From the last post, max and i went to shimla which was great. Very different from rest of india. Cool temp, less frenetic, great scenery of the himalayas and no pollution. Very in-India like; felt a bit like swiss alps or Vermont with higher mountains.
On our first full day, Max and I went for 12km hike through the surrounding forest with sanjeev our guide. He remarked that we were some of the fastest guests he had led, which boosted our self esteem until we realized the rest of the hotel guests were either honeymooners or retirees. The next day, max took a personal day and with Sanjeev i took 18km hike w 3k elevation. Challenging but scenery was beautiful and got great practice and techniques from Sanjeev who is a mountaineering instructor in north India. I've been a bit nervous for this upcoming trek and this hike did a great job of installing (false?) confidence.
The next day we prepared to leave.
However, Max got nervous for our flight out when he met people in pool who alerted him to Kingfisher Air's precarious financial position and India's lack of Chapter 11. As it was described, companies just run out of money and go away. Just what you are looking for in a airline that needs to spend on maintenance. To make matters worse or better, depending on if you are a religious man, There seemed to be some high priest on our flight who had a phalanx of bodyguards and people dropping rose pedals everywhere. Since we were close to Kashmir region, the airport which only had one flt per day had tons of military with automatic weapons all over the airport protecting this guy. While max was unsettled, the alternative, a 9 hr drive was out of the question. We actually sat next to the man, who had an awesome orange hat and we all made it safely back to Delhi - win / win!
When in Delhi, max and I hung out eating italian and chinese food until I bid him farewell. Hes back on the trading floor where he feels most comfortable. And I went to Kathmandu!
So I'm in Nepal and just met my group. Everyone seems very nice and older than me so hopefully I won't embarrass myself by being slower than the two 50 year old women.... Tomorrow at 6am I fly 20 min to lukla and begin my trek. The flight is considered one of the worlds most dangerous but is short, so good or bad it won't be drawn out. Will post pics of the runway over the next day or so, wifi permitting. When I asked someone how it compared to the approach at st barths they shot me a blank stare.
I should have wifi for the first few days but if not will post after the trek. I also have been told there are outlets for the first few tea houses so im bringing my cpap machine! I imagine i may break the world record for highest treated sleep apnea patient.
Overall I'm pumped to be here abd start this next leg. Fingers crossed the weather holds and my 1.5 lungs withstand mt evie 's wrath.
- mountain snake
The St. Barth's comment is a 10. #knowyouraudience
ReplyDelete