an early start - hey I am another year older and now need extra sleep!

Comments

[sjamil]

Great Mountain
Fantastic Pics. How long was the flight. Is it safe to take this flight?

[Anitas Walkabout]

Everest Flight
The flight is about 1 hour long and felt perfectly safe to me. Really enjoyed it and would definately do it again.