Trekking Update

Good evening! Tonight we are enjoying our last meal in Kathmandu for 12 days: falafel and fries in a fluffy naan roll. At 6:15 AM (in about 10 hours) we leave via a small plane for Lukla. From there, we literally start our trek right from the airport. We walk through town and join the trail there. The trail technically starts in Kathmandu but it adds six days of walking to the trek so was not an option for us at this time.

If you want a rough itinerary of our plans, check out the detailed itinerary of G Adventures' Everest Base Camp Trek, the tour we were supposed to take. We have to shave off one day so expect to only stay one night in Namche Bazaar instead of two, as long as we feel well enough to do so. We also have altitude sickness pills to aid with optimal enjoyment for the trek. We are meeting our porter in Lukla, and he might have additional recommendations about how to make up the extra day. While we're trekking, our accommodations will be tea houses with other trekkers.

It is common for trekkers to hire local porters to help carry their bags. We had several porters in Peru as all food, waste, and tents had to be brought in and out of the national park. While it is weird to watch the porters pass us on the trail with all of our bags, especially considering we are both the backpacking-outdoorsy type and are used to carrying our own gear, it's not so bad when you remember the extremely different altitude that these guys have been in their whole lives, which enables them to basically jog up mountains. Our tour company provided the porter for this trip, even though we were unable to join the group as scheduled. Needless to say, its definitely a perk to have a porter!

We've already heard concerns from some about this trek, so we want to remind you all that we are being extra cautious and extra safe. We believe that our health and safety come first no matter what. There are many trekkers who do this trek without a guide and even without porters. We have already discussed taking it slowly, especially considering the cause for our delay. If we have to take 12 hours to walk something that should have been 6, we're okay with that. We'll be up bright and early every morning, ready to take on the day. Please note that there is only pay internet on the trek and we do not plan to go online at all, unless absolutely necessary. We will turn the phone on periodically to check for emergencies but electricty is also a paid service so this will be infrequent. If we were ever going to say we're off the grid, these next two weeks will be the time. We are scheduled to be back in Kathmandu on May 2 in time for our flight out on May 3. We'll write again then!

Au revoir!Read more