Destination Kathmandu!

Standing in line in the grand 'immigration' hall waiting to get my 3-day Nepal transit visa reminded me of the ‘organised chaos’ that is so typical of Nepal. For 1.5 hours I listened patiently to the heavy ‘thud’ of the visa stamp slamming down on the passports on the hundred people ahead of me in the line, the careful counting of the US dollars for the visa entry fee, the shuffling of papers looking for hotel addresses and the quiet humm of tourist anticipation. Off in the corner two local people had been tasked with tending to the paint peeling off of the windowsills while another swept up the dust brought in by the arriving planes.

It is great to be here and a big mental obstacle was over. I’d escaped the airport unscathed - managing to smile sweetly in order to avoid the overweight baggage charge (I was 13kg over so the damage would have been about 300 GBP!). It was easy to recognise the team as everyone seemed to be walking around with barren looks on their faces, eyes glazed and looking as if they were finally coming to terms with being at the airport and leaving the comfort of UK soil… to climb the tallest mountain in the world. It’s funny but you can prepare for months and months for this trip but until you actually stand in the queue in the airport with your life for he next 72-days on your baggage trolly it doesn’t really sink in. We all got giant red 120 litre expedition bags with Adventure Peaks and Millet emblazoned across them. The bags were all about as full as mine and it definitely looked like I wasn’t the only one who realised that that the weight of down, when compressed into the tightest, smallest stuff-sack still adds up making our kit-bags feel like they were filled with rocks rather than down..! That and the 25 lithium batteries, nalgene bottles, medications, books etc. all added to the load.

I have now also met my team - 26 people in total..! We make quite a rugged-looking group with everyone sporting giant rucksacks, 120-litre kit bags, big boots and sharing an excited, nervous energy exchanging tips about mental preparation, past climbs, their motivations. With such a large group, remembering names will be the second biggest challenge after Everest..! Of those 26 people, 6 are going to the North Col of Everest and be with us for theistic 30days and the remaining 20 will then stay on for an additional 45 days to go for the summit.

Kathmandu hasn’t changed much in the last 2 years - it remains a rabbit warren of honking cars, old rusty bicycles, screeching motorcycles, shuffling pedestrians, haggling shopkeepers, wild children playing in the street and kicking up the dust…. There are no ‘rules of the road’. Having said that, there is a certain feeling of ‘comfort’ and safety amid the confused chaos.

Our hotel is just outside of an area of Kathmandu called Thamel. Thamel is renowned for its specialisation in trekking gear, fake North Face clothing and bootleg movies and CDs as well as Western restaurants. It is a constant hub of activity and chaos- and it‘s tremendously polluted. We checked into the hotel (extremely pleasant by Kathmandu standards!) and met in the hotel garden to meticulously complete our Tibetan visa application forms and did our best to remember each others names.

Dinner was in Rum Doodle, a restaurant known for its wall of signatures from past Everest summiteers. A fantastic meal was served and enjoyed by all while we exchanged stories, backgrounds and started to get to know each other. Serena, a good friend of mine and guide from Mera Peak (and also a Everest summiteer) met up with us at the restaurant. By this point we were all knackered from the long trip over, the anticipation, but still managed to find the energy to head to Sam’s bar for a few (a lot) of beers and the start of many laughs to follow. All in all a great start to what will no doubt be the adventure of a lifetime..!