ABC Day 1: 8 Dec 2018

Welcoming by Sharan, Binod & Shiva

Our flight on Malaysia Airline (AGAIN!!) was scheduled to take off at 12:55am.  So it was another red-eye flight.

Changi Airport

Jacalyn was somehow cajoled by Darric to join this trip. We trained, but when it came to trekking, one can never train enough.  But Jacalyn was a tough-willed, happy woman.. and I was sure she would prevail.

Shu Ning really didn't know what on earth and how on earth she got into this trip. Most likely she was arm-twisted and brain-washed by the best friend on the right side.

ARRIVED in KATHMANDU!!!

Fortunately, and unfortunately... all our checked-in luggage arrived with us. So we were fully equipped for the trip.

Fann's backpack must be a little too heavy for her.

This year we walked a little further to another car park at the airport

Shiva from Ram's office came to welcome us

We were very happy to meet Sharan again.  But I almost couldn't recognise him because he had lost so much weight since we last met in EBC the year before!

25 minutes drive to Kathmandu Garden Home Hotel

Kong Wan and family were on Thai Airway and they touched down a little after us.

Kong Wan, Ai Lin and family arrived half an hour later at Tribhuvan Airport & then after that we went gai gai.

THE VIDEO


Buying SIM cards
Opposite Binod's B&B Himalayan Trading there was a small little shop selling NCELL SIm Card. We made a big mistake. Should not have bought NCELL for ABC because it totally had no signal after Ulleri.  It was later Ram told us NTC would be the best SIM card nowadays for both EBC and ABC.
Lessos learned.

Buying the wrong SIM cards. Photo: Serene

While waiting for the shopkeeper Ramesh to install and activate our NCELL Sim Cards, we crossed the road to have some snacks in the small little restaurant.

While Jacalyn went gai gai a little...

photo:Serene

Briefing by Ram

This year, Ram and his men took good care of us. Sharon fetched us from Tribhuvan airport, and at 5pm we met Ram at his office at Mountain Delights, Thamel, where he briefed us on the trip. As always, in his gentle, soft-spoken ways, he ensured we got our outer down jackets, sleeping bags. What was more, he even offered us fleece linings for our sleeping bags and trekking sticks! Now that was new. Saved us money from buying these from Thamel.

Roadhouse restaurant

Ah Li couldn't wait to eat at RoadHouse.

Thanks to Darric and Kong Wan’s fantastic directional memories we made our way to the famed restaurant for a nice dinner of pizzas, pasta, soup and steaks to load up before the trek the next day.

Our first dinner at RoadHouse. Photo: Kong Wan's handphone.

B&B Himalayan Trading (aka Serene’s Shop)

Look see look see first.

Darric is still the BEST bargainer.

This year Binod the stall keeper was a little stiffer with his prices, understandably because of the weaker NPR. But I still could remember last year’s prices so as always Darric and us we bargained with him. Gotten a couple of 900 count couple Down jackets for Serene and I at 5500NPR (S$68) and the girls the usual buffs at 100 NPR, Ah Sing a fleece middle layer for 800NPR (S$10), and Ah Li quite a good inner glove liner for 250 NPR (S$4).Good enough for a start.

These two 900 down jackets turned out to be very useful Photo: Darric.

Sadly we lost not a single one luggage. And we had no chance to claim a single cent from our multiple insurance policies. With a disappointed heart, I told the boys let’s hope Brexit crashes in two three days’ time and hopefully NCell works good up in the mountain so that we may earn some extra to pay for our expenses up in the mountain.



Kathmandu Garden Home Hotel

Relaxing in Kathmandu Garden Home Hotel. Photo: Ah Sing

Kathmandu Garden Home Hotel has added two more levels to its three levels last year and now stands at 5 storeys. Of course I remembered what the Civil Engineers Kai Sing, Alex and Lai Peng said last year and I was secretly glad that we were allocated rooms in the side building which is only two storeys high.


I kept eating on the first day. Because I didn’t want to go into an undernourished state. Following Jacalyn’s example, I kept drinking plenty of water. Bottled water in Kathmandu was cheap- 20 NPR ($0.25) a one-litre bottle. Somehow my body wasn’t acclimitizing well. My SA02 kept reading 95-96%. I decided that this wouldn’t do. Continue to hyper-hydrate I must and I needed to sleep well and rest. Finally I dumped my laptop and ditched the plan to bring it up on the trek, leaving it in Kathmandu and just aim to have a relaxed trek instead of checking up on my writing.




Click here to go back to main content page - Annapurna Base Camp 8-22 Dec 2018