A já mu dám zase na chvíli pokoj a na něco se ho zeptám zase až za pár dnů. A tak plyne čas a už zbývá jen měsíc.

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One Month to Go...

One month, give or take nil and off I go. There is barely what makes me happy here. I exchange mails with the Americans who organize the trip, chatting about bollocks. I ask about the gear, and if I will be allowed to wear a camcorder on my head, and stuff. And they answer that they cannot be much specific about the gear at the moment, but they will find this out for me, and they CAN be specific about the camcorder and the answer is NO. And stuff.

And I will give them a short breathing moment now and I will come with some more questions later on. And that is how my time is bid and only a month is left.

Hned jsem se zapojil do vědecké disputace o tom, že není žádná pravda, že v místě, kde se právě stala nehoda, se hned tak nestane další. Dvě za sebou jsou prý ještě méně pravděpodobné než jedna, takže je hned bezpečnější být v letadle zrovna tam. Kecy. Pravděpodobnost se na tohle neptá, to riziko je pořád stejné. Dalo mi práci přesvědčit veškerou audienci, kdo je tu nejchytřejší (že jako já) a ať mě neutěšují, že mám být v pohodě, protože to já budu, ale ne na základě pseudovědeckých blábolů.

A pak najednou někdo řekl: "A to letadlo se srazilo s ptákem? Tak teď je tam ale o ptáka míň. To tu pravděpodobnost přece snižuje!" A mně tak sklaplo, až to cvaklo. To je pravda. Prohrál jsem.

A teď už musím jít. Jdu vrátit universitní diplom.

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One Bird Down

I watched some videos of landing and takeoff from Lukla airport. Impressive. The runway is short, there is rock walls around and an abyss. Most dangerous civil airport in the world, they say. We’ll check it out. There was a plane crash lately on a flight from Kathmandu to here. But it was just few minutes after takeoff and the plane hit a bird or a flock of birds, perhaps. So which place is most dangerous now?

About that: I got involved in a scientific dispute about probability of accidents. It is not true that on the spot a crash happened the probability of another one is reduced, based on some primitive calculation that two consecutive mishaps are even less probable than one. Boarding a plane in place and time of a recent accident is safer? Crap. It took me time to convince the audience who is most educated in mathematics here (meaning me) and that there is no need to keep me cool about the flight. I will be fine, anyway, but not using scientifically incorrect explanations.

And then someone said: "The accident was a bird encounter, that right? So there is one bird down there. And it should lower the likelihood of another crash, should it not?" And my jawbone fell with a click. That was correct. I was defeated.

Got to go now. I am returning my university diploma.

It Draws Near

Yesterday I learnt that for the climax event of our expedition, a helicopter will be summoned to replace the monoplane aircraft that was planned so far. Cool. That could get us little closer to the Mountain and move the entire action one or two thousand feet higher, I believe.

written by  ac on October 17, 2012 from Praha, Czech Republic
from the travel blog: BeMyNepal
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Na letiště jsem přijel pozdě a uletělo mi letadlo. „To je konec!“ řekl jsem si. A právě to mi pomohlo pochopit, že tohle ještě není začátek. Ten teprve přijde a bude takový, jaký si ho udělám. Ke slovu se dostala kombinatorika. Když nebudu zítra večer v šest hodin a dvacet minut tamějšího času v Kathmandu, utrží moje výprava vážnou ránu, z níž by se už nemusela vzpamatovat. Do Dubaje letem ve čtyři se nedostanu, ale mohl bych se zkusit dostat na nějaké jiné letiště, odkud mě do Dubaje vezmou.

„V důsledku vašeho nenastoupení v Praze se ruší veškeré další vaše rezervace včetně těch zpátečních. I když doletíte do Dubaje jinudy a včas, místo v tom navazujícím letu už nebude vaše, vidím tu dlouhý seznam čekatelů. Právě jste někomu udělal velkou radost.“ Rty té paní byly nalíčené barvou stejně červenou jako je ta, kterou je vyvedené logo společnosti Emirates. A pohybovaly se (ty rty) úplně plynule, souměrně a jakoby strojově: „Právě jste někomu udělal velkou radost.“ Bez úsměvu, bez pobavení, bez lítosti. Radost toho čekatele, co se už za chvíli v Dubaji dozví, že se dočkal, přesně vyvážila rozčarování idiota (mě), co nedokázal přijít včas. Oči té emirátní paní se ovšem smály a volaly: „Blbečku!“

U přepážky agentury Last Minute Tickets seděla slečna Daniela a po krátkém rozhovoru bylo jasné, že jsem zase jednou našel tu pravou. Ona mě dostane do Kathmandu, ona to dokáže. Vyslechla si zadání a její prsty se rozběhly po klávesnici. „Poletíte do Milána, odtud do Delhi a v Kathmandu budete zítra po páté hodině.“ Ona je úžasná! POČKAT! „Kolik to bude stát?“ „No, musíte stornovat tu původní letenku, co máte s Emirates, strhnou vám stornovací poplatek, zaplatíte mně a zbude vám asi tři sta korun. Vyděláte, to je dobrý, co?“ A její rty se smály. Oči úplně standardně říkaly „blbečku“, ale já jsem se topil v štěstí.

