Fly to Jagat 27 October 2019

We split our stuff into bags that would stay in Kathmandu, and four duffle bags that would go with us on the trek Suitcases for Kathmandu, duffles for the trek with our backpacks Leaving Room 204 After breakfast we waited patiently for our ride. Brigitte sipped on black tea top down view
top view 2 side view of the duffles that will go with us on the trek ... but there was a delay so we headed back out to explore the streets of Thamel During Diwali, even the dogs get necklaces of marigolds More blessed dogs
And the overhead phone and electrical wires are decorated, too The fluttering ornaments over the street, which is surprisingly clean where we stayed Money for comfort or comfort from money or what? interesting pastries...
We were told "very unhygienic," but still attractive Our ride picked us up and took us out to the airport Selfie at the entrance to the domestic terminal our bags head toward the scales, Mouli is following other stuff to be carried by the helicopter company we chose, just not on our flight
We waited in the terminal for at least an hour ...plenty of time to misplace our paper boarding passes Then we waited on the far side of the runway at the helicopter depot for another hour and a half luckily there were maps in the shed which served as waiting room waiting
waiting wow! there's an insect dressed up for Diwali?! When it gets here, this will be our aircraft but where is it? Finally, it arrives and we are rushed to the landing pad!
Our pilot, who has been waiting with us (but didn't alert us to his status) is on the right Greg takes a back seat Bri in the back too Christine in the front seat She heard things through the headset but Greg didn't
the cockpit ready for lift off up we go! pretty clear that there's air pollution as we rise through the layer out over the neighborhoods
now growing beyond the airport IMG 7123 The Boudhanath a huge stupa Bri checks it out
Kathmandu basin has development right to the edges and over the peri-urban landscape with fields Dense forest cover the Himalaya (so many summits but no one bothers with names) IMG 7134
foothill Nepal big massifs, one after the other. That could be Manaslu. Deep, deep gorges High summits pilot
passenger IMG 3859 what a view! so much to see! IMG 3861
settlements high up on the hills terraces everywhere with rudimentary roads we will go up a valley like this landslide most certainly caused by the 2015 earthquake
rural settlements into the mountains we go so glad that we didn't need to hike this part more terraces IMG 8112
in we go and we land alongside the river in Jagat We meet our trekking team there, in this case Mingma who waits for the pilot to unload our bags we came in between these canyon walls The helicopter leaves and our trek begins, with our first night in these little huts in Jagat
We still have time before sundown so we take the trail down the canyon a bit looking up canyon the trail was highly variable over very short distances! a good place for goats
IMG 1491 our first suspension bridge nearly all of them will be the same model, same materials IMG 8116 lowlands, around 1300 m
our first pack train how do horses know where they are putting their four feet? Inside our rooms in the lodge, we encountered some other wildlife We moved Bri's bed away from the walls. The spider skedaddled in any event.