Lukla

Today we are in Lukla; the flight from Kathmandu over the Himalayas was breathtaking, especially the landing, as the runway seems to be about 100 yards long, on a significant incline--uphill for landing, downhill for taking off. As we waited for the plane to clear off, we were once again stuck on the tarmac for at least a couple of hours. So they kept the door of the plane open, and we wandered around on the tarmac, walking over to the edge of the runway to watch golfers on a course nearby!! Suddenly, a shout, and we raced back to the plane to take off as the fog cleared. Just like Hartsfield \Jackson, right?
We're staying tonight in a very comfortable lodge--the bedrooms are spartan, but the dining room is wood paneled--and warm. It was quite chilly when we arrived, but as the sun broke through, we were soon in short-sleeved shirts. A three-hour warm-up "walk" this afternoon to the guide's grandmother's home in the next village. That seems to be a hallmark of Condor Adventures--getting admission into local's homes and other out-of-the-way places.

Curfew here is 5:30 pm. We guess--and it's only a guess--that the army patrols increase significantly after that time. Thus, I need to sign off - it's almost 5:00, and I have a little walk to return to the lodge.

I think I've heard I can do this again in Namche Bazaar, which we will reach in two days.