Bikram was there at 5am sharp and again we were off to the airport. Shortly after arriving and going through their interpretation of a security check we realised that the sun was shining in Lukla and the trip was on - delighted! We were on the plane within about 20 minutes and on our way to Lukla with Goma Air and their 40 year old plane. The plane sat around 15 people and within no time we were in the air and sitting on the left hand side for our first glimpses ...

Our guide Bikram collected us from the hostel around 5:30 as we were on the 6:30 flight out ok Kathmandu. We headed to the airport and got into the small domestic terminal. Not long after arriving we realised that bad weather (mist) in Lukla meant that our flight was delayed until the weather improved. Over the next couple of hours Bikram made a few calls to his mate in Lukla to as about the weather but the mist didn't look like lifting. We continued to wait with...

This morning we made our way to the trekking company to meet with them and discuss our base camp trek. We met with the company boss and enjoyed a chai tea as always. Within 10 minutes or so, he told us about an additional pass that you can do after base camp, called the Chorla Pass. He showed us a couple of photos of the pass and the Gokio lakes. The pass was tricky and took an extra 3-4 days but we signed up for it in seconds. We got our gear list from him and a...

Today was sightseeing day. We set off early to discover Durbar Square, the main historic centre of Kathmandu. A 10 minute walk through the winding streets and wooden buildings was order of the day to get there. We stopped off at a small jewellers shop where Helen discussed nose piercings with the friendly owner. We agreed that nose rings were made for farm animals so she opted for a nice silver stud which involved the help of a young guy to remove the one she got...

After a long wait at immigration at Kathmandu airport, we were finally here, looking pretty worse for wear after a night on Delhi airports floor. We headed to our hotel, The Kathmandu Grand (the name didn't really reflect the hotel here!) and had a much needed sleep. A quiet day here. We spent the early evening wandering the winding streets of Thamel which was interrupted by a thunderstorm. We had our first experience of the famous Nepalese dish, dal bat and had ...