Mountain Flight Route
Travelers take off from
Kathmandu in the early morning for an hour's worth of
spectacular mountain scenery. As the aircraft lifts up and heads towards the
east, passengers don't have to wait too long to find out what's in store for
them. There they are-the mountains, as they always have been.First to their far left visitors see Gosaikund (The top Hindu's holy lake), also
called Shisha Pangma, standing at the majestic height of 8,013 m. Immediately to
the right of Gosaithan, there appears Dorje Lakpa (6,966 m). with snow. To the
right of Dorje Lakpa you can enjoy a panoramic view of the Kathmandu Valley. As
the plane moves along, the mountains come closer and closer. Next on the vision
is Choba-Bhamare, the smallest one of the lot at 5,933 m but singularly
stubborn as it has never been climbed. Then appears the mountain that is not
only prominent in sight but also in spirituality- Gauri Shanker. Lord Shiva and
his consort Gauri are said to protect this mountain, at the proud height of
7,134 m. and the summit had a history of unsuccessful attempts till 1979. Gauri
Shanker is sharp and very conspicuous during the mountain flight. As the plane moves towards the land of the rising sun, the eastern Himalayan, a
succession of glorious mountains follows. Melungtse, a plateau-like mountain,
stretches up to 7,023 m. Chugimago at 6,297 m is still a virgin, waiting to be
climbed. At 6,956 m, Number of mountain resembles a breast, the maternal source
in the sky providing pure milk to the Sherpas of the Solukhumbu. Next is Karyolung, an intensely white mountain that at 6,511 m gleams with the
rising sun. Cho-Oyu is the eighth highest mountain in the world. Reaching a
height of 8,201 m, it appears stunningly beautiful from the aircraft. Next on
the menu is Gyachungkang, at a majestic height of 7,952 m, considered an
extremely difficult climb. To the right of Gyachungkang is Pumori (7,161 m). As
passengers get closer to
Everest, there's
Nuptse. And there's another mountain
called Everest (8,848m) known as Sagarmatha (Everest) by the Nepalese and
Chomolungma by the Tibetans. The mountain flight takes an hour altogether. |