Letím do Milána. A teď vám něco řeknu: tomuhle já říkám dobrý začátek.

Start right

Whatever you do, start right. Bad start spoils everything that comes after.

I arrived late to the airport and I missed my plane. "Ths is the end," said I to myself and it helped me realise that it is not yet the beginning. The beginning is still to come and it will be as good or bad as I will make it. It was the combinatorics time - if I am not in Kathmandu by 6:20 PM tomorow, my trip will suffer a serious damage it may not ever recover from. I will not make it to Dubai by the four o'clock flight, but I could still try a flight to some other airport where they can take me to Dubai from.

"As a consequence of your 'no show' here in Prague, all your subsequent bookings will be cancelled including those for your return flight. Even if you get to Dubai some other way and on time, your connecting flight will not be booked for you any more. I can see a long waiting list here. You just did someone a big favour." The lady's lips had the same red color as the corporate logo of Emirates Airlines. And they moved (the lips) smoothly, symetrically, and sort of mechanically: "You just did someone a big favour." Not a sign of laugh, no fun, no regret. The glee of the unknown waiting person who will shortly learn that he or she is lucky was in perfect ballance with the sorrow of an idiot (me) who did not have enough together to get to the airport on time. But the eyes of the Emirates lady laughed saying: "Moron!"

The counter of Last Minute Ticket Service was womanned by Miss Daniela and I knew after a short conversation that once again I have found the one. I know she will take me to Kathmandu, she will make it happen. Daniela heard my problem through and her fingertips started to dance on the keyboard. "You fly to Milan then you go to Delhi, and you will land in Katmandu some time after five o'clock tomorrow. She is gorgeous! WAIT A MINUTE! What is the cost? "Well, you have to cancel the original Emirates ticket and pay the cancellation fee. Then you will pay me and there is still three excessive hundred crowns left to you. You will profit on this. Good one, ain't it?" And her lips laughed. The eyes were saying the ordiary "moron", but I was drowning in hapinnes.

I fly to Milan. And I'll tell you something: I call this a good start.

written by  ac on October 25, 2012 from Praha, Czech Republic
from the travel blog: BeMyNepal
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Seděli jsme v letištní hospodě a probírali jsme některé věci, které lidi, co se znají patnáct minut, zrovna neprobírají. Ale někdy se to tak sejde, že se potkají a hned to proberou... Kdybych stihl svůj původní let, tyhle dva bych nepoznal. Znám je, protože jsem idiot, který zmeškal letadlo. A pak že idioti jsou v nevýhodě.

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Apostles

In Milan I met two exceptional people. Svaťa travels to Kathmandu to start his trek to the north. He wears one drybag, size of sleeping bag cover, and that is it. No suitcase or other luggage, he knows the airlines would lose it and he has no time to sit and wait until it is found. Well, I entrusted one to them. I will see. Svaťa will buy everything he needs when he is in Nepal. Then he takes it back home and sells the stuff. Radka will travel to the west of Kathmandu, not before she meets a group of people who fly there via Dubai with Emirates. Radka finds this itinerary through Milan and Delhi better. So do I, now, plain to see. She works for a tour operator dealing with these special types of trips (mountain treks and stuff). Yes - and I go east. Like apostles we will be, who divide the territory and spread to bother people in separate sectors. One would tend to say that this way we will do a star-shaped invasion of Czechs to Nepal, but one will not say it because Svaťa is Moravian.

We sat in an airport restaurant and we discussed some things people who just met usually do not discuss. But sometimes it happens that people meet and discuss it all right away... Did I catch the plane I planned to catch, I would never meet these two. I acquainted with them because I am an idiot who missed his flight. And they say idiocy has its disadvantages.

written by  ac on October 25, 2012 from Milan, Italy
from the travel blog: BeMyNepal
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A tam všichni seděli: Bill, Derek, Fred, John, Ryan, Ted, Tom, Travis, Wendy, Zoe. Seděli podle abecedy, vykukové. Později přišli ještě Milo, dva Roberti a Laura. Ti to narušili a sedli si mimo abecední pořádek.

