My trek to the Everest Base Camp-Part 18.

I cleaned up, ate breakfast, and got ready. Ajit came back to grab a bite and take his bag. He had met Finju. Finju had asked us to come and wait in the airport. Ajit quickly went back again.  

Lukla was celebrating, I noticed as I headed out. Everybody was on the streets. And there was Buzz in the air. I bumped into Mohammed enroute and said good bye. I asked him to pass on our good byes to Sheena.

Around the fencing of the runway, and at the airport- was like the scene from the performance of a live rock band. The airplanes and their pilots were the rock stars today. Everybody watched in awe as planes came in, deplaned passengers, filled up again and left in less than 10 minutes. At the entry to the airport, Balaram said good-bye. We thanked him. No words would be enough to express my gratitude, but as a small token, we gave him a generous compensation. It was much more than he expected and he smiled as he left.

Inside the airport were serpentine queues. Ajit was already standing in a corner, inside Finju’s office. Ajit had decided that he would be in Finju’s face till the helped us, just so he could stop seeing Ajit. Ajit is a racehorse with blinders, remember ?  His goal now was for us to reach Bangkok for Trayi's birthday. 

Finju told Ajit that he could not circumvent rules to help. But there was one little loophole. All the airplanes had 17 seats, but filled only 16 as confirmed passengers. There would be one empty seat per plane. He could fit us in, but we would have to split up and travel on different flights. Ajit jumped at the offer. And nominated me to go first. Atleast one of us would make it to Trayi's Birthday, he reasoned.

After about 30 minutes of waiting, it my turn to leave. I started to cry. I did not want to leave Ajit behind.Irrational fears flooded my mind. As I walked to the airplane, Ajit was in the balcony of the airport, waving me good bye.

I got on the plane, and for the 1^st time in a fortnight, I started to pray. So much had happened in the last fortnight, I just wanted both of us to get home safely now. The plane took off and veered dangerously close to the mountains on the left. My heart leaped in my mouth. But, on the right, in the horizon, were all the Beauties we had come to see, and were leaving behind. Everest, Ama Dablam, Lhotse, Nuptse.

In about 40 Minutes I was at Kathmandu, waiting for Ajit to arrive. It was barely 9.00 a.m. There was no terminal to wait in – just a shed. So I waited there. Suddenly I was tapped on my shoulder by a well-dressed gentleman. Mr. S, Ajit’s contact, in Kathmandu, member of Prominent Family, was here to check on my well-being, in person. Ajit had called and told him I would be alone. I was touched by his graciousness and I expressed gratitude  for his help with connecting to Mr. Finju.

I had no phone and no way of knowing when Ajit would join me. So Ajit informed Mr. S. when he boarded the aircraft. He would be coming soon.

And then Mr. S., gave me some great news. There was a flight to Bangkok on Thai airways the same afternoon. And tickets were available. We could indeed make it home for Trayi’s birthday!

While waiting, I saw plane-loads of fellow-Indians coming into the domestic ‘terminal’. I had seen less than one handful of Indians on the trail. Where were these people coming from ? The mystery was quickly resolved. These people were coming after having experienced Everest from Everest View Plane Rides. For a fraction of the cost. But a fraction of the experience. Couch Potatoes! -I could now safely call them.

Ajit arrived in about an hour and a half after I did. We immediately walked from the domestic to the international terminal close by, and bought our tickets for Bangkok the same afternoon. There was just one last complication to resolve. We were sitting on 1200 USD worth of worthless Nepali Rupiah, remember ? Ajit’s contacts with Mr. S. came to good use again. We were allowed to exit the airport to a money changer close by  (the airport had none!!) and covert it all back to USD.

Kedar came to see us at the airport as well. We thanked him as well. We promised to write a good review for him on his website. (We did, though I am not sure he used it. I don’t see Balaram listed as a porter/guide on the website, either. Maybe he has retired. ?)

In the airport, we spent the little time and money we had, buying some hurried gifts for everybody back home. We had been very lucky and had many people to share our grace with.

Before we boarded our flight, we found out about our friends. Sheena had made it out of Lukla in the morning - in an Army helicopter. Mohammed made it at around 1.00 p.m. in a Tara airlines flight. The story of his exit is interesting, but best saved for a separate blog entry in his own words.

As the Thai airways plane glided into the blue sky, we saw the entire Himalayan Mountain range in the distant horizon. And right there, soaring into the Heavens, was the Jewel in Nature’s  Crown, Mount Everest. Waving us Good Bye. Till we meet again.