Everest Base Camp Trek - Part 6

Everest Base Camp Trek Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6

While I somewhat recovered, my friends suggested we arrange for a helicopter. This was something. From feeling almost okay to getting back to Lukla on a helicopter in such  a short time was something I was not able to comprehend. I resisted. Thankfully me friends were more sensible.

Golden crest @ Lobuche

The helicopters operate in daylight and we were told to wait till morning. At 7.15 a helicopter arrived at our hotel and we were taken aboard. It was the highlight of our trek, however emergency the situation might be. My friends still talk about that morning when we rode a helicopter back to Lukla in 8 minutes, the distance we had covered over last 8 days.

Information board @ EBC

Although I was told to get admitted to hospital at Lukla, when we landed there and I checked my oxygen it was 80. We were all relieved to the extent that we decided to refresh and settle at the Irish Pub nearby. We drank beer and enjoyed the pizza. By the time we came back to hotel and I checked my oxygen it was again 50.

Our hotel @ Lobuche

I slept in fits. Our flight to Kathmandu was early morning. We started in dark and my friend who was carrying my luggage broke his ankle on the way to airport which was a walking distance from our hotel. Somehow we all hobbled back to Kathmandu. We were early by 6 days. We had two choices, to reschedule our flight for Delhi early or stay in Kathmandu.

We decided on latter and booked the luxurious Soaltee Hotel for our stay for next three day. We recuperated. Soaltee has its own casino where we spent our evenings. Later we booked for another three days in Thamel to enjoy the nightlife of Kathmandu which was surprisingly hip. It was time to go back to India with a lot of stories, not all good but all memorable.