by Ian | Sep 11, 2013 | Nepal 2013
Now that we have a bit of solar power and are able to access the internet occasionally, we can now share our adventures.. From spending 2 extra days in Kathmandu and the start of our trek in the Khumbu.
Wednesday 4th September 2013
Another morning waiting for the plane so far our flight had been delayed until 9:30. We got out the cards and chessboards to kill time. Just before 9:00 we got a phone call explaining the weather was still unsuitable to fly in. the next update was at 11:00 so some of us bought chocolates while others caught up on their diaries.
Just before 11:00 we were informed that all flights to Lukla had been cancelled. We then went for an early lunch and then to our first cultural tour. The guides name was Kedar Temang but we called him Mr Kedar. Our first stop was the Swyambunath Stupa also known as the monkey temple. It was on top of a hill and there were so many prayer flags it was awesome. We saw a monkey drinking out the wishing fountain which was amusing. We walked up many steps taking pictures of monkeys as we went. We were lead through a shop to the roof to take in the spectacular views of the city.
He explained the history of Kathmandu from the rice fields to the Queens Forest, how the valley was once drained from being a vast lake. After taking some photos we returned to the shop where we were taught about the type of art called Thanka. These paintings were used to spread the teachings of Buddha and certain rules must be followed whilst painting. Some of them take up to 24 months for a grand master to paint and use 24 carat gold. Up to 70% of the paintings were done by 1 to 5 hair brushes taken from the neck of a cat. The whole process sounds so complicated.
After the monkey temple we went to Durbar square. Mr Kedar told us about all the different temples most of us got confused about the hundreds of Gods they have. We also got to see the Kumari who is a living Goddess and is currently only 9 years old. Some of us were not happy about this as she was trapped in a building away from her family but this highlighted the differences between our cultures. Once we had been toured out it was time for dinner. It was probably one of the weirdest places we had ever eaten. We ate at funky Buddha and it was techno night!!!
by Ian | Sep 9, 2013 | Nepal 2013
Quick update
The team are all safely in Khumjung their home during the community project which they start tommorow. There is currently no power in any of the local villages due to upgrade works. I had a call from Chris the leader today to say the flight out to Lukla finally came on Saturday morning and the team have all done well during the trekking so far.
If I hear more i will keep you updated..
Dave
In England 🙁
by Ian | Sep 3, 2013 | Nepal 2013
Tuesday the 3rd,
All packed and weighed ready for our flight to
Lukla this morning, an early start for us all, getting up at 5am for breakfast at 5:30 and Asian Trekking to pick us up at 6!
Asian trekking picked us up fine loaded up kit and prepared for a bumpy journey to the airport. We arrived at the domestic terminal at Kathmandu airport shaken but in one piece. We carried on through check-in with our bags and barrels checked in with time to spare. We then sat down and waited for our flight.
After some time the man from Asian Trekking came over looking rather worried and informed us the flight was delayed due to bad weather and we had to be patient. After a long near 6 hour wait the man from Asian Trekking returned and told us the flight was cancelled due to the bad weather in Lukla.
He then consoled us by telling us our flight should leave the next morning without hassle.
The afternoon was spent discovering the city more, with some patrols heading off to the “Garden of Dreams” the, “Presidential Palace” – of which is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays – and the rest of the city.
All in good spirits and looking forward to the rest of the trip!
Now praying for good weather!!!!!
Written by:
Stephen
Louis
Sam
And Stu, kinda…
by Ian | Sep 2, 2013 | Nepal 2013
Sunday the 1st of September.
The evening after our last entry we headed out for dinner at a lovely place called “Big Belly”. After our delightful meal out our free time was well spent exploring the city in the evening. Upon arrival back to the hotel most of us headed up to the roof to fullly encapsulate the city from above, this was well timed as we were then able to see the lightning from above, giving an extra light to this magical city.
Monday the 2nd of September.
An early start for us this morning as our first excursion was planned to Boudhanath temple closer to the airport, a short drive away. This was one of the 7 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Kathmandu and one of the biggest Buddhist temples in the world. It was an amazing place to be able to see, hundreds of prayer flags were spread from the top of the temple to all four corners of its base. Our guide from Asian Trekking taught us about the 5 colours, green represents the purification, yellow representing the soil, blue representing the sky , white representing water and red fire. Also, prayer wheels representing each reincarnation of the Buddha, linden the outside of the temple and the surrounding area.
