It's day 5 and I have climbed 1867m. Another thousand or so and I will have climbed the equivalent altitude as Lukla, gateway to the Khumbu region of Nepal where Everest is located.
Just getting to the Khumbu is a challenge. Most visitors get there by the infamous Tenzing-Hillary Airport, better known as Lukla Airport. It sits on the edge of a mountain at 2860m.
This airport is proudly advertised as the World's Most Dangerous Airport in all the travel guides and brochures. Flying in and out is quite an experience and not recommended for nervous flyers.
I was lucky on my flight there in that it landed without incident, although it did get thrown around like a leaf in a storm as we crossed over the dividing range that leads to the approach. Flights are frequently delayed for low cloud which regularly obscures the runway for pilots especially in the afternoon as the tropical air from the lower regions warms up.
The airport was build by Sir Edmund Hillary and a whole lot of Sherpas in the 1960s to improve access to the Khumbu region.
This is me on board one of the tiny STOL planes that regularly fly trekkers there.
And this is what I saw out the window.
The Himalayan Trust continues the work of Sir Ed to this day. You can donate to my campaign for Nepal here.
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