Blogs from Nepal, Asia - page 10

Today we are trying to get back to Kathmandu. We woke up to the sound of airplanes and beautiful sunny skies and so were optimistic about our chances. Arriving at the airport it was heaving - people and bags everywhere like some sort of refugee camp. This didn’t look so good. Queuing up at the unmanned check in counters to find out what was happening around 3 planes took off in short succession. That seemed a good sign. Finally getting to the front of the queue (at around 10am) we were told they were checking in the 6am flights. I have no idea what the other flights we saw leaving were then! There are people who have been waiting for 3 days. Let’s hope the weather stays clear and the delayed flight still leaves.... After finally ... read more

First Days in Kathmandu After two hectic weeks of travelling to meet friends and family and the incessant political/religious turmoil going on in Kerala I was relieved to get back on the plane and leave it all to the locals to suffer. As a person who has escaped from the clutches of faith It is unbelievable what is going on in "Gods on Country" or indeed in the wider India. It appears that we are turning the clock around and instead of marching into the 21st century we are going back to the early 19th or even the 16th century. The Islamic ferver is now followed by militant Hinduism and devotional Christianity. The loser in all this is the Individual who has no status in the society except as a member of a religious or political ... read more

Lumde is in the bottom of a valley and so gets the sunlight later in the morning. No sunshine through the windows or fire during breakfast made it a very chilly start despite the fact it was warmer than it has been higher up. We started off around 8am and I was relieved when we finally reached the sunshine. The next couple of villages we reached are traditional Sherpa villages. They had large, walled fields and stone houses. They were large and only had one or two teahouses. It was good to see somewhere that wasn’t relying on tourism for its income. We reached Thame around 1030am. It’s a pretty village sitting on a plateau surrounded by mountains - the situation is lovely. Unfortunately it was badly affected by the earthquake and most of the buildings ... read more

There are definite pros and cons to ending up in a little group. Obviously it’s much safer and route finding is easier with more eyes. I’ve also found that I can dig deep and keep going as I don’t want to let the team down in a way I don’t necessarily do when it’s just Stephen with me. It’s also more fun having other people to have conversations with, especially at meal times. That said you catch each other’s bugs. Bart felt unwell yesterday, Stephen this morning and me this evening. Typical. We didn’t set an alarm this morning - we ended up waking up around 830am. Sleep was definitely needed. Miriam and Robin had already left as they were planning on walking to the 7th lake, by Cho Oyo base camp, an 8 hr ... read more

The room in Dzongla was the coldest we have had so far by quite a long way. Fortunately I was cosy in my sleeping bag liner, sleeping bag and duvet. Annoyingly our water had completely frozen. There was no water to wash in (all frozen), my wet wipes were frozen and even my toothbrush was frozen! Typically this lodge decided it wouldn’t light the fire for breakfast so we shivered through a yummy porridge & French toast. Whilst eating breakfast a Dutch couple were explaining that the glacier over the pass is extremely slippery and difficult without mini-crampons. They were selling theirs having already done the pass. Bart bought one pair and we bought the other, hoping we weren’t being ripped off. After breakfast, around 8am, we set off in the sunshine towards the Cho La ... read more