It will be safe to say that Mt.Everest enjoys a celebrity status among all the Himalayan peaks. As world's highest peak and the most sought-after mountaineering feat, it brings thousands of foreigners in this small Himalayan country.
To reach the base-camp of Mt. Everest, you can fly to Lukla and follow a very difficult and hazardous route to the base of the Khumbu glacier. A typical trek to the basecamp of Mt.Everest from Lukla will take approximately ten days. Or, (a very short-cut) you can take the mountain flight from Kathmandu. A number of Nepalese airlines run short flights around the Everest range everyday. We could not resist this opportunity. We booked two Buddha air tickets for the mountain flight at 7 am on our last day in Kathmandu.
The weather was not favorable that morning. It was foggy and a lot of flights were getting cancelled. As we reached the airport, we were told that all the mountain flights have been delayed due to bad weather. As hours slipped by and flights got cancelled one after another, our chanches for viewing Mt.Everest looked grim. As we debated going back to the hotel to pack, suddenly, around noon, the weather cleared. Each airlines started calling for the passengers of the mountain flight. We boarded our flight, which was originally scheduled for 8.00 a.m. at 1.00 p.m. Within 20 mins, we were flying over the Khumu region, a desert of ice and rocks. Even from the relative comfort and safety of an airplane, the terrain looked hostile and unforgiving.
All along the flight Indra was busy planning a trekking trip to the base camp next year. Just like he planned for a trip to the Annapurna base camp a few days ago. For me viewing a mountain from a distance is satisfying enough. However I am very new at this. Maybe after one trekking adventure I will start loving it.
As we approached the Everest range, the air hostess stopped by and pointed out the prominent peaks to each of the passengers. They also told us that numerous peaks were unnamed. It is difficult to imagine mountains towering over 6000 meters still were unnamed, but that is a reality. When you look around, you see an endless ocean of mountains standing at eye-level.
When we neared Mt.Everest, the pilot invited all the passengers with a camera to go into the cockpit to take pictures. Indra make full use of the opportunity and grabbed quite a few pictures of the gigantic peak and its cousins, Nuptse and Lhotse. This is perhaps as close as we are going to get to this mountain.
When you look on from a distance, you will see that Mt.Everest towers over all his neighbours. However, as you get near, it will seem that Nuptse is taller than Mt.Everest. Infact, initially I mistook Nuptse as Mt.Everest. Indra later told me that from this side Nuptse looks bigger, although Mt.Everest (8, 848) has an advantage of 87 metres over Nuptse (7, 861m).
Too soon it was time to go back. And later that day I bade a final goodbye to the country of mountains with a silent promise that I will come back again soon.
To reach the base-camp of Mt. Everest, you can fly to Lukla and follow a very difficult and hazardous route to the base of the Khumbu glacier. A typical trek to the basecamp of Mt.Everest from Lukla will take approximately ten days. Or, (a very short-cut) you can take the mountain flight from Kathmandu. A number of Nepalese airlines run short flights around the Everest range everyday. We could not resist this opportunity. We booked two Buddha air tickets for the mountain flight at 7 am on our last day in Kathmandu.
The weather was not favorable that morning. It was foggy and a lot of flights were getting cancelled. As we reached the airport, we were told that all the mountain flights have been delayed due to bad weather. As hours slipped by and flights got cancelled one after another, our chanches for viewing Mt.Everest looked grim. As we debated going back to the hotel to pack, suddenly, around noon, the weather cleared. Each airlines started calling for the passengers of the mountain flight. We boarded our flight, which was originally scheduled for 8.00 a.m. at 1.00 p.m. Within 20 mins, we were flying over the Khumu region, a desert of ice and rocks. Even from the relative comfort and safety of an airplane, the terrain looked hostile and unforgiving.
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| Flight to Mt.Everest Copyright©2008 Indranil Banerjee |
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| The Everest Range Copyright©2008 Indranil Banerjee |
As we approached the Everest range, the air hostess stopped by and pointed out the prominent peaks to each of the passengers. They also told us that numerous peaks were unnamed. It is difficult to imagine mountains towering over 6000 meters still were unnamed, but that is a reality. When you look around, you see an endless ocean of mountains standing at eye-level.
When we neared Mt.Everest, the pilot invited all the passengers with a camera to go into the cockpit to take pictures. Indra make full use of the opportunity and grabbed quite a few pictures of the gigantic peak and its cousins, Nuptse and Lhotse. This is perhaps as close as we are going to get to this mountain.
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| Mt.Everest Copyright©2008 Indranil Banerjee |
Too soon it was time to go back. And later that day I bade a final goodbye to the country of mountains with a silent promise that I will come back again soon.
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