I’m in Kathmandu, all my luggage arrived, and I’m getting organized over the next few days to fly into Lukla on March 31. By the way, look below for part 2 of my discussion of technical climbing vs. extreme altitude.
The tourist season is off to a slow start (that darn economy again). Most teams headed for the Tibet side of Everest have changed their plans as the Chinese are once again playing politics with climbers. So the south (Nepal) side will be crowded, although somebody said there will be fewer climbers than last year–I really don’t know.
The new Maoist government is attempting all sorts of social control measures, the most pertinent being an early (11:30pm) curfew in Thamel, the tourist area. While I’m normally long asleep by then, the joys of jet lag make that hour quite reasonable right now. So we were at a bar last night, and as the police went by they blew out the candles and we all had to be quiet. We’re in no danger as tourists, but the bars could be closed down.
They use candles because Kathmandu is load shedding, which just means they turn the power off 8 hours a day. You always walk around with a flashlight in your pocket! One might ask why the government is worrying about tourist curfews when they can’t provide electricity…
The weather is nice but cool (t shirt during the day, light jacket at night). I’ve met a number of friends who are in town, and most are scattering to the hills over the next few days. Yesterday was lost to jet lag (I slept all afternoon), so today I’m meeting more folks, shopping, and charging my electronics while the power is on. And maybe sleep all night?