Day 16: Still in Lukla. No planes have flown in or out in 5.5 days due to bad weather
Email sent home November 5, 2011:
"Hi all,
No flights or helicopters yesterday. Today still storming, but there is a rumor it might clear on Monday. Our plight apparently is making the news around the world... I read one article from the Washington post. The info is a bit wrong though... No one is sleeping in the airport because the gate to the door is chained shut. Most guides and porters have left town to be with their families. Some have set up tent towns waiting for their clients to fly in from Kathmandu to start treks.
The airline offices have stopped opening regularly because ppl are upset so there are regular crowds that are standing in front of the offices at all hours. My money situation is okay now. I almost started crying when I found out my credit card does not work in any card reader in all of Lukla. But the guys from the US loaned me some cash. They officially missed their flights yesterday so we celebrated our misery by splurging on a bottle of Nepalese rum, Pringles, and a Toblerone.
We hit up the Irish bar in town (where a can of Guinness is 750 rupees= $10!) and there were only 5 of us there because no one can afford to drink. On the "bar" there is a laptop where u can play songs so I made a playlist of Journey and Queen and Guns&Roses, got them to turn on the flashing lights over the "dancefloor" and rocked out. Lol. Until 9 pm, though because that is my teahouses' curfew so to bed.
The ongoing joke is that we are stuck in the movie Groundhog Day, because everyday is the same.
Here is my routine:
6 am wake up... Check out the weather. Storming. Back to bed.
7 am wash underwear for day-after-tomorrow wear in toilet water (the bucket of water I use to flush waste down the toilet). Groom.
Put on same clothes as yesterday, hoping underwear is dry.
8 am go to coffee shop for Internet and cup of coffee. One US guy meets me here, the other sleeps in till 11 usually.
10 am boiled egg and bread for breakfast
10 - 5 pm play card games. Big pot of tea.
5pm plain spaghetti with boiled cabbage and tomato for dinner
6 - 9 pm play more cards or scrabble on US guy's ipad (if charged)
9 pm bed
last year when ppl got stuck here with bad weather, after 8 days the Nepalese government sent military helicopters. There is talk that the military are going to come again and rescue us. People are even joking about starting to line up now.
FYI, the price of a private helicopter ride is now $3500 for 4 people to KTM.
Love you guys, hope you don't mind my rambling emails...Anna "
Email sent home November 5, 2011:
"Hi all,
No flights or helicopters yesterday. Today still storming, but there is a rumor it might clear on Monday. Our plight apparently is making the news around the world... I read one article from the Washington post. The info is a bit wrong though... No one is sleeping in the airport because the gate to the door is chained shut. Most guides and porters have left town to be with their families. Some have set up tent towns waiting for their clients to fly in from Kathmandu to start treks.
 |
| People wait for the Agni Air office to hopefully open |
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| Comfort food: chocolate and booze. |
The ongoing joke is that we are stuck in the movie Groundhog Day, because everyday is the same.
Here is my routine:
6 am wake up... Check out the weather. Storming. Back to bed.
7 am wash underwear for day-after-tomorrow wear in toilet water (the bucket of water I use to flush waste down the toilet). Groom.
Put on same clothes as yesterday, hoping underwear is dry.
8 am go to coffee shop for Internet and cup of coffee. One US guy meets me here, the other sleeps in till 11 usually.
10 am boiled egg and bread for breakfast
10 - 5 pm play card games. Big pot of tea.
5pm plain spaghetti with boiled cabbage and tomato for dinner
6 - 9 pm play more cards or scrabble on US guy's ipad (if charged)
9 pm bed
last year when ppl got stuck here with bad weather, after 8 days the Nepalese government sent military helicopters. There is talk that the military are going to come again and rescue us. People are even joking about starting to line up now.
FYI, the price of a private helicopter ride is now $3500 for 4 people to KTM.
Love you guys, hope you don't mind my rambling emails...Anna "
