D3 - Ramechap-Lukla-Phakding
Day 3 (1.10.22): Mulkot - Ramechap airport @ Manthali - Lukla - Phakding
Breakfast at dawn was becoming a norm. So, today's b'fast was @5:30am - Bread toast with sauteed veggies and hash potatoes. Unsure about the day's wait, I stuffed myself. Thank God! Birds weren't foraging 😜. We were 32kms away from the airport. We followed the Sunkoshi as the roads kept winding itself with the meandering course of the river.
Located in the Tamakoshi River valley, Manthali is a sleepy town. I enjoyed the scenic route through the hills , farms and villages. Hurray! We reached the Ramechap airport. A beautiful , tiny airport surrounded by hills is a popular option for trekkers to EBC. Light aircrafts flew to and fro exclusively to Lukla and hence there were no backlogs. The aircrafts were sleek 15 seater planes which had to be refuelled on every landing.There was constant whirring sound of these birds, which was a positive sign that brightened our hopes.. Awaiting our turn , we watched the skilled pilots who manoeuvred it with precision in the short runways. The birds took a turn and disappeared amidst the mountains. What a smart invention ! The Wright brothers were right :)
The photoshoot with the BD Flag was a proud moment.
Alas, our wait ended. After the manual baggage and security check , we were seated in the open to air lounge for our birdie. The office room of the airport was no bigger than 500sft room but functioned effectively even during power cuts.
Our gang was split into two. I boarded the 10am Tara Air , warmly welcomed by the air hostess. A 17-min ride to Lukla was a stunning one. Over the mountains ,across the rivers and into the fluffy clouds , we flew to The Tenzing Hillary airport, one of the world's treacherous airports, with the shortest runaway with a gradient. Should I sing , paint or dance in glee ! I just remained calm enjoying every sight.
Yipeeee! All set to begin our trek to Phakding post-lunch. An easy 4 hr trail through narrow,stone - paved pathways with many shops lining the streets and criss-crossing rivers was just a pre-cursor to the rest of the trek. We shared our route with the locals, jogpes and mules careful enough not to disturb them and moved towards the mountain side when they were near us. Smart creatures ! They too followed our technique. We descended(included ups and downs) from 2,880m to 2,652 m and halted at Phakding for the night. Everyone retired to their rooms. Prem,Shiva and I went for a brisk night walk. We crossed a small bridge ,where the river was in full flow. Many dogs took their places at night and kept barking at us. We decided to return and called it a day.
A decent stay at the Snowland restaurant, with common bathrooms , which also shared the ventilation. Just imagine! Beans! Beans ! The toilets got clogged by morning. Glad, that there was an Indian toilet, used it though stinky.
A big day awaits!
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