I traveled by helicopter up to 15,343 feet in altitude this week! I only stayed for a moment, though, while we picked people up. The highest bed I’ve been sleeping in rests at about 11,287 feet in altitude.
So far, my flight up the mountain took me the highest vertically, but my journey to Simigaun took me the farthest horizontally.
This week I downloaded the Tootle app and took a few scooters around Kathmandu city. My friend drove me around to meet some of her pilot friends, too. I rode the public bus over to the airport for two other interviews I did. I took a small, fixed-wing airplane from the Kathmandu airport into the Lukla airport. Then I flew in a helicopter from Lukla to the Hotel Everest View helipad, and then took a short walk down to Namche. Otherwise, my legs carried me up to a few other helipads and viewpoints surrounding Namche and around the area in Lukla.
Lukla definitely steals the title for the most interesting place. Well known for being the most dangerous airport in the world, the runway barely reaches 500 meters long and is perched on an edge in a valley of large hills and mountains.
