Srijana Jyoti shares her experience of her epic trip to the highest point on earth. It’s the closest she’s ever been to Everest and it’s amazing and extraordinary sights.

Today was different. Luck seemed to be on our side as we woke up to the most clearest of skies. Not a single cloud to obstruct our view of the mountains. So early morning we sat on a helicopter from Lukla, off for our little tour around the mountains, and which would finally take us to our destination where we would be having our much anticipated breakfast. As we flew through the mountains, our pilot kept on radioing with the people at the base camp. From where we were, we could see everything down below. The camps that climbers had set up for the night, waiting for the weather to clear before they summit the mountain. We could see the trail, the ropes and ladders, the ponds that had frozen up, the constantly shifting glaciers that melt and form again. We were flying between these massive gorges through the mountains. As we fly, the pilot points us to all the different peaks and the ranges, snugly naming each one. When I look outside, it’s terrifying. My heart races in the realization as to how close we were to the mountains. It felt like we could simply reach out and touch them. But at the same time you’ve never witnessed anything like it before. I was taken by its beauty, fully immersed as I continue to watch with awe and admiration.

It all started when we were planning to go somewhere to celebrate the 45th anniversary of my in-laws, but had not decided where to. So I had somewhere heard about this trip called Breakfast in Everest, but was not entirely sure. So we contacted a friend at Simrik Air and asked if there was such a package. The guys at Simrik Air came over and briefed us about it in detail. We were around 10 of us making the trip. But since the helicopters could accommodate only 6 at a time, we divided ourselves into two groups to take turns. Infact, we decided a few of us would fly a day ahead to Lukla and make a short trek to Phakding, while the rest of the family would fly over the following day only.

The flight to Lukla was an experience in itself. Perched on a steep cliff, the Tenzing-Hillary Airport looked scary even from afar, and we were anxious to land soon and safe. As we arrived at Lukla, quite safely indeed, the weather didn’t seem to be on our side. We were surrounded by gloom and mist that hid from us the existence of the mountains or any sort of view. So soon enough, we began our short 4-hour trek to Phakding. It was quite an easy trek that went mostly downhill. Along the trail, resting upon the edges of the mountains were several lodges and local places to eat that seemed very basic, very clean and well maintained. At one place en route, we decided to have some local food, which turned out to be the most delightful experience. We had dal, bhaat, alu and sukuti, with some of their special khursani ko achar, all packed with that local flavor and deliciousness which we devoured voraciously. Soon, we had reached Phakding, where we would spend the night at one of the Yeti Homes’ accommodations, while still wondering whether the weather would be better in the morning.

The next day the second group of my family arrived at Lukla airport all ready and excited for the breakfast trip. However, the weather had still not cleared up. Those of us at Phakding also decided to charter the helicopter back to Lukla to reunite with them. The weather was still gloomy, and no view was to be seen anywhere. Originally scheduled to leave for our breakfast early in the morning, here we were, all ten of us, almost noon, and frowning upon the weather that did not seem to be clearing out. Here, amidst the top of the world, it seemed as everything depended on factors beyond us and all our plans easily subject to change. The pilot suggested we stay another day at Lukla, and that the weather might open up the next morning, to which we all agreed. So we spent another night amongst the mountains, which was quite enjoyable too, all the while checking for every possible weather forecast update, searching for tomorrow’s weather, still unsure whether our third day here would be any different at all.

The next morning, to our great joy, the weather was fantastic. We awoke early since the helicopter had to make two trips to get us all to Hotel Everest View. We decided that the first trip will be taken by my in-laws and the children, and planned to cut the helicopter tour short due to concerns regarding their health. The second trip would be made by me, along with my husband, and a few others. The experience was one of its kind. Had we been on a plane, we would be flying above these mountains. But no, we were floating, gliding between them, and oh so close.

So we finally reach our destination after a one hour helicopter tour around the mountains, and we settle ourselves down at the Hotel Everest View. Here we sat on a breakfast table, looking over to this wonderful stretch of view of the Everest mountain range. The sights were breathtaking and seemed out of this world. Our table in-front of us, laid down with a very basic selection of breakfast items, the kind that we would have here, with eggs and toast, sausages and bacon. Although the food was priced sky-high, there was nothing that wouldn’t justify the effort that went into bringing together everything in front of us. And so, with Everest as our backdrop, next to the people most dear, I finally got to have my breakfast.

Things to take with you

Most of the things needed are taken care of by the hotels and the agency. However, the weather is so cold that it gets in your bones. So it’s necessary to take a lot of warm clothes.

My husband did the funniest thing during our short trek to Phakding. No later had we begun our walk it started to drizzle. My husband, who would have otherwise been extremely prepared had it been a bike ride or any similar expedition, but since it was not, and was instead just a trek, he was underprepared for a few things. First of all, while we all took out our raincoats, there he stood, dumbfounded, having forgot to consider the possibility of rain. So we had to buy this huge plastic bag, cut holes for where his arms and neck would be, and continued our journey. Caught in the breeze and the motion of his hands, we would laugh as he walked past us making swooshing sounds of his now, new and fashionable, raincoat. So please do not forget your raincoats. And yes, some comfortable shoes. My husband will also be able to tell you that trekking in fancy shoes is not a very good idea as well.