{"id":109296,"date":"2024-03-11T14:31:28","date_gmt":"2024-03-11T13:31:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bergfreunde.de\/blog\/trekking-in-the-himalayas\/"},"modified":"2024-03-11T14:32:09","modified_gmt":"2024-03-11T13:32:09","slug":"trekking-in-the-himalayas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alpinetrek.co.uk\/blog\/trekking-in-the-himalayas\/","title":{"rendered":"Trekking in the Himalayas \u2013 a Mera Peak summit adventure"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"People<\/a>
Robert and his friends are ready for the Mera Peak summit (photo: Matthias J\u00e4ger)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

A few weeks ago, we reported on our colleague Robert\u2019s preparations to climb Mera Peak (6,476\u00a0m) in Nepal. He has now returned from his Mera Peak trek, with many impressions and experiences. So many in fact that we had to divide his travelogue into two parts. So let\u2019s get started:<\/p>\n\n

Filled with high expectations, I boarded the plane at the beginning of October. Destination: Mera Peak summit in Nepal. Asia<\/strong>\u2013Kathmandu<\/strong>\u2013the Himalayas<\/strong>, those were the words going round my head the whole time. Who would have thought that I would ever get out of my comfort zone and tackle a challenge like this? Just do it! I did have some good friends to accompany me<\/strong> who would share this amazing experience<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n

After quite a long flight<\/strong> with a seven-hour layover in Abu Dhabi, we landed in Kathmandu<\/strong> late in the evening. The air was surprisingly heavy and warm, but I soon got a good feeling about my Mera Peak trek \u2013 I sensed that I was in for a completely new experience. And we were off. We quickly paid for and received our visa and continued to baggage reclaim \u2013 hoping everything would be there. What if something was missing? Without insulated shoes and crampons<\/a>, we could have got straight back on the plane and flown back.<\/p>\n\n

But then we spotted the first green bag coming towards us on the conveyor belt. The atmosphere became increasingly oppressive in this full hall and the ceiling fans pushed the stale air down on us. The brick walls of the airport were reminiscent of the Brandenburg region in bygone GDR times. So that was our first impression of an Asian city: strange yet familiar.<\/p>\n

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\"An<\/a>
The first impression of an Asian city: strange yet familiar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\u00a0Tej<\/strong>,\u00a0our\u00a0guide<\/a>, waited for us at the exit. He helped us to plan our journey to the Mera Peak elevation, and he would accompany us in the following weeks. We were greeted with a warm Namast\u00e9 with hands in the prayer position and a\u00a0flower chain was hung around our necks<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 just like in a film. Once we arrived at the hotel, we made ourselves at home on the roof of the building with a bottle of Everest beer and admired the sparkling city by night.<\/p>\n\n

Kathmandu <\/h2>\n\n

Sun, 28 \u00b0C and the urge to explore the town. We spent our first day in Kathmandu. \u00a0Swayambhunath Stuba<\/strong>\u00a0(monkey temple) was our first\u00a0destination<\/strong>. In my diary, I described the journey there as follows: \u201cRubbish, pigs, cows, smelly water\u201d. That was my first impression of the city: repulsive and fascinating at the same time. But that was just the beginning. A peaceful, strangely content sensation came over me when we reached the\u00a0monkey temple<\/strong>\u00a0.<\/p>\n\n

A huge set of steps led up to the Stuba. There were monkeys everywhere, stone gods decorated the side of the path, prayer drums were rotated from the left to the right and the scent of incense filled the air. From afar, I could hear the mantra \u201com ma ni pad me hum\u201d. A monk passed me wearing a habit \u2013 I was definitely in the right place.\u00a0Gigantic<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0fascinating<\/strong> that some of these buildings have existed for 2,000 years\u00a0 \u2013 a nice, little Nepalese chap told me that and promptly requested $ 5 for this well-intentioned, unwanted piece of information. Once you\u2019re there, you don\u2019t really want to leave this\u00a0place of happiness<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n

On the way back to the hotel, we purposefully tried to circumvent the touristy parts of the city and see the \u201creal\u201d Kathmandu. That\u2019s how we found some very beautiful, hidden corners but also disturbing, sad sides of the city.<\/p>\n\n

Lukla <\/h2>\n\n

The alarm went at 5.40 a.m., breakfast at 6 a.m., departure to the airport at 6.30 a.m. My excitement increased by the minute because on this day, we were meant to take a\u00a0minute prop plane<\/strong>\u00a0to\u00a0Lukla<\/strong>\u00a0(allegedly the most dangerous airport in the world) where the actual trip to the Mera Peak summit would start. When we arrived at the airport, we were taken to our plane quite quickly. I knew the planes from TV documentaries but I didn\u2019t expect them to be this old! I was lucky to get a seat right behind the pilot, so I had a great view of the runway and landing strip. But it also meant I could see the\u00a0displays in the cockpit<\/strong>, which\u00a0didn\u2019t exactly fill me with confidence<\/strong>\u00a0. It\u2019ll be fine, I told myself. It has (mainly) been fine up to now, too. And if not, at least it\u2019ll be quick.<\/p>\n\n

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