Everest Base Camp Trek: Day 1. Lukla to Taktok (11th April 2009)

Click on the images to view the larger version. 

Kathmadu Airport, just about to board a Yeti Airlines Dornier aircraft bound for Lukla, where our trek would begin.

 

Hillary-Tensing Airport, Lukla. The guys behind the gate are porters hoping to be hired by trekkers and climbers coming off the planes. The guy guarding the gate is an army/policeman.

The airport runway with the village of Lukla beyond.

The group making its way through Lukla to begin the trek. Note the Starbucks sign. You won’t be surprised to learn that it’s fake!

Lots of villages in Nepal have this arches on their outskirts containing prayer wheels. Prayer wheels are always turned clockwise.

  

Above: Mani Stones.

 

Our first very high suspension bridge.  This was fun!  It took a few more of these before I had the confidence to look down.

Our campsite at Taktok at the end of our first day of trekking.

These kids were very happy for me to take their picture.  They were having a great time when I came upon them, screaming with laughter with whatever game they were playing.  Next day I gave them a chocolate bar each and you’d have thought they’d won the lottery they were so pleased.

Prayer Wheel, Lukla (11th April 2009)

A short video of a large prayer, just recently installed, in Lukla, Nepal. It was here that my recent Everest Base Camp trek began. Tomorrow I hope to start posting my photo record of the trek. Finger crossed!

Video Blog: Landing at Hillary-Tensing Airport, Lukla, Nepal, 11th April 2009

Note the incline of the runway in relation to the houses beyond. This helps slow the plane down very quickly as the runway is very short.

Everest Base Camp (Nepal) Sunday 19th April 2009

A Happy Man and a Mountain

Hello everyone. Although I've been back in Scotland over a week now this is the first I've felt like getting online and saying 'hi'. The Everest Base Camp Trek really took it out of me. If that wasn't bad enough the 5000 mile journey home by plane, train and ferry just about frazzled my brain.

I'll be writing something for An Tirisdeach over the next few days, to appear in the next edition, due out in just under a fortnight. An extended account plus lots and lots of photographs will be available here at the blog.

The final raised for Sense Scotland is something in the region of £1060.00. Thank you so much for supporting this wonderful charity.

Apologies for this short message. Normal service will be resumed soon!