Later we got a chance in the temple to light candles and pray to bring us good fortune. The lighting of the candles lead to a Puja ceremony, where monks chanted and blessed us with handmade friendship necklaces, for good luck on our trek.
For lunch we traveled from the hotel to “New Orleans”, a restaurant of which was fabulous! The decor was amazing, with plants and patterned woods everywhere. some people had the largest burger you can imagine and the kebabs were lovely too.
In the afternoon we needed to pack our bags…again…this time for the connecting flights to Lukla on an even smaller plane. We will need to get an early flight, so we will need to be up for 5:45am for a 7:30am flight. Our holdall this time needed to be much smaller with a weight limit of 10kg and our hand-luggage being 5kg. Not much at all, and easy to say that we all struggled and took a lot of time.
Tonight we are going to “K2-Too” steakhouse, it will be our last night in Kathmandu so we are going to make the most of the good food! We are all very excited about getting into the Khumbu valley and starting our long trek to Everest base camp and to our community project in Khumjung.
Watch this space for our next blog update!
The Lhotse Patrol
Louis Bown
Will Graham
Stuart Burton
Charlotte Ellis
by Ian | Sep 1, 2013 | Nepal 2013
Friday 30th/Saturday 31st August- We left on Friday evening, after waiting for hours at the airport. Finally we boarded the plane to Deli. Some lucky people managed to get some sleep on this eight hour flight. We waited even longer at Deli, playing cards and watching the planes take off. From the aeroplane we could see rain forest covered mountains and some of the overflowed rivers from the monsoon. The buildings were amazing, all spread out among the green valley. People were so tired by this time, we wanted to go straight to bed.
The team landed in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. We grabbed our bags and were greeted by Asian Trekking and their minibuses. They helped us move our bags and welcomed us all with flower garlans.
The bus was bumpy to say the least and the streets were manic! Pedestrians, bikes and cars were all dodging each other around the stalls and pot holes. There are telephone wires, literally everywhere and animals along the streets. We were all shocked at how different the city was, compared to what we are used to. The women’s clothing was beautiful and all the doors are really low!
At the hotel we had a de-brief, unpacked our bags and met on the balcony before dinner. The restaurant was a five minute walk through the busy streets of Kathmandu. The restaurant, “Fire and Ice” was really nice, the lights and atmosphere was amazing. We all had pizza, which was yummy, then, BED.
Sunday 1st September- Woke up at 08:15, had a mixed breakfast theme and set off pretty much straight away to the Asian Trekking HQ. They gave us some details and hiking tips before being introduced to the climbing walls next door. This was really fun, there were tall walls and a bouldering wall. Then we split into patrols for lunch and the rest of the day. We all had a free day to explore the main city. Everest patrol had a really nice lunch, burgers at a small cafe where the man taught us some Nepalese. Later we all met up and shared our stories that we had about the city (including some bike hiring!)
Written by the Everest patrol- Andy, Clare and Ellis 🙂
by Ian | Aug 30, 2013 | Nepal 2013
We arrived at West Wellow for 7:00pm for our leaving presentation. The final kit weigh in meant everyone was under the required 15kg…just! After a little bit of mingling, the excitement started to build, with our parents seated in time for an impromptu presentation. Explaining to them what we’ve been up to for the last 18 months, sharing the stories and comic snippets. Chris then gave us the final itinerary for the weeks ahead. The weather holds for a final group photo outside; a last time our parents get to see us clean and tidy before six weeks without showering and coming back smelling! There are lots of hugs and kisses as we say an emotional goodbye to our parents and loved ones.
‘So excited to be finally leaving’ Josh 15, Romsey Explorer
’18 months prep for this moment, can’t wait!’ Steve. 17.5 also, Romsey Explorer
‘Looking forward to the next 6 weeks with an awesome team’ Sam. 18, TNT Network
‘Still can’t believe I’ve actually got this far! Nepal here we come!’ Rosemary. 20, 3rd Hayling.
Parents are gone, the halls all packed away. Time for CHOCOLATE!!!!!!
