Jaunted

I was dying to do base camp, but I had only a few days. So I figured why not hop on a plane and go roam for a bit. It was fantastic, except it made my desire to do base camp even worse. I was so amazed by the travelers there, truly one of a kind people. I ended up being delayed [to Lukla Airport] for 6 hours, and then another 6 on the way back (typical!). It was right after those tourists had been stuck for 2 weeks—I heard some amazing stories.

I decided to do Nepal and then Varanasi because of the connection between Kathmandu and Varanasi's ghats. A sister cities trip, if you will. I tried to go to Varanasi back in 2006 but there was a bomb scare in the train station, so I went to Jaipur instead. This was my second attempt, and I feel like I need a third. It's such a harsh place, both good and bad—dark, grimy, foggy but beautiful and moving. I barely scratched the dirty surface.

Despite the harrowing stories that travelers like Farryn return with, a trip to Lukla is still something we have resolved to do. We simply have to experience that airport or think "what if" for the rest of our lives.