Its Go-Time !!
Oct 14, 2023
Tossed turned after 12:30am, woodpecker in back of my mind reminding me that we have to be in the lobby no later than 4:30am
Boxed breakfast amidst conversations of packing strategies employed, who left what behind. Jason and I both downed our liter of water
We got the call for pickup and everyone bee-lined to the vans. The quiet ride to the airport was an experience. Preparation for the upcoming festival Dasion /Dusshera evident from the string lights coloring the streets.
We arrived at the airport right around 6am. Soon we were inline to get bags weighed. While watching the process we realized that the backpacks don’t get weighed separately but rather as part of the person. That explains my weight gain !!
Jason and I got split in different groups for the Heli ride. I went with Tenji Sherpa and a father son team from Denmark (Svend abd Charlie) and their guide. Two dads in the chopper meant there were Dad jokes right away.
The non-smiling pilot meant it was time. Turned some knobs, tapped some dials, flipped some switches and the blades were twirling. As I was thinking of the reality of what I was embarking on, a feeling of weightlessness too over. 7:03am Kailash Air Flight 2 to Lukla was airborne. Our group of Eleven plus Tenji Sherpa arrived by 8:30. We all gathered at the Lukla Tea House. Got introduced to leader Sherpa guide Kalden and Sherpa Jiktal. we hit the trail to Monjo at 9:05 am
Monjo Misery: something felt off to me and I was struggling to get into a rhythm from the start and could not keep pace with the group, often trailing everyone. I started to wonder if I had made a big mistake and if this is how I was starting how would I finish. My heel was hurting a lot, i felt my heart racing and a headache building up. Sherpa Tenji was by my side encouraging me to go as slow as I needed to. We got to talk about our families. Jason often stopped for me to check. Finally I hauled myself into ohr hotel in Monjo “Mt Kailash Hotel” (elevation 2835 m). I was beyond exhausted. Ate dinner, met an Indian couple from Jaipur who have done this trek and the wife suggested I start drinking garlic soup everyday. It has helped just in 2 days. A group of Indians were watching the India vs Pakistan cricket match so I forced myself to stay up. knowing that India was winning the game I decided to retire to bed. I was not happy with myself. Tomorrow is going to be a new day and I was going to figure things out and do better.
