Lukla is situated in the Himalayas where flying airplanes can be quite scary. We had arrived from doing the Everest Base Camp Trek and we were on our way back to Kathmandu which involves a very scary flight. Think plane thrashing up and down violently.
We had bought tickets on another airline to leave on June 7th but we showed up early on June 5th. So we thought of our options… We could wait it out in Lukla and see if we could get on another flight or try to see if we can pay for another flight and get a refund for the flight we originally bought…
And I was kind of shocked that they told us we could buy new tickets with a different airline and then get a refund for our old tickets back in Kathmandu.
I was a little worried that once we arrived in Kathmandu they would say something ridiculous and that we couldn’t get our refund. But at the same time I didn’t want to take chances and just stay in Lukla for 2 extra days. What if the weather goes bad and we have no flight? We still had to get to China!
So we bought our tickets and within the hour we had a flight. It really did feel good to leave the mountains because we were exhausted from carrying our huge bags around. There isn’t much security at Lukla Airport. You are just whisked away on your flight. Of course I sat on the side where I can see the Himalayas. Once everybody board everybody quickly takes their seat and then with one quick push we were already in the sky.
This flight in particular was very scary though. Unlike our first flight, this flight was bumpy and shook violently. People were screaming and I was a little nervous (I never get nervous flying). It was that we were in such a tiny plane and turbulence can cause these planes to crash! Needless to say I don’t think I will be doing this flight again. If I’m going to see Mount Everest it will probably be from the Tibet side.
And so after 25 minutes of shaking and terror we finally land in Kathmandu. Which is such a relief since landing in Kathmandu can also be dangerous … due to fog, etc… So then had to go through the whole refunding process. We go to the original airline and ask to get a refund. At first they try to deny us but eventually they gave in after we said the people on the mountain told us we could and I said we had to leave fast due to a family emergency (Always make up something… as long as you get your money back).
The problem was, they didn’t have money to give us right there… They were such a terrible airline that nobody had bought tickets with them for that day therefore they had no money to give! So we had to wait until the accountant came in to get money from the bank. And they paid us which I was surprised and everything worked out in that regard.
When we came back we still had two days until our flight and we couldn’t get on an earlier flight to China (I think we would have left if we had the choice) So our options were to get a crappy hotel or stay in a nice hotel where we could relax and lick our wounds.
We choose the latter. We were so tired and beaten up that we wanted needed! a nicer room to relax (and plus there isn’t really that much to do in Kathmandu. We had done most of the sites and really just want to relax and chill for a bit). So we arrived at our hotel and we did get to relax. I got to take long showers. We watched the news and sometimes we went out shopping to get gifts or to see the rest of the sites we didn’t see.
Shopping in Kathmandu is relatively straight forward. The items to get there are scarves, prayer bowls and anything with a Buddha Eye. Everybody speaks English and you’re expected to bargain with them for the price you want. Don’t go in and expect a fair deal because if you agree to spend a lot of money they will take it. I bought scarves for my family, paper books, and some prayer bowls. Really all vendors sell the same items so its better to shop around and settle on a place that you like (we went to and gave business to the vendors who were the least pushy towards us). The vendor we went to for scarves was this really nice man who worked with us when we bought at least 7 different types of scarves.
Oh and I did get sick here. This was the first time I got sick and lasted for most of the rest of the trip! I ended up getting a bug and had massive stomach problems that never left me until Japan. The first night was the worse as I could barely move and then progressively it did get better (Still it sucks to have a stomach ache… You are just in such a bad mood sometimes… but you push on!)
But really that was our time spent for the next 2 days in Kathmandu. We did get to see Durbar Square which is impressive…. From my understanding it use to serve as the Kings Palace and where he ruled from.
Other than that we had seen all the main sites we had wanted to see the first day we were there. Kathmandu is actually not a very big city so you can see what you want to see relatively quickly.
By the end of our stay in Nepal I was ready to leave. The smells were getting to me as well as the constant poverty you see. Sometimes you just want to be in a clean place when you’re traveling (especially when you’re sick). Plus it’s hot always and after a while it feels like there is nothing to do. Nothing is very modern in Nepal so you feel like you’re stuck in the past.
Our flight was late as it left at 11:00 at night… We show up at the airport and surprisingly everything is on time and running smooth. We check in our bags and go through the “security” and some weird checkpoint the Nepalese have. And off we sit in a room, watching TV, waiting with a bunch of Nepalese and foreigners for our flight to China!
And that is where I leave you today. Make sure to come back and read about China. Unlike Nepal they don’t speak English and we found that quite difficult. Plus touring an ancient city, Great Wall of China, Forbidden City and much more weird stories we had there.
2012 Asia Tour
Arriving in Kathmandu | Part Deux
A Scary Flight to Lukla, Nepal
Pingyao | A 2,700 year old City
The Birds Nest to Forbidden City
images by: shawnvoyage