„Na čem lítáš, Pavle?“
„Já mám Pulse.“
„A dobrý?“
„Mám ho rád.“
„Tak to rád slyším, dělal jsem na něm. Kdybys používal Stiletto, mohl bys pochválit Johna.“
Fred a John navrhují a testují padáky ve firmě Performance Designs, Bill je nějaký jejich šéf, slečna Laura je Billova dcera. Derek je členem pořadatelského týmu, zrovna tak Ryan, který je doktor (to jako lékař). Ted je Angličan, co má na starosti kyslíkové přístroje, Tom je tandemový pilot a první důstojník, Wendy je kapitánka, ta je docela slavná a je to hodně šarmantní a odzbrojující paní. Říká všem „miláčku“. A to ona může. Zoe je tu jako tandemová pasažérka. Travis je sólista. Stejně Milo, Robert a Robert, což jsou Slováci. Přijeli sem jako sólisti, ale vypadá to, že budou všechno dělat spolu. Pořád slovensky vtipkují a mě tu začali považovat za jejich starého kámoše, protože s nimi tou jejich divnou řečí občas promluvím. Ve snu nad horami v mracích lítat - zanedlouho v Nepálu slovensky mluvit.

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Speaking Slovak in Nepal

I arrived in Kathmandu two hours before the schedule I announced before. But I simply called them and asked for earlier pickup and they came. They drove me to a resort type of hotel. A vast piece of land all fenced around with number of solitary buildings, in the morning, when you want to go to breakfast, you put on treking boots, take hiking poles and a map, and you head for the dining room building.

And there they were, all of them: Bill, Derek, Fred, John, Ryan, Ted, Tom, Travis, Wendy, Zoe. They were sitting alphabetically, slyboots. Later on, some more came: Milo, two Roberts, and Laura. They crossed the rule and sat down out of alphabetical order.

"What do you fly, Pavel?"
"I have Pulse."
"And?"
"I like it."
"Good to hear it, I worked on it. If you had Stiletto, you could thank John."
Fred and John design and test canopies in Performance Designs company, Bill is their boss of a sort and Miss Laura is Bill's daughter. Derek is a member of the crew, so is Ryan, who is a doctor (of medicine). Ted is the Englishman who is in charge of oxygen masks, Tom is tandem pilot and first mate. Wendy is the captain, she has quite a reputation and she is very charming and disarming lady. She calls everybody "darling". And she is allowed. Zoe came here as a tandem passenger. Travis is solo. So are Milo, Robert, and Robert, who are Slovaks. They are all supposed to be solo but they seem to do everything together. They keep joking in Slovak language and I am taken as their long last pal, because sometimes I speak with them using that strange language. From a dreambook: Saw yourself in dream flying in the clouds over the mountains? Soon find yourself speaking Slovak in Nepal.

written by  ac on October 26, 2012 from Kathmandu, Nepal
from the travel blog: BeMyNepal
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Den jsme strávili prohlídkou Kathmandu. Budhistické chrámy jeden na druhém. Točili jsme modlitebními válci a procházeli jsme pod barevnými šátky, co visí na šňůrách a jsou na nich sepsány modlitby, které si vezme vítr a donese je až k Božím uším. Pak jsme se dívali na pohřeb do posvátné řeky. Viděli jsme pohřeb nějaké prominentní osoby z prominentního schodiště. O kousek níž ženské praly prádlo, takže o dva kousky níž už bylo vlastně jedno, jestli v té řece plavou ostatky nebo saponáty.

Ale nejlepší ze všeho byla žijící bohyně. Někdy v sedmnáctém století si král, který tehdy vládl Nepálu, řekl, že ta vzdálená existence Boží je pro prostý lid dost k ničemu. A zavedl tradici žijící bohyně. Nechal vybrat holku a posadil ji do paláce, který k tomu účelu postavil. Lidi ji mohli občas vidět, věděli, kde bydlí, nosili jí kytky a všechny ty věci, co se nosí Bohům. Sahat se na ni nesmí a mluvit jako první taky ne, ale je mezi námi, hmatatelná, i když nedotknutelná.

Žijící bohyni vyberou kněží. Napřed najdou čtyřletou holčičku, ale ne ledajakou. Musí mít černé oči a vlasy, dokonalou pleť a symetrickou tvář. Pak ji zavřou do velké místnosti se stádem vodních buvolů. Ve stěnách místnosti jsou malé otvory, kterými se kněží koukají dovnitř a chudáka děcko pozorují. Když buvoli holce neublíží a ona se jich nepoděsí, je to ta pravá. Jak se řeší ostatní případy, to není důležité, obyčejné děvčátko málokoho zajímá.

