Big Brothers Big Sisters Everest Base Camp Trek Dispatch

May 4, 2010 – Making-Do in Kathmandu

This is Leila Silveira reporting back in Kathmandu. I have actually just landed in Kathmandu from Lukla where I left my first team and am here to join my second Berg Adventures group of the season. I would have liked to take a long shower before writing this dispatch, but it was not to be. The whole city is shut down because the Maoist are on strike again and are requesting that the Prime Minister resign his position. Nobody has been allowed to drive or work for the past few days. I had to make sure I could get to the airport so no time for a shower.

Needless to say, this has been a little tricky for us. But luckily Nepal is very supportive of their tourists and allow vans with tourist signs only to drive around in Kathmandu. The only other exception is ambulances and press vehicles.

So after a long hike from Lobuche to Pheriche, a helicopter ride to Lukla and a plane to Kathmandu, I arrived safely in Kathmandu to find a town completely at a stand-still but with a refreshing lack of pollution and traffic. Since getting from place to place in the city can be complicated, I stayed at the airport in my fashionable GORE-TEX pants, boots and hiking shirt and waited for the next three members of my new group to arrive. Soon, Doug and Andrew arrived. They are really excited to be in Kathmandu, this being Doug's second time with BAI headed for Everest Base Camp. It is Andrew's first time to Nepal and he is quite intrigued with the hustle and bustle and the people everywhere. Little did he know, that due the strike, the airport which is usually quite busy was considerably empty!

Christiane arrived a while later, tired due to a long layover in Delhi, but happy to have finally arrived. I was happy to see that the volcanic ash from Iceland was no longer creating serious airport problems in Europe. That had been the last world news I heard before I left for the mountains back in April.

After driving through the eerily empty streets of Kathmandu, we arrived uneventfully at the hotel where we each had a well deserved shower. James and Brenda arrived a couple of days earlier than the rest of the group and they were doing great, resting and relaxing at the hotel from the long flight. Marta and Trevor also met up with us at the Yak and Yeti. Later in the afternoon, we will have a team briefing and maybe a welcome dinner.

Stay tuned! This expedition has just begun!