9:24pm What a day so far! Two messages when we came home from coffee.Oh great, now some alarm is going off and damn if it isn�t really, really loud. Of course, no one even moved a muscle including us. The whole place could be on fire and nobody cares. If that isn�t American society I don�t know what is. OK back to the messages. Some lady from Korean Airlines named Ms. Chung, who I�ll of course refer to as "Connie" said there was more changes in the airline schedule. I gave her a call and she faxed the changes. The free overnights didn�t come through in Seoul or Bangkok or as Connie says "Banco". She said it would be better to overnight in "Banco" on the way home instead of Seoul. This meant another flight change but what the heck. We�ve now changed a dozen times in two days what�s one more. She actually was a really nice person and went over everything thoroughly. The new schedule is fine and called to tell Connie it was a keeper. We continued to pack our boxes for the trip. We are using the same setup at we did for the Aconcagua trip of three X-ray boxes taped and tied together. My set is 2/3 full so there�s more room for more stuff later and they aren�t too heavy. We answered more phone calls and finished stuffing the duffels full. Earlier we got our gamma globulin shots and drew each others blood for hemoglobin and hematocrit and also EPO levels. I don�t think mine will be too great since I didn�t use the altitude chamber hardly at all because of my head cold. I got to hate that thing anyway. I get way too claustrophobic.
Soon we had everything loaded in the car. We had a feeling we were leaving something and Stan had forgotten his headlamp. We located it quickly and were on the way. After we drove for about an hour I discovered I had forgotten my "pee funnel". It�s actually called a "Fresh-ette". This was major to me. We stopped in Bloomington and tried at the airport FBO to get one. No luck. Then I called all around the town with no luck. Next I called the Chicago climbing stores that I knew of. I called North Face to get a correct number for another store. I got a girl named Julie who said, "is this D.D. from Skydive Chicago?" I then had to explain about the student jump programs the offer and she wanted me to be her skydiving instructor. Oh nice but I need my pee funnel. OK on the road again and still bummed. We got to O�Hare an hour earlier than expected. We hauled everything in and lined up for check-in. No trouble with that and the security stuff. We found out the flight we were on lands in Anchorage to re-fuel. Stan thought to try the Anchorage REI store. He checked to see how long of a stop it was and found out it was an hour and ten minutes. I called the local Chicago REI and got the phone number. One quick call and I found out that they had it in stock. The first guy I talked to didn�t think they would deliver to the airport. He put on a lady and she said they could work something out. I mentioned the seven summits deal and she said a local women had just completed it. Before she said who, I said "it�s Dolly Lafever" and told her we climbed in Antarctica together. I�m really glad Dolly got a chance to get to Australia. The lady was so glad that more women are climbing and was glad to help me out. They are going to leave it at the KAL desk for us. Wow, I�m a happy camper now. I can�t believe I forgot it. I must have left it in the altitude chamber and never taken it out. Time to celebrate. We headed out for the bar and drank a couple beers. Once back in the waiting area the guy from KAL came over and wanted to know who is delivering the package and what is in it. I told him it would be from REI and after I told him what it was he thought it would be no problem. He got a little red in the face and walked away.
6:30am Long flight! It took around six hours to get to Anchorage last night and we landed at 2:10am. Yippee when we walked off the airline a KAL employee handed me a paper bag with the pee funnel in it. You have to be a women mountaineer to appreciate these things. We were scheduled to be here for around an hour. Some of the shops were open even at this late hour but most everyone just found a chair and took a nap.
Stan and I were really tired and both of us were asleep before we took off. The movie was "Line of Fire" but we had already seen it on the QE2. We woke up and ate some sandwiches then fell fast asleep and actually slept good considering the seats were the worst in the world. All the padding was gone and they were really hard. Woke up and watched another movie. Some Bruce Willis thing. Hot towels for the third time followed by juice. Picked up a cool Korean Air toothbrush in the restroom. There were razors and other stuff also. Breakfast was really pretty good. Surprise of the morning; the coffee WASN�T mud!! That has never happened on any of our other international flights. The flight attendants all look like clones. Same hair, same makeup, same yucky outfits. The flight was around nine hours and soon we were landing. Stan saw the sun come up brightly then set again. The airport is very large but not much going on yet. We wandered up to a nice transit area were they are serving coffee, rolls and juice for the KAL passengers.
