All in KTM

Sunday 06 April 2014 The crew has arrived in Kathmandu (KTM). We are all getting our last minute chores done so we will be ready to go early in the morning so we can fly to Lukla and begin the long awaited trek to Base Camp. Scott arrived yesterday evening after a flight that took him thru Hong Kong for lunch on top of Peak Victoria overlooking the harbor and then got him into the Malla Hotel just before midnight. He got a half day of sightseeing and a few errands done in town today. Shane and Barbara were the first to arrive. After a quick breakfast we headed to the Bhat Bahtini Supermarket to look for special non-fat foods for Shane. We had been told that you could get SoyMilk there. However upon closer inspection we found that the SoyMilk was exactly that Milk with Soy added. It may be lactose free but not dairy free. We struck out there but were able to find some foods Shane felt comfortable taking to basecamp. Shane has a blog about his climb called http://hearthealthyeverestclimb2014.blogspot.com/ Martin, Danny and Carol all arrived a day earlier so have had two full days of sightseeing in KTM plus a visit with friends. Danny and Carol were able to meet a friend who works at the US Embassy. They are now the most up-to-date trekkers in Nepal. It is always great to have a friend at the US Embassy. Steve and his daughter Lauren arrived from Bangkok today just in time for the briefing. Steve has a blog again for his climb. http://wetumpka2everest.blogspot.com The latest issue is that baggage domestic airlines are restricting trekking luggage to 15kg including hand bags? This is causing a little confusion as folks try to pare down their gear to meet the latest weight restrictions. Passenger flights are no longer taking extra cargo so there is very little room for excess baggage. Now we are down to what do you really need. It is a great lesson in essential living. We have our work cut out for us. Bags are to be ready to go at 4:30AM tomorrow morning so we can be on the first flight to Lukla whenever it takes-off we will be on it. Written by: JMW Individual Expedition Blogs: Shane Jones: http://hearthealthyeverestclimb2014.blogspot.com/ Steve Slaughter: http://wetumpka2everest.blogspot.com Jeff Witt: http://www.highpeakadventures.com/High_Peak_Adventures/Web_Log/Web_Log.html

Expedition and trekking teams in KTM


Shane and Barbara after food shopping


A little help deciding on what food to buy...