And Finally i'm all set for one of the most memorable journey in my life. Mr.Jospeh drove me to the Kathmandu Airport (Domestic Terminal). The domestic terminal was a crowded one, and the security check was quite liberal, i got astonished to see the kind of aircraft, those were small medium aircraft (Twin otter Aircraft's) with a seating capacity of 15. The main operators were Agni Airways, Yeti Airways, Sita Airways, Buddha Airways..etc..My flight (Agni Airways) was scheduled at 12 noon. Plenty of time was left with me, It's my nature to observe people who awaits flights to different destinations. This was totally a new experience to me. Majority of the people were middle class, the Nepali Govt is running this flight service by giving subsidies to the flight operators. This is the only mode of transport to some of the most remote districts in Nepal, which otherwise needs the only option of walking for weeks. Transportation in the Hill Kingdom is still a Mirage. At the airport i was quite eager to check my mail, though quite expensive i checked my mail and made some quick replies. Announcement came " Agni Airways to Tumlingtar will be late by two hours due to bad weather conditions. These aircraft's are prone to frequent accidents due to the unpredictable weather conditions in the high altitude areas. While i was roaming around the airport, found one book stall and one book caught my special attention. The Book Titled " My Quest for The Yeti" by Reinhold Messner".
The name yeti struck my mind.."the abominable snowman which perplexed my mind from childhood. Does Yeti exists??? with out a second thought i bought that book. And in fact this book became my companion through out the Journey. I leafed through some of the pages, by that time my Aircraft was scheduled for departure. I was thrilled to travel above the Himalayas. The flight was a small one, with a limited seating capacity. The flight started its running for take off. The sound was quite horrible with a "hrrroooommm" after a series of jerks and hiccups it took off. Air hostess gave us ear plugs, water and some sweets. The journey though quite thrilling was full of jumps in the Airpockets. i was enjoying the mystique Himalayan beauty from above. Some areas were fully ravenous while others with lush forests, glaciers. It took almost 1.30 hours to reach Tumlingtar
Twin Otter Aircraft @ Tumlingtar
There was not even a runway for landing, after a series of jumps it landed safely. After collecting my baggage, i started looking for Mr.Sahim, he identified me from a distance saying hello and gave me a hug. He was having a gentleman look and a Rayban sunglass. It seemed he was having an authority over that area. Then i met Chindum sherpa, who was sahim's assistant, chindum helped me in carrying my luggage. Sahim told that we need to reach Sankuwasaba before 5pm after that it may become very difficult to travel. The means of transport was Jeep. The jeep was fully loaded, but some how Sahim with his authority managed to get me a seat in the front near to the driver. All of a sudden one lady started quarreling with the driver for not giving her a seat, and the driver atlast managed to find some space for her near to me. The driver was a versatile person, i was wondering how he drives in such a rugged terrain with full of rocks and deep valleys. The jeep was the last service to Sankuwasaba that day. Sun was smiling at me with its Orange tinge and the jeep left a cloud of dust behind. The journey took more than one and a half hours and finally we reached the small township named sankuwasaba. Mr.Sahim told me to buy a sleeping bag with out which it would be difficult to survive in the high altitude. After walking for 20 minutes we reached the house of Mr.Suman Shreshta one among the popular cardamom exporters in Nepal. His house was a two storied one and Mr. Sahim told me that "this is the last piece of luxury you can have before the journey to the Hillocks". The shreshta family was very friendly they arranged everything for my safe stay. The night was getting very cold and i was very tired. Drishya Shreshta showed me my room to sleep. she has kept a cup of water and said good night. i felt very safe at their home. I had to wakeup very early next morning coz the journey begins tomorrow..
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My Last harbour of Luxury before the Journey to the Unknown..The room was that of Divya Shresta. There were some pictures drawn by her on the wall..The one labelled "My Princess" with princess Diana caught my attention |
Vikas Vijay
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