V domě žijíci bohyně jsem byl. Smí se tam, i kdyz ne všude, ona je tam někde zalezlá. No, připadalo mi to jako vězení. Ne moje, samozřejmě. Ona nesmí skoro nic, ona tam sedí, občas přijme návštěvu, jinak si povídá s těmi knězi nebo koukne na televizi, prý tam má i Internet. Myslím, že to má spiš za trest a chtěl bych se na tohle zeptat i Dalajlámy...

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Tangible Untouchable

They gave me presents. Large rubbercoated luggage bag, two T-shirts, warm jacket, and custom tailored jumpsuit. That was really nice. Only I have too many bags now and I have to put one inside the other.

We spent the day sightseeing Kathmandu. One buddhistic temple next to another. We  spun the praying wheels and walked under coloured scarves that hang on lines and have prayers written on them so the wind can take the prayers and carry them all the way to Godly ears. Then we watched a funeral to the waters of sacred river. We saw burning someone special from special stairs. In small distance down the stream women washed some laundry, so two small distances down the stream it made no difference if the river is full of detergent or body remains.

But the best of all this was Living Goddess. Some time in the seventeenth century, the king who then ruled Nepal said, that the remote existence of Gods is useless for ordinary people. And he introduced the tradition of Living Goddess. Had a girl selected and sat her in a palace built especially for this purpose. People could see her occasionally and bring her flowers and all the stuff we usualy bring to Gods. Noone can touch her or speak to her first, but she is still one of us, tangible, though untouchable.

The Living Goddess is selected by priests. First, they find four year old little girl, but not any girl. She needs to have black eyes and hair, perfect skin, and symetrical face. Then they lock her in a big room with a herd of water buffalos. There are just small openings in the room walls and the priest peep through them to check on the poor kid. If the buffalos do not hurt the girl and she does not show a sign of fear, she is the one. How the other cases come out is not important - who cares about an ordinary gal.

I was in the house of the Living Goddess. They let you in, but not everywhere, she is holed up somewhere inside. Well, it reminded me prison. Not my prison, ofcourse. She is hardly permitted to do anything, she welcomes a visit from time to time, she talks to the priests, or watches television, she has Internet connection. To my opinion it is more of a punishment and I would like to talk about this also with Dalai Lama...

written by  ac on October 27, 2012 from Kathmandu, Nepal
from the travel blog: BeMyNepal
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Pak jsme tam seděli v hospodě a čekali jsme na některá z našich zavazadel, která zůstala v Kathmandu, protože je tam jaksi zapomněli. Nedočkali jsme, už jsme museli jít, ale šerpové je naloží na yaky a přivezou je za námi, žádný strach. Ten dobytek, co vozí na zádech věci do hor, není tak docela yak, je to zkřížená kráva. A yak. Opravdového yaka uvidíme až později, ten by takhle nízko (1800 metrů nad mořem) nemohl žít a pracovat. Je to totiž druh, který je zcela adaptován na nízký vzdušný tlak a v nižších polohách by se z přebytku kyslíku přehřál. Tihle krávoyaci nesli všechna naše velká zavazadla, v tom mém byl počítač, který už na konci prvního dne nefungoval, asi jim to někde upadlo, moje smůla. Jak budu ukládat fotky a videa z kamer, musím ještě vyřešit...

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Landing in the Mountains

Today, we got up at half past three in order to pack and be at the airport at six o'clock. We flew a small two-propeller airplane for two pilots and sixteen other people. I sat down right behind the pilots and I filmed all I could. The flight was about twenty minutes long and our destination was Lukla, the airport that is reputed to be so difficult to land on. I took a movie over pilots' heads. The landing strip is uphill, so the approach manoeuvre looks steeper then it really is. But they did very well, they sat her down, climbed the hill, and then turned right to the taxi area, as if nothing special was happening. The crew did not even get off, right after us some people climbed in and within ten minutes the plane was back in the air.

