May 28, 2001 "Civilization is everywhere!"
Kathmandu 3:30 p.m.
Ack! Ben said we're transmitting email in a half an hour - who would have
thought I'd be working to deadline in Nepal?!
Well, the helicopter arrived only an hour-or-so late this morning - score!
There was the "we still might have to walk" mentality!
Martha, Nancy and I had a farewell cup of tea with the Sherpas. Lara and
Fred paced the heli-pad (read: yak grazing area), while Ben - and I'm not
joking - danced in a nearby field with his walkman on full blast.
What a MASSIVE helicopter; it was like a submarine! An MI-19. All very
exciting. Kili, Ang Gelu, Mingma and Dorjee managed to squeeze in, too.
Lama Jangbu, Saki and Kami are going to hike down to Lukla today to get
flights into Kathmandu. We should all be together again tomorrow or, latest,
day after tomorrow for a final good-bye!
Martha said it was the best helicopter ride she'd ever had.
Fred, naturally, was discussing the specifications and luggage allowance and history of the
chopper. It WAS very exciting to look out the (dusty and rather scratched) windows and see
the amazing views! We saw two peaks over 8000m!
Rishi and Kili's wife met us at the airport.
We got gorgeous leis (REAL marigolds) to wear!
Kathmandu is SOOOOOOOO hot in comparison to Pheriche.
Fred and I still had long underwear on in high-80's weather!
You can't believe the SPRING in everyone's step. It's so great to be here.
Woo-hoo!
Of course, there were many civilization jokes. "Wheels!" on the airport bus.
And "Phone!" ringing in someone's vest pocket. We're so not used to anything
but rocks, clean air and tent living!
I'm sitting here now at the Kathmandu Guesthouse, with a fan blowing on me,
a Coke to drink and not missing the propane heater in the dining tent at
all! Nancy's sitting on the bed next to me, wearing a tank top and happily
typing in her last journal entry. Martha just popped in - she's curled her
hair and is wearing lipstick!! My goodness - I wonder if I'll recognize the
other members of the team at dinner!
The only downfall is that there is a 3-day massive strike going on in
Kathmandu. I don't know too much about it, but EVERYTHING is shut - shops,
restaurants, international airport, tourist attractions, you name it! We're
lucky our guesthouse is open! Kili said it happens once a month or so. It's
political! Apparently, the opposition party organizes the strikes to irk the
ruling party.
So, no laundry or email for two days. If we've waited this long, what's a
few more days, right?
Heidi's 2001 journal
Ack! Ben said we're transmitting email in a half an hour - who would have
thought I'd be working to deadline in Nepal?!
Lama Jangbu, Saki and Kami are going to hike down to Lukla today to get
flights into Kathmandu. We should all be together again tomorrow or, latest,
day after tomorrow for a final good-bye!
Fred, naturally, was discussing the specifications and luggage allowance and history of the
chopper. It WAS very exciting to look out the (dusty and rather scratched) windows and see
the amazing views! We saw two peaks over 8000m!
Rishi and Kili's wife met us at the airport.
We got gorgeous leis (REAL marigolds) to wear!
