Flight delays

Hello
we are still in Kathmandu even although we got up really early and got all our luggage to the domestic airport for 7am. Unfortunatly due to lots of fog on the high passes no flights went to Lukla today. We enjoyed a break from the airport ques by having lunch at Mikes Breakfast and by the time we ate we learned that our flight was cancelled.
We have a 9.15am check in for tomorrow so fingers crossed for that.
All the group are doing fine and enjoyed a late afternoon swim and a wounderful dinner at Kilroys in Thamel. Here is hoping everything will go ok for tomorrow.

Latest from Kathmandu 9th Oct

Well, I have been updating the blog daily with news and photographs, but it seems from here in Kathmandu that the updates are not showing on the blog, so hopefully this one will work!
All is Ok, and we all arrived safely in Kathmnadu, Kathy was at the airport with our sherpas to meet us and we transfered to the Hotel Shanker, which is an old palace and a really wonderful calm place to stay. Ed had lost his luggage thanks to Thai airways, but it arrived a day later and really that was the only problem we have had. Sandy had his meeting with the Ministry of Tourisim yesterday and our permits for Island Peak and Ama Dablam have been issued so we are all set to go. Ewan, Ed, John and Kambiz have been on a city tour and enjoyed being guided round some of the local sights. Sandy and Kathy have been busy organising loads and equipment and doing all the necessary admin required to get the final stages of the expedition organised. The plan is to fly to Lukla tomorrow where we load up our yaks and porters and then walk to Namce Bazzar the sherpa capital. There we will get internet again and can up date the blog agin, but that may not be until the weekend..After that we leave the internert and phone lines behind, however Sandy will be making Sat phone calls to Hannah and Eunice back in the west to deliver phone reports which will be put on the blog. I do apologise for the fact that over the last few days no blogs seem to be appearing on the site, but we have been posting them with photos so I assume they are lost somewhere in cyber space.

Anyway, we have an early start tomorrow and hopefully the flights will get in to Lukla, today all flights were cancelled due to fog in Lukla, but today has been really nice in Kathmnadu so hopefully the fog will be gone, and the mountain passes clear and it will be good to fly.

All the expedition group are well and in good spirits, so please remeber that no news is good news, and we will post an update again by the weekend!

Final day in Kathmndu for a while

Its another nice day in Kathmandu, Kathy and Sandy were up early for a pre-breakfast swim at the Shanker Hotel around 7.30am this morning. We have been packing the last of our bags and getting ready for our flights to Lukla tomorrow where we start our approach walk to Namche and then on up to our base camps. Sandy met with Ministry of Tourisim yesterday and ater an intersting interview obtianed the Climbing Permit for Ama Dablam... We also have permit for Island Peak, so we are set to go. Sandy, Ed, John and Kambi are photographed here having a chat and nice lunc at Kilroy's. Ed's missing luggage( thanks to Thai Airways) has been re-located and Ed was at the airport yesterday and it delighted to be reunited with his vital climbig kit! So, we are kind of ready to leave Kathmnadu, and this blogspt will not be updated again until we reach Namche this weekend where we hopfully have access to the internet again...

So, all is fine this end, everyone in good spirits and importantly there as been no travellers tummy reported to date, so all is ace and fine. For family and friends reading this please remeber that out here in Nepal communications can break down quite easily so please do not worry if there is no news for a while, it will simply mean that we cannot get access to the internet for some simple reason! So its good bye from us all, and we should get another update by the weekend!

Ama Dablam Group arrives at Kathmandu

Kathy and the Sherpha's met us last night at Kathmandu airport from our excellent Gulf air flight. We transfered to the Shanker Hotel which is a 100 year old ex Palace. Everyone is doing fine. Ewan, Ed, John and Kambiz are taking in the sights of Kathmandu this morning while Sandy and Kathy are making final arrangements for the expedition. We have a meeting with the minestry this afternoon to finalise our climbing permits for Island Peak and Ama Dablam.

Ama Dablam Expedition

Today is the beginning of the Ama Dablam Expedition, as everyone is flying in from the UK today. After some sightseeing and last minuit shopping we will all leave for Lukla and the Kumbu on Wednesday the 10th. The

plan is to acclimatise by doing Island Peak first which is just under 6200m, and then to go back down to Penboche then up to the Ama Dablam Base Camp which is around 4,800m. This photo of Ama Dablam was taken about two weeks ago on my last trip with our Evereest Base Camp trekkers. There was quite a lot fof fresh snow just over a week ago but the weather has stabilised a lot since then. More news later, Kathy

Fond farewells

And so the troops have been sent on their way back to Sunny Lakeland, they will fly at 7.50 this evening and arrive at manchester sometime in the early hours of Saturday. Nelson mentioned something about going straight to Booths to buy some bacon and Cumberland Sausage, What's wrong with Dhal anyway? Joking they have had a mixed and varied diet but bacon is the one thing that seems a little scarce out here, mind you we have seen lots of monkeys, goats, Yaks, dogs, chickens and cows(they especially like to hang out in the middle of the busy roads) but we havent seen a single pig but one of the group did wounder if pigs were unable to survive out here as they have no hair and might get sun stroke! Moving swiftly on, here in Kathmandu Team Ascent and Sherpha Tinkerbell (my new nick name it seems) wish them all a safe and smooth journey home.

Life in Kathmandu

Well the trekking gang are all fine and well, after shopping shopping and more shopping in the famous Thamel, buying a range of goods from Yak cheese, yeti books pashmina shawls and tea! They also had a couple of days lounging by the Crown Plaza pool to recoop and did some sight seeing around various temples and ancient villages. I think they all need another holiday after all this activity in Kathmandu!
Lots of resteraunts have been visited like Pilgrims, Funky Buddha and the famous Rum Doodle, they even got to fill in a big foot and put in on the wall. Rum Doodle also offers a free meal if you have climbed Everest! Get your hiking boots on.
I think they have all just about saturated Thamel now and its time to fly home. Oops better go I'm taking them to the airport in 10 mins
by for now! Kathy