A fond farewell to Makalu Base Camp & Destination Kathmandu!!

For the second night in a row, we went to bed with visions of ‘sugarplums’ (in the form of mojitos, showers and club sandwiches) dancing in our heads last night and today we were not disappointed – as the sugarplums materialised in the form of Fishtail Air… followed by mojitos, showers, a swim and a fantastic dinner in warm, clear and sunny Kathmandu, and a perfect close-out to our Makalu expedition and final dinner together as a ‘Makalu Team’.

I had a ‘taste’ of a rock’n-roll lifestyle this morning (minus the silk pjamas, 6am sunglasses, hangover, and connecting flight to LA). We woke up in our freezing cold basecamp tents at 5.45am and were shifted onto the heli-pad by 6am with the tiny silhouette of the helicopter appearing over the horizon at about 6.03am and by 6.15am we were in the thriving metropolis of Tashigone a short (but spectacular) flight away.

The ‘wall’ of warmth when we landed in Tashigone was sooooooo nice. Peeling off the base layers and feeling the natural warmth from the sun was exactly what I needed. The heli made several trips to collect our 600kilos of equipment and gear and then we all piled into the heli for the final 45-minute leg of our journey – destination KATHMANDUUUUU!!! 

A spectacular flight into Kathmandu past snow capped mountains, over jagged ridges, green valleys, tiny towns and children running out of their thatched houses to wave to the passing helicopter. What an absolutely stunning country - both on foot and by air..!

I think that the smiles on our faces in the photos say it all.....