Arriving and settling into Lukla, Nepal by Mike Mouritz
Here are some highlights from the first three weeks of our time in Nepal. I have made a commitment to be a volunteer for 6 months, through Australian Volunteers, with the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality, based in Lukla, the gateway to Everest.
We began with a few days of orientation in Kathmandu, brilliantly organised by the fantastic In-Country team, Rejendra Khadga and Manisha Shrestha. It was an excellent introduction to Nepal—a country I had last visited 11 years ago on a trekking holiday.
Kathmandu has become even more hectic over the years, but the briefings about the various roles AV have played and continue to play in Nepal , along with the chance to learn some basic language skills made for a truly enriching experience.
Next came the challenge of reaching Lukla, the gateway to the Everest region. The flight and Lukla airport are known for their reputation—but we found the journey exhilarating. After a one-day delay due to weather, we boarded our 6:00 am flight (a little late getting away) and arrived in Lukla before 7:00 am. There, we were warmly welcomed by a representative of our Partner Organisation, the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality (KPRM)—the local authority responsible for the Everest region.
Manisha, from the In-Country team, travelled to Lukla to help us settle in, find accommodation, and deliver a fantastic briefing to around 30 staff at the partner organisation. We have recieved a warm welcome.
We also meet during this familarisation time a team from HART – the Hymalayan Animal Rescue Trust, who support the municipality by spending the last 21 days trekking around the region visiting the villages vacinating street dogs for rabbies and sterlising some to help reduce the dog population. This is all done to reduce the spread of rabbies and help protect the local community and tourist alike.
Just one of the amazing services that this municipality provides its community.
It’s been a fantastic beginning to what promises to be a challenging and rewarding assignment—supporting the municipality as it plans for the growth expected when road access reaches the village of Chaurikharka near Lukla.
The first week of working at KPRM was interesting. Every one hectic with end of financial year and budget for the new year. Began the journey of starting to understand what the challenge is all about: that the Lukla / Chaurkharkar area, has been earmarked to be a mountain city by the central government of Nepal. Maybe transition form a place of about 2000 people to 10 or 20,000 people over the next 10 to 20 years. All driven by the construction of road connection to a place that has previously been only walking in, or flying into Lukla.
Lukla … is a mountain village … the gateway to Everest or as book I discovered in coffee shop here …. It is also the “Balcony to the World”. An amazing walking place …. That is all about people venturing into the mountains… trekking and mountaineering. At the moment it is monsoon season, so there are few tourists. But in the spring and autumn months there can be as many as 750 ( some say up to 1000) visitors arriving daily .
As this journey unfolds I will get to learn more and more about the challenges and opportunities presented by the proposals and help support the municipality to lay down the foundations for a sustainable and resilient mountain village.
Lukla airport…early morning flights
Looking up the Khumbu Valley ( from Google Earth Pro) .. Everest in the background and Lukla one of those kind of flatter sections in the foreground middle
Goods presently come in via pack animal
A glimpse of the mountains
The village of Lukla