Strange language. I can�t figure out any word or letter. Luckily most all the signs are in Korean and English probably due to the 1988 Olympics. The TV is on with Good Morning America running. The date on the TV is March 31st but it�s April 1st here. There are some conflicts between North and South Korea going on right now and the news program is now highlighting that.
7:55am Observations around the area.
The KAL people are taking down the complementary stuff now. We only have to wait another 4 to 5 hours until we catch the next plane to Bangkok.
9:40pm Bangkok Thailand. Our flight took off right on time. Better seat cushions but we were only two rows from the smoking section. Oh boy, "Line of Fire" was on again. The flight lasted six hours and was boring. Stan slept and I read. We got to the airport and the pilot announced that it was 95 degrees out. Very hot and humid. Passport control was slow but no problems. Same with customs. The guy ask asked us about our boxes but let us through. We go some local currency which is called bhat then looked for the luggage storage. We decided to check out the airport hotels before we checked in the luggage. There are guys all over carrying folders of local hotels. One of the guys showed us one of the Rama Gardens and quoted $140 with transportation and breakfast. It was only ten minutes from the airport and is very nice. It�s much nicer then the usual hotel we stay at but it will probably be quite awhile before we stay in luxury again. At the hotel we relaxed while the hotel staff brought up the boxes. Time for a hot bath and new clothes. Had a drink and then went for dinner then right to bed afterwards.
10:15am We both slept great and the breakfast buffet was huge. Of course the coffee has turned international and hence undrinkable but that�s expected. The city is really busy and I�ve already seen two McDonalds in the short drive to the airport. It seems like there�re thousands of motorcycles, truck and cars. The motorcycles look particularly death defying. They dart in and out between the large buses and trucks. Looks like everyone must wear a helmet though. We unloaded and hauled the boxes into the security area. First they X-ray and then they tied a heavy nylon band around each item. It will really help the boxes hold together better. The next line was the airline check-in and it was moving very slowly. When we got up to the front we paid the 200 baht tax to get out of the country. Confusions about our luggage now. First we had too many pieces. Then we were over weight. We ended up paying a 20kg over fee of $96.00. You have to go to the excess baggage window and pay there then bring the receipt back to get the tickets and boarding passes.
Later. We�re now on the plane and it�s another very full flight. It looks like there are a lot of trekers on the plane and even a few Buddhist monks. One of them just pulled out a video camera and he�s video taping the other monk guy putting his stuff in the over head compartment. My entire image of monks with rice bowls is blown!
3:30pm Kathmandu Nepal. We made it and what a wild ass ride into this place. We first went over one set of mountains turned right then flew over some houses. Just past the houses we made a hard left and continued straight. Then the pilot low hooks left for the airport. We were on the right side and all I could see out the left was roofs and windows of the houses. What a landing! Went through passport control with no problems. Our bags were right there and we got through customs in good time.. After we walked outside, Mingma Sherpa was there waiting for us. We got in the bus and started for town. We drove through some crazy roads. Cows everywhere with dogs and people all over the street. Garbage is the food of choice for the cows it seems. We soon turned into the Gara Shankar hotel. There is a sign welcoming our expeditions. The Cho Oyu trip is leaving the same time. A Mexican climber, Carlos is leading that climb. Our expedition leader Peter met us. Peter said he saw our pictures in the newsletter Rob Hall�s company sends out and ask us about our trip. Stan and I got our room and dumped our stuff. We changed and grabbed the guidebook to walk around. We found the streets we were looking for and saw the hotel where our friend Robert was staying. They left yesterday for the South side of Everest. We then walked to the hotel where Rob Hall was staying. They left last week and will be back late May. We decided to buy some postcards and look at some of the shops. You can probably find everything you need here to get by on most of the treks. Checked out the ice screw prices where we found the Russian screws going for $5. Walked all over and Kathmandu is a typical third world big city. Loud and dirty. The only thing here is you don�t feel you�re going to get robbed all the time. I�m sure it�s possible but the people are quite friendly. Made it back to the hotel and had a 35 cent Coke at the bar. The room has one bed and its hard as a rock. I think it�s just plywood with sheets. Peter said there will be a meeting at dinner and that we will stay in Kathmandu until the 5th or 6th.
