Nepal. Introduction

  Our dream has come true - to see Everest!!! (In the cover photo, Everest (8848 m) is in the center, Nuptse (7861 m) is on the right. View from Kala Patthar)...

  We went to Nepal in mid-February 2014, right when the revolution to change our corrupt government was unfolding. We flew out exactly one day before train traffic from the western regions to Kyiv was suspended, so we were very lucky to reach the capital from the westernmost point of Ukraine and fly out during such a difficult time. Otherwise, if our flight had been even a day later, our tickets bought four months in advance would have gone to waste, and our dream would have had to wait much longer to come true...
  But still, we were lucky, and we successfully flew from Boryspil to Sharjah airport, from where we had a flight to Kathmandu. We passed the first test of waiting overnight for the morning flight to Kathmandu. Dianka managed to get some sleep in a sleeping bag on the floor of the waiting hall amidst a multinational crowd, while I chatted with some very pleasant and interesting people - a Kazakh returning from a pilgrimage to Mecca and a Lviv resident who has lived in India for about 20 years, built himself a house in the Himalayas, paints psychedelic pictures, heals with metals, and translates sacred texts from Sanskrit. In general, the time spent at the airport brought many interesting experiences, making me realize that even the seemingly "painful" wait can turn into an exciting adventure if you tune yourself to the right wave... That's how it was for us at Sharjah airport, where we seemed to attract these colorful and interesting people like a magnet, and conversations with them helped us pass the night waiting...

  And now we board the plane, flying to Kathmandu...

 There are many Nepalese on board, and it feels like everyone knows each other. Through the porthole, mountains come into view, and our blood begins to "heat up" in anticipation of meeting them...

 We land, exit into a modest terminal, fill out immigration cards, get our visas, exchange some money, pick up the backpack we checked in, and here we are in Nepal!!! Behind us are the revolution and confusion in Ukraine, and ahead of us lies an exciting month-long journey...

Read further - Trek to Everest Base Camp. Part 1