Run runway is sloped and is actually carved into a mountain side. The top of the runway ends with a brick wall, and the bottom of the runway ends with a sheer cliff face.. Simply put, when the planes are taking off, they have to build up enough speed to take off before the runway runs out.. And believe me, it uses every inch of the tarmac!
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Scenery around here is simply amazing, awesome, fantastic. Pictures just dont capture the enormity of these monsters !
Base camp was surprisingly quite, because the Khumbu Icefall was closed at the time (According to Korean Expedition we talked to), It's all opened up now of course, and expeditions are scattered all over the mountain.
It was class to see all the yak trains going past with 'Iceland Everest Expedition 2009' etc written on the boxes.. We even saw a unicycle on the way up there...
??!!
View of Everest (clouded mountain in background) from the top of Kala Patar, 5545m. Had a cracking head ache all the way up, pure and other slog got me to the top. Views were worth every ounce of energy though!
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I was planning on trekking to Annapurna Base Camp a few days ago, but came down (badly) with a Giardia infection.. knocked the socks off me, and still trying to recover. Just out of hospital today!! Bit of R&R for next few days before my flight to Thailand... Next flight after that is into Cork... !!!
See you Soon !
Mark
