Let’s Kathmandu this!!!

Its been less than a year since my Annapurna Base Camp trek – but here I am again, back in Kathmandu, and about to undertake probably my most physically challenging hike yet – a grueling 14 day round trip hike to Everest Base Camp!  Last year’s ABC hike was all about the stairs – this year, it’s all about the altitude.  I’ve been training my tushie off for the last 6 months so I know I’m in great physical shape – but how my body will respond to the extreme elevation is the great unknown, so I guess we’ll find out!  I’m not overly concerned though as I’m doing the hike in a very sensible way, with a company that has built in plenty of time for acclimatization to their itinerary.  If you would like to check out the specific trip I’m doing, click on this link: HERE

I arrived in Kathmandu yesterday lunchtime and, so far, I am having a VERY different experience to the one I had on my first trip here, due to the combination of 2 very unique world events.   Firstly, the war in Iran has meant huge airlines like Emirates and Qatar have completely canceled all flights in and out of the region.  It was noticeable when I checked in for my flight at the Turkish Airlines counter in Terminal 5 (where all the non-United international flights go in/out of) as it was eerily quiet.  I don’t think it even took me 10 minutes from walking up to the check-desk to then clearing security (with ZERO line) to then checking in at the Polish LOT lounge.  I was a bit worried that things might have been a little slow, given the partial shut down of TSA at the moment, but nope – it couldn’t have been easier.

My flight to Kathmandu was via Istanbul – including a pretty crushing 9hr 15 min layover (the 15mins turned out to be important).  Again, the airport was noticeably less crowded than I’ve seen it previously – again due to the large numbers of Middle Eastern passengers who were absent (although maybe it just feels less congested when you are not having to sprint your way through it).  I did have a moment to wonder whether flying towards an area of active conflict was a good idea (not helped by the headline in this morning’s Washington Post which read “Missile Shot Down Over Turkey”) – but thought “sod it, it’ll be fine”.

And so far, so good.  Oh – except for that pesky 15mins.   PSA – you are only able to use the sleeping suites in the Turkish Airlines lounge if you have a layover longer than 4hrs but SHORTER THAN 9!!!  Yep – because my connection time was just 15mins too long, the sour faced lady on the concierge desk was not able to offer them to me.  FFS.  I complained a bit, she couldn’t give less of a shit, so rather than get all worked up over something that I had zero control over, instead I took myself off to the Yotel Air hotel where you could rent rooms by the hour (4hr minimum).  That worked for me and it wasn’t crazy balls expensive so I got some nice sleep in a proper bed, managing to both get some rest and kill some time.  I did go back and get a shower in the lounge, before it was time to board my 1.30am connection to Kathmandu.  7hrs later and we landed, safe and sound.

As you might remember, last year, Kathmandu airport was a complete cluster.  It was chaotic and crowded, with huge lines where you had to queue up for the various steps to get your visitor visa.   All not terribly well signposted either, so a bit confusing as to whether you were in the correct giant queue or not.   While us Brits appreciate a good wait, we can get a bit grumpy if we find out we’ve not been lining up in the correct spot.

This year, as the Old Hand at Nepalese Travel that I am, I made sure to apply AND pay for my tourist visa online, ahead of time.  I still wasn’t quite clear how it was going to work and where exactly I’d need to go  – but I needn’t have worried.  Firstly, there was NO-ONE in the immigration hall.  No madding crowds or vast swathes of people.  Just the fellow biz class peeps from my flight (we had our own private transit bus, dahlink).   I showed an official my Visa receipt, and he waved me towards the immigration counter which had NO LINE where the immigration official inspected my papers, stamped my passport and sent me on my way.  Less than 5 minutes!!!  Unbelievable!  And – because I’d done it before – I now knew what to expect with the additional security screening you have to go through before you collect your baggage (um… why?) and then additional checks after you’d picked up your suitcase (to make sure you had the correct bag).  Anyway, that didn’t take long either AND my bag made it (I knew if I put tracking devices in them I wouldn’t need them) so I was out in the arrivals hall within an hour of landing!

It didn’t take long to spot the local reps from my trekking company and the transfer to the hotel took about 15mins.  I’m staying for 2 nights in Kathmandu at a Ramada Encore – and I have to say this hotel is a lot nicer than the Thamel Park from last year (which is just round the corner from here).   Also Kathmandu itself is a lot nicer (at least temporarily) because today (March 5th) happens to be the date of Nepal’s general election (special factor #2).  The government has declared 3 days of national holiday to allow people to travel to their villages to vote and, as a result, the majority of shops and restaurants in Kathmandu are closed.  There is almost no traffic and the streets are deserted, apart from a few tourists wandering around.   The lack of traffic pollution means the air quality is merely unhealthy, instead of hazardous and being able to walk around the narrow streets without the continual fear of getting hit by a moped or delivery truck is simply glorious.   Obviously, its only for a couple of days and soon it will be back to its congested, choking self, but what a treat to not have to endure the noise and pollution while I’m here.  I did venture out for lunch and to buy a new beanie hat, but I didn’t feel any great overwhelming urge to explore further – been there, done that TBH.

