Journey to Everest Base Camp Day 0-1: Kathmandu-Lukla-Phakding

This is part of a series of posts about traveling to Kathmandu and trekking to Everest Base Camp and Kala Patthar in the summer of 2014.

Note: Keep on the lookout for an information post about the EBC trek coming soon.

Trekking Preparations
Taking our time in Kathmandu, Ben and I found a company and guide to accompany us on our trek. This is highly recommended, as the guides know the route, which tea houses to stay at, the permit stations, etc. We ended up choosing Ammonite Adventures and went on the trek with one of their guides named Durbar (we called him DB). Overall we had an excellent experience with Ammonite and I would recommend them to anyone going to Nepal.

Many people also bring porters, but we decided to carry our own belongings in packs (about 10 kgs). I had to do a fair amount of gear buying-before the trip, and we rented down jackets from a local shop for 60 cents a day. Not a bad price!

Armed with our backpacks, down jackets, and hiking boots, we were finally ready. Let the journey begin!

Day 0: False Start

Our first day of travel brought us delays in the Kathmandu Domestic Airport.  The first part of the EBC trek involves taking a tiny plane from Kathmandu to Lukla.  There are no roads to Lukla, so flying is the only option; however, Lukla is at 2680 m and the clouds tend to sit around the runway, causing the airport to shut down.  We waited from 5am to 11am and finally the flight was cancelled.  Bummer, but not a surprise.  We went back to the hotel in Thamel to do some more sightseeing in Kathmandu and made plans to try again the next day.

The best airline name I have ever seen

Day 1: Kathmandu - Lukla - Phakding

We made it on a flight to Lukla today - a helicopter!  The planes were not flying again due to bad weather, however our guide, DB, was able to negotiate so we did not have to pay anything extra for a helicopter ride. 

Ben's first time on a helicopter

 After arriving in Lukla (2860m) and eating veg fried rice for lunch, we made our way along the trail to Phakding (2600m) to spend the night.  For the rest of the trek, we planned to stay at "tea houses" (simple motel-type places - each room contained two beds with a pillow and blanket and a shared bathroom down the hall.  Simple, but comfortable.  For drinking water, we used a SteriPEN to sterilize the tap water - seriously the most magical thing I have ever seen.  Thank you, science.

Many of the trails are connected by suspension bridges

Spin the prayer wheels clockwise for good luck

Solar water heaters!  Get excited!