Day 4 dawned early with a 5 AM wake-up call and a good breakfast at 5:30 AM before our walk back to the airport from the hotel. The weather looked promising once again, and flights began a little earlier than scheduled, which was both exciting and nerve-wracking. Was this going to be another day lost? Were we finally going to fly? There was still a backlog from the previous day, so we were informed we’d be in the second round of planes to depart. A nervous anticipation hung in the air as we watched the first set of aircraft lift off into the Himalayan skies, while we waited patiently in the tiny departures hall, in the exact same spot we’d been in yesterday!
After a 45-minute wait, we managed to get one step closer to our goal: our names were called, and we were instructed to queue up, ready to board! As the plane landed, a familiar sense of apprehension lingered – would they cancel again? They loaded our bags, then refuelled, and finally, they let us on board. Even then, it wasn’t 100% certain. There was a bit of a jostle for the “best” seats on the plane (the left side, offering prime views), but we’d queued early to secure our chance. Martina and Ben snagged the first two seats on the left, while William went front right. John, however, got somewhat squeezed out by some rather pushy fellow passengers, but luckily, with William plugging a good prime seat, he ended up in the front row middle, practically sitting with the pilots! Who’s laughing now, pushy people? He truly had the best seat in the house (or so he felt)!
Even sitting on the plane at this point, there was still a possibility of cancellation as the weather had begun to turn, and the pilots were in deep discussion with each other and someone on the radio. However, suddenly the captain gave the all-clear! The engines roared to life, and we quickly taxied to the runway, turned, increased throttle, and soared into the sky.
“Wow” simply doesn’t do it justice! What a fun flight! The views, however, were quite limited due to the incredibly poor visibility, clearly highlighting the pilots’ challenges. As we flew into the smog, the pilots were in deep conversation, scanning the horizon as they went, and there were many shakes of the head, indicating that conditions had worsened from the first flight. Were they going to abort and turn around? I think it was a consideration (and had apparently happened a few days before). At one point, the pilot suddenly dropped the plane as he spotted birds flying nearby, giving us all a momentary fright as our stomachs hit the ceiling when we dropped!
Twenty-five minutes later, we were through the smog and surrounded by cliffs and mountains. The pilots quickly went to work preparing the plane for landing. This was, without a doubt, the most exciting and scary part of the flight: the landing at Lukla Airport (often referred to as the most dangerous airport in the world)! With expert ease, the two pilots worked their magic, bringing us down with a firm bump onto the tarmac, stopping just short of the cliff face at the end of the runway. We later learned we were the third-to-last plane out, as all subsequent flights were cancelled due to the increasing levels of smog. It truly was the best flight ever.
But that wasn’t the end of our day! Next, it was time to start our three-hour hike to Phakding. We first stopped for a quick break, letting the adrenaline clear our bodies after the flight. We also met our two porters, who were mates with our guides and who would be constants over the next two weeks. The path was very good as we began our ascent, stopping for many photos in Lukla, ringing Buddhist prayer bells as we went, and taking too many excited photos at every monument and view. Early into the hike, we had to stop at the Sagarmatha National Park permit office to ensure we gained our necessary permits for the hike (which our guide sorted quickly). Even early in the trek, the views were stunning, and due to so many flights being cancelled both yesterday and today, the trail was remarkably empty. We had been warned that the trails would be packed, but they were almost deserted except for a few other groups and porters.
As we walked, our guides (Aryan and Sujan) started to teach us the ways of the mountain, making sure we hiked in the Buddhist way (as we were in Buddhist territory) by ensuring we walked on the left of the numerous monuments that had been built along the path, something we kept to as best we could for the whole hike.
Another iconic part of the hike is traversing the many suspension bridges along the route. On Day 1, these were a novelty and nerve-wracking, with legs shaking and trying not to look down. However, by Day 3, we walked on them like pros, enjoying the views and the feeling of flying over canyons and valleys. One thing we did notice early on was the sheer number of steps! Again, this is something we were warned about, but it was still hard work, especially on poor William’s legs! We stopped for a delicious lunch on the way, again surprised by how empty everything was! This was high season, but with so few flights for an extended period, there were few coming down or going up the mountain. To be honest, it was delightful and made the experience just that bit more enjoyable.
Finally, not too tired, we arrived at our accommodation, Sunrise Lodge, for the night in Phakding.
We had hiked well and arrived early, giving us time to explore. We did a little snack shopping (FYI, don’t do all your snack shopping here; it’s cheaper further up the mountain) and, to our delight, discovered a local bakery, where we enjoyed some much-deserved hot drinks and cakes as a treat – I mean, why not, it was only day one!
After a bit more chilling in the bakery and talking to some other fellow hikers, we headed back to the hotel for dinner. Our room was cold, and the shower was cold-ish, a result of too little sun to properly heat the solar water system. We also did experience a bit of a rip-off from a local lady, who sold us opened Oreos and expired Sprite and Coke (our fault for not checking) A Snickers bar, for example, cost us 200 rupees each, which we later found was only 150 rupees in Namche Bazaar, despite the altitude difference!
Before dinner was served, our guides gave us a briefing of the next day’s plans, chatted about how we felt, if we were happy, etc., and took our blood oxygen levels. They were incredibly thorough with it all and made us feel safe in the knowledge that they were looking out for our best interests.
Our first blood oxygen test revealed excellent readings, all in the mid-90s, which was reassuring. Dinner at the hotel was lovely, a delicious meal featuring momos, pasta, and Dal Bhat.
It was interesting to note in the menu the cost of food compared to rooms (not something we had to worry about, but of interest if you are self-hiking/guiding). While the food wasn’t overly expensive, its cost compared to the room price was notable with rooms being CRAZY cheap in comparison.
Ending day 1 on th emountain it was now time to get into the rhythm of the mountain, sleeping early to get a good night’s rest to then wake early. We headed to bed by 8:00 PM, preparing for a 6:00 AM breakfast and our first full day of hiking tomorrow.
Family Russell-Smith Travel 