Ever since we decided to do this trip we knew that we wanted to go trekking in Nepal. We were not sure where exactly or for how long, but the whole trip was planned around this idea. Now that we were in Kathmandu, we got advised to go trekking to Everest region, so there we went.

To get to Everest Base Camp, the usual way is to fly to Lukla, which is situated 2850 meters above sea level, and start a eight-days trek up till Base Camp (5365m), including two acclimatisation days that are needed to adapt to higher altitudes.

Day 0, max. elevation 1300m

We woke up early in the morning to get the stuff we weren’t taking with us to the agency owner’s hotel for safe keeping. We met our guide Raj there and took a taxi to the airport. The domestic terminal was pretty much a chaos. The flights to Lukla were all canceled the day before because of the weather, but today’s first flight was successful, and the plain was heading back. Soon enough our flight was announced, and we, along with a dozen of other excited trekkers, packed into the tiny plain. It took off and soon enough we started to see the snowy peaks of Himalaya. Alas, that was it. Just before landing the air hostess announced that due to weather conditions in Lukla, the plain is turning back. The pilot tried to make a couple of circle in the air, but eventually we got only a sightseeing tour and headed back. We could see the fustration with the situation also from the the pilots while one of them was hitting his hand to the wall.

Back in Kathmandu, we waited for hours in case the weather would get better. Once they even took us to the plain, but eventually it never took off that day. We went back, had a lunch with Raj and stayed one more night in Kathmandu.

Day 1, Lukla-Monjo, max. elevation 2850

The next day we woke up less excited, just hoping we would get to Lukla. We were so relaxed that even forgot our passports! The taxi dashed back to hotel and we were just in time at the airport, again. Almost all the same faces were here again, and the good news was that earlier flights of the morning had gotten through.

And this time we made it! People clapped when we got to the Lukla airport that was situated on the edge of the cliff and was the size of a supermarket’s parking lot. The feeling was incredible when we could feel the crisp air of the mountains and have a cup of tea in a wooden lodge. That was the start.

At the airport we also met our porter, who was to carry 15 kg worth of our stuff during the two weeks. To be honest, we expected to see a middle-aged tiny sherpa man, but that was not what we got. Prakash was a hip young man only 21 years of age, with dyed red hair and fashionably torn jeans looking like he came straight from a boy band rehearsal. But he was in shape. He was practically running with our bag with his flip flops. 

On the first day the weather was good and the views were even better. Our route started with a downhill. We started with a quite a pace passing a lot of people who left before us. We walked along a river valley, passed through small teahouse villages, crossed hanging bridges and ducked a lot of yaks. After 2 hours of walking we stopped for a lunch in a village called Phakding. Here most of the trekkers usually spend their first night but we continued one and half hour more and a steep stair clime to Monjo. There we spent our first night. The guesthouse was really comfortable, nice wooden house and good beds. Although there was a spider the size of a human palm living in the bathroom.