Bangkok, Bhutan, and Nepal – Day Ten

April 26, 2023 – Everest and More

First off, I guess I should forewarn about a longer than usual entry and photos . . .

How do you write about the experience of flying by helicopter, on a sunny and misty-to-clear morning to get unparalleled views of Mt Everest and the Himalayan peaks that surround it?

Five of us had reserved a chopper journey to see Everest up close. We had a 5:30 a.m. gathering, with the risk that, if the weather didn’t allow for it, the trip wouldn’t happen. This is the peak, though, of climbing season; as Maya Sherpa told us last evening they were expecting 500 people at base camp who would be attempting the summit (those 500, by the way, are supported by any number of cooks, sherpas, doctors, expedition leaders, and more). And, because it was peak climbing season, it was also possible that our flight would be delayed due to rescue missions, which would take priority over our tourist jaunt.

Bleary-eyed, we had some coffee, awaiting the call to go to the airport to see if our helicopter would be ready. That call came at about 5:45. After a 10-minute drive, we made it through airport security and were escorted out to a van that would take us to the domestic helipad from the terminal. Joining us on the van were five other folks – two couples and a single traveler. Everyone had eager excitement, but when the two couples had told us that this was their third day in a row trying – the prior two days had been cancelled due to weather – admittedly the nerves kicked-in. We drove to the helipad; they spied the pilot who had to deliver the bad news the prior two days. This time though, luck held and we five boarded our own helicopter while the other five watched us take off; we felt bad about leaving first, but we did see them later in the day.

One of us sat in front, while the rest sat in the back. We put on seatbelts and headsets; as the only one who had a regular camera, I got the window seat on the left hand-side (the pilot was front-right, attached to an oxygen tank, which is required for flying over a certain altitude). The morning was misty and low 80’s as we left the Kathmandu airport.

Maybe it’s best to describe it this way:

• We first flew from the airport, at 4,300 feet, for about 30-45 minutes, to the Hotel Everest View, the highest hotel in the world at 13,000 feet, situated in the middle of Sagarmartha National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, still in Nepal. We landed on a marked patch of grass and were greeted by a handful of staff who worked either for the chopper company or the hotel or both. Along the way we flew over ridges, past the Everest base camp, and gradually gained altitude that two of us tracked on our phones.
• There, we dropped off three passengers so that me and one other could make the next leg alone. Due to weight restrictions to go higher still, the pilot divided us into those two groups.
• From there, we flew for about 15 minutes to Kalapatthar – at 17,881 feet; it is a small patch of dirt surrounded by, well, nothing, that gives unbridled views of Everest – at 29,000 feet – and its surrounding peaks. We were allowed to exit the chopper for what the pilot said would be 2 minutes, take pics and videos and then get on-board. It was sunny and about 30 degrees, with no significant wind other than what the chopper’s blades were creating. I had a slight shortness of breath.
• We re-boarded and returned to Hotel Everest View; we got off, and the other three got on, and we watched them take-off to the same place we had been.
• Meanwhile, we hung at the hotel. It has an outdoor deck that gives unbelievable unobstructed views of Everest and its surrounding peaks. After a bit, we went back outside to wait for our travel companions.
• They returned, and we five then had breakfast on the deck – coffee, pancakes, omelets, juice – just overwhelmed by the landscape in front of us. Some of us visited a rooftop observation deck as well.
• We re-boarded the chopper after an hour or so, and then went to Tenzing-Hillary Airport (commonly referred to as Lukla Airport, as that is the town where it is located) at 9,400 feet. This is the airport for those attempting to summit Everest, and at one time – when the landing strip was dirt – was considered the most dangerous airport in the world for airplanes. The strip is now paved and is pretty busy, given how many people and how much gear is flown in there. The airport was originally founded by Sir Edmund Hilary.
• After about 30 minutes, we left Lukla and returned to Kathmandu.
  
  Oh my god. Stunning landscapes, unbelievable mountains, beautiful weather. The type of experience where the back of your head hurts from smiling so much. We were all surprised by the number of villages and buildings we saw high-up in the mountains and on the outskirts of Kathmandu. We completely lucked out on the weather – and the two couples on the van with us, whom we later saw, finally got to take the trip.
  
  We got back to the hotel, and after lunch did some sight-seeing: a Buddhist nunnery (Kopan), where we had a presentation about Buddhism by a wonderfully engaging monk who also led a short meditation. We visited Boudhanath, the second largest Buddhist stupa (think of it as a conical tower that serves as a worship or meditation site) in the world, the chance to see the shops that surround it, and lastly drinks and pizza on an outdoor roof-top patio overlooking the stupa in glorious 70-degree weather as the sunset. After returning to the hotel, several of us had a few cocktails and dessert.
  
  But we got to see Everest and other Himalayan peaks today. It. Was. Incredible.