With dawn approaching, it was eerily quiet in our room. When I peered out our window, I could see why - the entire valley was fogged in.
That means no flights in and out of Lukla until the fog lifts. While this is a regular occurrence, it means the hundreds of people wanting to depart from (and arrive into) Lukla are stranded. The only option is to try to get your way onto a helicopter (at anywhere between $300-$500 per person), seats of which are in high demand. The rest of our team managed to grab seats on a helicopter, but had to land below Lukla because of the fog. They hiked almost two hours to get to Lukla and arrived around 5:00 this afternoon. In the meantime, we have taken the day off, getting some rest, playing cards and wandering around Lukla aimlessly. Last nights dinner consisted of Yak burgers and fries - surprisingly delicious. We shared our fries with a group of South African high school students (29 strong) and their chaperones, who had just returned from Everest Base Camp. We are supposed to chopper into the Hinku Valley tomorrow, but with the weather we will have to be flexible.
1 Comment
Peter McCartney
10/14/2017 03:21:57 am
Good luck with your adventures David et al. Jan and I got stranded in Lukla many moons ago. We will follow your climb with bated breath. Have fun.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorsOrdinary guys, boldly going where others have gone before. Archives
November 2017
Categories |