So Sad to Say Goodbye: Friday Oct. 15, 2010.

The young boy in the front of the picture is Sherpa Pasan's son. He helped with part of the Trek close to Lukla and was a porter carrying our bags along with the Yaks. When we left we were encouraged to donate any of our clothes/supplies to the Sherpas. I wore a hooded jacket with a Swiss Chalet logo on it. ( they are sponsors for my daughter's ski team ) Well, it drove everyone crazy on the Trek. The food wasn't that great and the Swiss Chalet logo made everyone drool and there was lots of talk about the Swiss Chalet Festive Meal, the gravy, the French Fries etc!! It was so bad that people were talking about getting Swiss Chalet at the Toronto Airport! There was also talk that when we have our reunion it will be at a Swiss Chalet! Well, I donated the sweatshirt to Asan and he was so happy. It just seemed fitting that the sweatshirt stay in the mountains!! I'm sorry it's not a better picture. Maybe someone else has a better one. They were such a nice father and son. I also donated some of my things to Pasan's daughter and my first aid kit to the Sherpas.






Picture of SEH at the Lukla Airport from 1953.

Watching our fellow Trekkers leave Lukla. There were 5 flights to take all of us back to Kathmandu. We were the last flight. It was very touch and go. We waited and waited. It had been 2 hours since the last flight left. It was now past lunch and we were supposed to leave at 10:00 AM. The boy manning the small kiosk of pop and candy bars started closing shop. The tension was mounting but then finally our plane arrived and we were off!! If you thought the landing was scary, it was really scary taking off. First the plane sat with the brakes on and the pilot revved the engine really high. Then you took off the runway and had a huge stomch upheavle as you went down and then really fast back up. I had a few people helping me with my anxiety!! I had clim bed the mountain but this prop plane was still taking the best of me!

Scenes from Lukla taken when we first arrived 11 days ago.

The Buddhist Scarf right of passage ceremony. The endless knot was woven in to the scarves that were placed around our necks to symbolize peace and the eternal blessings from the Sherpas.

Rabin, our tour organizer from Goway and I on our last morning in Lukla. I will stay in touch as he will be coming to Toronto next year on route to visit his daughter studying in Minesota. I didn't realize until I saw this picture that I had such a burn on my face!!There were no mirrors on the Trek!! It really was like survivor.