Then we sat in a restaurant and waited for some of our luggage to be redelivered. Somehow they left them behind in Kathmandu. After some time, we coud not wait any longer, we had to hit the road, but the porters will load the bags on yaks and bring them after, no worries. The cattle that carries things to the mountains is not exactly yaks, it's a cross-bred cow. And yak. We will see real yak later on, it could not live and work in this small elevation (6000 feet above sea level). It is a species that is totally adapted to low air pressure and in lower altitude the surplus of oxygen would warm it up. These cow-yaks carried all our heavy luggage, there was laptop in mine and in the end of the first day it did not work. They dropped the bag, perhaps, my bad luck. How I am going to save all my photos and movies is yet to be sorted out...

written by  ac on October 28, 2012 from Lukla, Nepal
from the travel blog: BeMyNepal
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Dobrou indikací výšky jsou pro turisty ceny. Čokoládová tyčinka Mars stojí napřed stovku, o kus výš sto deset a po chvíli už sto patnáct.

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Alpine Surcharge

After two days we reached a village named Namche Bazar. It was not a long walking distance, barely sixteen Miles, but up the hill. The nature is beautiful, similar to Slovakian Tatras, but everything is bigger here, and oh, so higher. From my trips to Alps I am used that in 8200 feet above the sea all Flora ends. There is not even ordinary grass, not speaking about flowers or trees. And here, in 11500 feet, they harvest cabbage and onion from their patches.

Good altitude indication for tourists are prices. Mars chocolate bar started at one hundred, a bit higher it was hundred and ten, and after a while it was hundred and fifteen.

written by  ac on October 30, 2012 from Namche Bazar, Nepal
from the travel blog: BeMyNepal
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Centrum městečka je asi 3400 metrů nad mořem, ale Namche je rozprostřené po horském svahu zdola nahoru, takže my jsme byli v hotelu s nadmořskou výškou 3460 metrů.

Při nakupování je trochu potíž. Smlouvat se musí, to dá rozum. Ale všechno je tu levné a smlouvá se o stovky nepálských rupií a to jsou dvacetikoruny. Takže jeden by snad radši ani nesmlouval, protože to pro něj nemá moc cenu. Jenomže, co když jim to bude vadit, protože smlouvat chtějí?

„Kolik za to chcete?“
„Ééé - tohle já prodávám za dva a půl tisíce. “
„Cože?“
„Nenene - dva tisíce a dvě stovky mi budou taky stačit!“
„Beru.“
„Cože?“
„No tak dobře - nějaká další sleva by tam nebyla?“
„Dva tisíce. Ale za míň už to fakt nedám.“

Ve francouzských Alpách, ve Val Thorens je údajně nejvýše položená irská hospoda v Evropě. Jejím majitelem je Stig O'Connel, za dlouhá léta a mnohá piva jsem se s ním skamarádil. Teď mu musím napsat, že jsem poseděl v nejvyšší irské hospodě na světě - 3445 m nad mořem. Do Stigovy krčmy se dá dojet autobusem. Do téhle tak leda na mule.

Před jednou z internetových kaváren šel průvod yaků. Plně naložení šplhali po strmém schodišti, na kraji jednoho schodu ležel tenký kabel a každý yak na něj šlápl. Ten kabel, to bylo živobytí majitele toho místa, byla vidět úleva v jeho obličeji, když stádo přešlo a ten drát tam zůstal.

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In the Market

Namche Bazar is a market oriented place. Almost everybody has to stop here, who heads for the Base Camp, and it is a good place for acclimatization break. And what do travelers do when you put them in one place for whole day? Correct - they booze and shop.

The center of this small town is about 11150 feet above the sea level, but Namche is stretched up and down along a mountain slope, so the elevation of the hotel we stayed in was 11350 feet.

There is a slight problem when you shop here. Bargaining is a must, no doubt about it, but everything is cheap here and you bargain for hundreds of Nepalees rupees, which are dollars. One would tend not to bargain, because it does not make much sense. Only they may take negotiation as part of the business and feel offended if you don't.

"How much for this?"
"Er - I sell it for twenty five hundred."
"Do you, now?"
"No no no - twenty two hundred will be also fine!"
"Deal."
"What?"
"Alright, alright - is it all you can do?"
"Two thousand, but I can't go any lower."

In French Alps, in Val Thorens, there is what is supposed to be the highest located Irish pub in Europe. It belongs to Stig O'Connel, after long years and many beers we became friends. Now I have to write him that I was sitting in the world's highest Irish pub - 11300 feet. You can ride a bus to get to Stig's place. Your ride to this pub can only be a mule.

In front of an Internet cafe I met a row of yaks. Fully loaded, they climbed a steep staircase. There was a thin cable on the edge of one of the steps and each of the yaks stepped on it. The cabel was what the owner of the place used for living and there was an apparent relief in his face when the herd passed and the wire was still there.

written by  ac on October 30, 2012 from Namche Bazar, Nepal
from the travel blog: BeMyNepal
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