Namaste from Lukla

Sherpa porter carrying our bags through Lukla

Today we journeyed from Kathmandu to Lukla. It was a relatively simple trip. We boarded a small twin engine prop plane for a 40 minute trip into the mountains of the Khumbu region. The Lukla airport is famous for being called the most dangerous airport in the world. It gets this designation because the runway was carved straight into the side of the mountain as opposed to parallel to the side of the mountain. Coming straight into the mountain on landing, there is no opportunity for a go around. The pilot must have his airspeed and glide path exactly on the mark to hit the number at threshold of the runway so that he can break very hard and get the aircraft stopped before crashing into the granite wall at the other end only 1500 feet away. Luckily, our pilot was right on the mark and breaking hard up the very steep runway, he brought us safely to the shack that was the terminal building.

In Lukla, pronounced (lookla), we are met by the typical barrage of porters trying to take our bags, but after being taken for $20 USD in Kathmandu when I gave into to the persistent porters there, I quickly discouraged them and Kirsten and I each grabbed our bags ourselves and walked out of the shack. I grabbed the from end of Kirsten’s bag with my left hand and the front end of my bag with my right. Kirsten was the caboose of this train as we made our way toward the town center. Two porters followed us without saying a thing. Within 100m of walking up the uneven granite steps leading around the perimeter of the runway, we collapsed and I sheepishly asked the porters how much to carry our bags about 1km into town. They thought about it, looking at our huge bags that were more than 2 times bigger and heavier than they were supposed to be. They said they would carried them for 200 rupee. I immediately threw my money at them. As these little people struggled to get these awkward, heavy bags onto their bodies, Kirsten said to me that this was the best $2 USD we ever spent. The porters took off ahead of us leading the way into town and the Khumbu lodge where we were supposed to meet Jangbu, who will be our host at his home for the next two weeks in Ghat, which is 20 minutes walk uphill from Phakding.

We had a quick noodle breakfast in the loge while we waited for Jangbu. The lodge was a very quant place with Geranium flower pots on the inside in front of each white frame window. The weather was great–sunny and warm. Jangbu later came through the door and introduced himself. He was instantly likable. He was very happy to see us both. He wanted to make sure that we were then care of at the lodge and asked if we need anything else. We asked if he would be able to get porters for our bags to carry them to his home. This was actually an absurd question as Sherpa porters carry everything as we will later come to know. Of coarse, Jangbu said. I doesn’t really matter what the weight or die for that matter.

We asked if Jangbu could take us to an internet cafe so we could send back photos and a blog post about our Kathmandu experience. He brought us to Starbuck, Lukla. Again, another beautiful place immaculately decorated. We sat in the cafe soaking up the sun through the windows and made our posts. Jangbu disappeared into town while we were there. He is quite the socialite as it turns out. EVERYBODY knows him and like a celebrity he takes time with each fan to chat.

When we finished our post, we hurried back to the Khumbu lodge only to find that our bags had already been picked up by the porter and were on their way to Jangbu’s home in Ghat, which is about a 2 hour walk mostly down hill from Lukla. Jangbu eventually finished with his fans and came back to lead us to his house. The walk was relatively easy, but anytime there was an uphill section of the trail, its felt like all the oxygen was suddenly gone from the air and the weight on our legs was doubled. After an about two hours, it started to rain, so we stepped into a tea house along the side of the trail. Of coarse, Jangbu was best friends with the owner and we were treated like family as we caught our breath and cooled down from the short uphill stent we just completed. I sucked down a liter of water in 5 minutes. As we sat in the tea house, we saw our bags go by outside. Literally, we saw our bags go by first, and then we saw the little man strapped to the bottom of the bags. He was carrying our bags with a strap over his head. We followed him to Jangbu’s house, where he set the heavy load on the porch and came inside, where Jangbu’s wife, Angdali made him a cup of tea, which was respectfully handed to him by Mina (12yrs) who is Jangbu’s child that they have adopted from a less fortunate family and situation. He quickly finished and stepped outside to start his trek back to Lukla. Still in amazement at this incredible feat, I asked him if I could take his picture with Kirsten. He smiled and nodded yes. He was SMALLER than Kirsten by a lot and was easily carrying the awkward load that was more than his own weight.

Mina and her baby sister.

Jangbu’s house is wonderful. It has been used as a tea house in the past, so it is outfitted to care for many people. When we walked through the door, we walked into the common area and kitchen. It is clear that everything family happens in this room. In the corner is an open flame rock stove. There is a slot carved from the side of the rock that ends in a circular hole over which is a steel grill. Long pieces of wood are pushed down the slot to keep the end burning at the temperature that they want. Jangbu showed us around the property and to our room upstairs. We rested for a bit and then sat down to a curry noodle dinner and then were off to bed. Our first day in Lukla and trek to Ghat was delightful. It is clear that we really are becoming immersed into the culture and more adventures are sure to come.

cmackin