To the Tops of the Mountains We Went

Lukla is the beginning of the trek to Everest base camp, and that was as far as we were going to go.  We are literally at the gate that starts the trek to base camp - about a week's hike away.  It was chilly during the day and cold at night.  We are standing with our guide, Parash, who spent the couple of days with us even though we never left Lukla.  It is a government law to have a guide.  Lukla is known for having the world's most dangerous airport.  The mountains were spectacular and for the pampered Chris, this was well out of her comfort zone, but totally fun!

This was our little hotel - The Nest at Lukla.  The airport is literally yards away from the patio.  Someone forgot to tell us  to bring  sleeping bags but the hotel gave us a blanket.  We spent the evenings in the restaurant playing games and the day we spent seeing the small town.  All Everest trekkers start here.  They all have guides and porters who carry their belongings.  Trekkers carry a day back pack.  Rescue helicopters were flying steadily through the day picking up trekkers who got sick or had accidents.  It is not if you get sick on the trail; it is when you get sick on the trail - a nurse who just returned from Everest base camp told us.  Hmmmm - glad we stayed in Lukla. 

Children in Nepal rarely have toys - no matter if you are in Kathmandu or outside of Kathmandu.  Children play with whatever they can find.  This little one has a bottle and is putting rocks inside it.  They are happy children.

We went to Lukla so we could see the yaks.  These are not true yaks, but a hybrid animal with less fur.  Yaks are further up where it is really, really cold.  These "yaks" come down into Lukla once a week for a villager shopping day.  The villagers bring things to sell at the local market - tarps on the ground with vegetables, meats, clothing, etc laid on them.  They sell yak meat, yak butter, and all sorts of random things villagers might need.  Then the "yaks" are loaded back up and back to the villages they go.  If villagers do not have animals to carry their goods, they put their supplies on their back and they hike back home.

Jim said he found Yoda from Star Wars.  People who carry their goods have baskets on their back that are carried with a cloth like strap attached to their heads.  You can see one villager with his basket on his back.  

When the supplies are in boxes they strap the boxes with cords and then using the strap around their heads, walk back to their village.  Their villages are not close and nothing is flat.  They are walking up mountains to get back and between getting to Lukla and returning home, it takes a whole day.  Sometimes entire families come, and some of the children are carrying packs of supplies.  

The "yaks" are headed home with supplies.  They are not tied together, but follow a man who has a stick.  They are not terribly friendly animals and those horns are sharp.  We kept our distance.  

One of the views from our hotel -we were literally nestled in the mountains.  These mountains do not seem so extraordinarily tall, but we are already way up in the mountains.  The only airport runway which is very short runs uphill to land and when you depart, the airplane goes back down the runway and flies off the edge of the mountain.


This will be the only little side trip we will make during our mission. It was short - flew up one day, stayed a day, and flew home the next day.  We are not here to sight see, but to do the Lord's work.  There is a lot of that we have to do.  Nepal will someday be a "garden of Eden" when they harvest their power (water), fix their sanitation, and a host of other problems - all do-able.  But they will have to do it.  We only play a small role in their road out of poverty, but they are great people.  They are truly kind.  And when I think who is the most blessed by the work we do here, I come up with the same answer.  It is always us.  Isn't that always how it is?  We wish you were all here to get a taste of not only the beauty of Nepal, but the people.  Then you would understand how easy it is to love where we are!