Instead I treated myself to spending some QT in the hotel’s spa.  Arrival day, I decided to have a hydrating facial – apparently, its very important to stay well hydrated while hiking, so I figured that applied to my face too.  Also – the eyeshades I’d worn on the Istanbul-Kathmandu leg of the trip were clearly made for someone with a smaller head as they had left very deep crease marks on each side of my face!   4hrs after landing and they were still there, so I figured a trip to the spa for someone to buff them out was in order.   My therapist enthusiastically got to work, applying various unguents and potions with surprising speed and energy – I felt like a human car wash.

Today, I returned to the spa for some more pampering – this time, a body and foot massage, a body scrub and then that treatment where they drizzle oil in a slow, steady stream onto your forehead and massage your head.   I was there for the best part of 3hrs and it was (mostly) very relaxing (except for the part when my therapist cried out “Oh My God” as the first oil drizzling thing malfunctioned and instead dolloped a large sheet of oil across my entire forehead).  I dunno about you, but my mind tends to wander when I’m lying face down in a donut hole (which I’m happy to report was appropriately sized this time).

I like to try and guess what my therapist is doing or what was coming my way next, based on the noises I’m hearing (her mise-en-place, as it were).

I wondered if they use fresh oil for every hair treatment – or if its recycled (in which case, gross).

I wondered if Kathmandu has any native rabbits and whether the phrase “rabbit warren” translates, after I’d used it to describe the spa layout.

I wondered what, if any, qualifications my therapist has – does she know what muscles she is massaging and why or is she just *ahem* going through the motions?   For my feet, was she targeting specific chi lines or pressure points in accordance with ancient Chinese teachings – or just squishing random fat pads?  On balance, I figured that, probably, the key qualifications are 1) strong fingers and 2) a high gag reflex.

Nonetheless, I am now very moist.

I’ve also just returned from our pre-departure briefing where one of the local team went through some safety stuff, mainly regarding altitude sickness, how to recognize it and then for us to understand what their procedure is, should we be unfortunate enough to suffer from it.  Basically, its “Get To The Choppa!” and get your ass down the mountain stat.  Tomorrow is a VERY early start, meeting in the hotel lobby at 430am, ready to depart for our 6am flight to Lukla, gateway to the Everest Region.  So I will soon be off to bed – hoping to drop off by 8pm so I can get at least a few zzz’s in before the morning.   I’m currently wearing a pair of blue-light reducing glasses (think Bono from U2) as I’ve been trying out this anti-jet lag kit called FlyKit.  Basically its a bunch of supplements, these glasses and an app which details what step you take at what time (whether its take a supplement, eat, sleep, wear the glasses, seek/avoid bright light etc).  It starts the day of your trip and runs through the day after you arrive (ie today).

I have to say I’m impressed.  It seems to actually work.  It was my first full day in Kathmandu yesterday and, other than feeling a bit tired, I really did feel as if I had already acclimated and adjusted to the time zone (a crushing 12hr difference to Chicago!).  This is despite having spent a significant chunk of that time in darkened spa treatment rooms!  I got a FULL night’s sleep last night and woke up feeling rested and energized – that doesn’t always even happen at home!  Anyway, the package I bought came with 2 kits, enough for an international round trip, so I am definitely going to use it on the way back from Nepal too and see if it works a second time.  I was a definite skeptic so I don’t think its effective just because I want it to be – but if it works well again, then I’m adding it to my regular travel roster!  I’ve got some more long haul trips coming up this year (Uganda, Japan) so it would be amazing not to lose the first few days of those to exhaustion and jet lag!

Anyway, that’s it for now.  I am going to try my best to blog this trip each day -but I’m sure you will understand if I’m either too knackered OR if the wi-fi gets a bit spotty up in the mountains.  If you would like to follow my trip, you could also look up Ian Taylor Trekking on Instagram as they will be posting from the trail.  I also have a Garmin In Reach mini satellite that I almost know how to use and will be turning on its tracking feature, so you can track my progress along the EBC route in real time!  If I’ve configured it correctly, you should be able to find it at http://live.garmin.com/EBC

Lets do this!