The mother of all mountains

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After arriving super late to the Royal Singi Hotel in Kathmandu last night, all I wanted to do was sleep! I managed to doze off at about 3am, only to get woken by the phone at quarter to 6 - my ride was here to take me to the airport for my Mt Everest flight!!

Well... all my worries about DragonAir disappeared this morning as I boarded a "Buddha Air" flight to Mt Everest! An airline ... named afer my sister's dog! Surely it can't be named after anyone else?

There were 16 of us on the flight and I had both my cameras ready to go. It was pretty hazy outside as we took off, but as soon as we cleared the clouds it was spectacular. Clear blue sky, no wind, and the most sensational views of the Himalayan mountains as far as the eye could see.

About 20 minutes into the flight and there it was.

Mt Everest.

Just to be that close to the highest point on this planet was a breathtaking experience.

Taking in the geography of the place and trying to fathom how anyone could get all the way to the peak of any of those mountains is unreal.

Even though I was only in a little plane, there was still a great rush of adrenalin. Unless they install a gondola ride or a ski lift, this was as close as I am going to get to Everest's peak and it was well worth the flight!

Then it was back to the city. This place is a massive culture shock. I was expecting something HCMC-ish, but it's much worse here.

There are armed guards near ATM's and the traffic during what they call "office time" is pretty crazy. There are more cars here so traffic is much slower moving than in Saigon where all the scooters just zip in and out.

I can't wait til some of the other HFH Builders to arrive because I'm not feeling super comfortable wandering around by myself! Although, I've not had any "you buy sunglassess! cheap! cheap!". Nothing beyond "taxi maam?". But I've also not been in any overly touristy areas yet, so only time will tell!!

In saying that, the Nepalese people I have been lucky enough to meet so far have been amazing.
So friendly, kind, polite and helpful. It makes me realise just how lucky we are in Australia. These people have next to nothing, but they can still smile. That is pure awesomness right there!

After I made it "home" from the Everest flight, I jumped in the shower and washed my hair for the first time since I left Oz. Wow. I have never felt so relieved to have clean hair before. So sad! Haha!

There were no Clarksons or Hammonds today, just my own personal driver, Mt Everest, the heat and Kathmandu.

I am looking forward to a dinner of chicken momo and a really good sleep before heading off tomorrow morning to explore the Kathmandu Valley including a visit to Patan, Bhaktapur and a Tibetan Refugee Camp.

My camera will love it!

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Photos

Mt Everest
Everest is on the left - 8848m or 29028ft above sea level