11pm. Took a nap then cleaned up for dinner. Met a couple of the climbers and ate a good meal. Later another climbing group came in. One of the members was Vaughn Whitby, Robert�s brother. We told him we tried to see Robert at the hotel but just missed him. He will be on the North side also. Tomorrow is on our own and we will explore around the city. Meeting tomorrow at 7:30pm.
10:30am Just got back from the "Monkey Temple" which is really the Buddhist temple of Swayambhunath. It took us about 30 to 40 minutes to get there and was a very interesting walk through parts of the city. We took some streets that were all cut up due to construction. Lot�s of different animals being butchered. I think some goats and water buffalo. What a mess! Lots of people in the upper stories of buildings looking out the windows. I don�t think the sanitation is too good. It really smells everywhere. The garbage trucks were out picking up trash. As we walked toward the river I noticed all the birds. At the river I saw why; it�s just a huge garbage dump. Huge pigs are running around loose. On the North side of the bridge there are the concrete funeral ghats where they burn the bodies of the dead people. At the base of the temple hill there are a lot of prayer wheels and a huge staircase. The monkeys are running around along with many goats and mangy dogs. Lots of beggars as expected. There are huge Buddha�s at the base and more about half way up to the temple. The monkeys were playing on the railing by sliding down the rails. The stairway was built in the 17th century and the work on the stupa itself was started in 460 CE.
Really an awesome sight climbing the steep stairs. The gold topped stupa with the staring eyes looking down on the city. There is a prayer wheel around the stupa along with prayer flags strung from the top. There are other Buddha shrines surrounding the area. There were lots of other shrines on the hill and much activity. Blasting music coming out of all the doors and these damn Japanese tourist ringing a bell for some reason. I just noticed in my guide book that there is a goddess of smallpox. Yuck! I can understand fertility but smallpox. Stan started feeling bad so we left quickly. We did find a lucky coin while we were climbing down the stairs. We took a taxi back to the hotel. Exciting weaving in and out of all the people. I�ve noticed it�s normal to let small children run around with no pants on here. They just let it fly when they have to go to the bathroom. Another frequent but gross sight of Nepal.
1:30pm Finished a buffet lunch at the hotel. Most of the team showed up and the Germans don�t speak English. One of the female climbers is the team doctor. Lot�s of story telling and I figure the climbing community is very similar to the skydiving clan. You quickly catch up on the in-crowd and who�s doing what in the sport. After lunch we found the post office which was only a couple blocks down the street. We bought some stamps and mailed the post cards we�d written last night. The mail deposit was through a mesh fencing and dropped into a burlap bag nailed up. At least I thought that was it. If nobody gets these things we�ll know I just dropped them in the trash. We continued walking past the royal palace where we saw a wonderful fish pond. This is really an amazing place where there is lots to see and experience. We walked back for a nap before dinner. Damn started my period. Well better here then on the road I guess. Team meeting tonight with all the groups together.
7pm No nap today. Walked this morning after breakfast into the Durban Square area. Along the way we saw the hospital. The windows were broken but it seemed to be quite occupied and busy. We wandered through a market which surrounded a temple in the square. The Durban area was interesting. The bad part was getting surrounded by sellers and "guides." The buildings are very old and build around the 12th century. Erotic art is prevalent on some of the buildings. Really strange stuff but interesting. Saw some of the team members along the way back to the hotel. Checked out some of the climbing stores also. We should look for a set of ice tools for next year. Good buys on the used equipment here. After lunch we headed out again to sight see. This time we went in the opposite direction towards the Bodahmath stupa. It�s the largest in Nepal and one of the largest in the world. According to the guide book it was around a 7 to 8 kilometer walk to get to it. On the way we got lost once and had to backtrack but we finally made it. Getting lost was part of the fun and we found ourselves walking narrow paths in the rice fields with a lot of the native people staring at us. The stupa was tucked in the buildings and it quite spectacular. It was built around 600 CE. We walked around and spun the prayer wheels for good luck. We decided that we would take a cab back. For 100rs we got a cab to our hotel. The driver turned out to be a mad man trying to run down everyone in the roadway. Death defying and exciting all for one low cab fare. We got back in near record time. The order of the night was to eat and then pack up for tomorrow.
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