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We Get Close To Everest, But Not That Everest |
When we arrived at the airport just after 7 am our worst fears were realised. The time listed on the displays for our flight was 8 am not 9 am. We checked our tickets. Those who had owned their tickets for a long time had 9 am marked on their tickets. Those who had booked at the last minute had the flight marked as 8 am. The airline must have changed the departure time.
As we stood in line, the queues went down very slowly. Then there was a sudden commotion and the check-in staff simply left their positions. No one offered any explanation.
Gradually rumours reached us that the plane was full.
When someone did return to speak to us, a posse of tough German women trekkers immediately attacked him. Out came their forefingers straight into his face: "You will solve this problem. We all have re-confirmed seats. You will solve our problem."
| The net effect was ruined slightly by all the German women speaking at once and saying slightly different versions of the same exhortation. Nevertheless it would have been quite daunting for the RNAC representative. He admitted that no one based at the airport was senior enough to make a decision. |  |
A few representatives from the 27 of us bumped off the plane would have to go the main RNAC office in the centre of Kathmandu. The nine of us going to London elected Steve as our representative .
Several hours passed before Steve returned. He had arrived at the airline office just after it opened, but behind the German group, who had organised their own, faster transport by phoning their own Sherpa.
The deal he brought back was the same as for the German group. We would fly by RNAC to Delhi at 9 pm tomorrow evening, and then change to Lufthansa flights to Frankfurt and London Heathrow. We would get into London on mid-morning of the Tuesday rather than the original Sunday evening. Meanwhile we would be staying at the five-star Everest Hotel.
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The only 'Everest' I got to see... |
The
Everest Hotel was certainly very large and distinguished. Its prime
market seemed to be well-off Indian customers, but
the second largest proportion appeared to be groups of other people who
had been bumped off flights.
We enjoyed the meals and the soft beds, but because all drinks apart from tap water were extra, we still felt like prisoners. We had of course reduced our Nepali money to a minimum, thinking we were on the way out of the country, so we were not very good tippers. |
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of the 'group of nine' rose early to go to the airport to get on one of
the Everest flights.
I had declined to go. I had come on this trek to see the Kangshung face of Everest and the only Everest I had seen was the Everest Hotel. There was something very Zen about this. |
...And these were the only yaks we saw |
We were all so anxious about missing the flight that we left for the airport immediately after lunch (arriving six hours early). We even beat the Germans, much to the disgust of the latter. In fact, watching the Germans trying to edge forward and jump the queue became the favoured entertainment for the next few hours.
The two lead German women organised a pincer movement around the outside of the two queues, converging on the check-in counters. They then leant casually on the counters, as if they belonged there, and struck up conversations with people at the front of the queues.
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When we fired off a salvo of glowering looks, they retreated again. Half an hour later, when we had lowered our guard and had left a little space between our bags, they took full advantage. One of them 'fell forward'. This knocked both of their luggage trolleys forward. Suddenly their bags were right beside us. |
In fact, when the queues started moving, the lead German woman somehow managed to be served before me - but we all got on.
We were very impressed with the Lufthansa Jumbo and the friendly efficiency of its service, except when they chopped off the last ten minutes of 'Billy Elliot' (did he make it as a dancer, I need to know!)
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Now that the memories of the transport disasters have faded, the funny incidents come more to the fore. I know that my love-affair with Nepal is unfinished - as long as my knees hold out. |
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Back Slippers Before The Snows To my other site Yak Horns And Suspension Bridges
