Pumori Climbing Expedition Dispatch

October 29, 2009 – The Intense Program of Last Minute Shopping in Kathmandu!

This is Leila Silveira reporting from Kathmandu where our trekking group has just ended their program and are all on their way back home flying through different part of the world, Bangkok, Hong Kong and New Delhi.

As Wally Berg mentioned in his Pumori expedition dispatch, we left base camp all the way down the valley quite fast, no rest day or a break. It was go, go, go!

Full days of hiking and by the time we got to Lukla we were really ready to fly back to Kathmandu where we could have long hot showers and sleep in our comfortable beds.

We were on one of the first flights out and before we knew it, we were back in Kathmandu at the Yak and Yeti.

Then the rush began. We had shopping to do, places to see, and, of course, let’s not forget the foot massages which everyone was ready for.

We also went to the Tibetan carpet factory where we had the pleasure of seeing Tsering, one of the owners, and learn a lot about how a hand carpet is made. The visit is always fascinating and enjoyable.

The weather has been excellent during the entire trip for this group and we were lucky up to the very last minute, clear blue skies and warm temperatures.

We all bought pashminas, carpets, souvenirs, jewelry; spending hours and hours all over Thamel. We also took the opportunity to go to my favorite mall where we had a great lunch. The schedule was intense but I can tell you that everyone ended up buying everything they wished and more and left Kathmandu exhausted.

Stay tuned for our Pumori Climbing team’s update.