Up about 8:00, shwoered, headed over to The Last Resort to see about cancelling and getting a refund. The manager, and guy who booked my trip, wasn't in yet, he works at 11:00 today, he told me to come back then. Went back to the hotel, headed to the internet, Seamus and Anna were there, and then Harold showed up. I told Harold I had to go back at 11:00 to see about cancelling my other trip.
About 10:50, headed back to The Last Resort office, the guy wasn't in yet, and the girl working couldn't do it for me, but she told me that she didn't think it would be a problem, that I'd get refunded everything. So I just waited. She offered me a cup of tea while I waited. About 11:05, he stil wasn't there, so popped back to the hotel to see if Harold was there, he was, I told him I would like to go with them. He was meeting the people in a little bit, so he would get them to setup another plane ticket for me. Harold is a talker, and he started telling me more about Sean and the kids. Sean was to be cremated here in Kathmandu later today, and they were all going. He told me more about Everest this year, it's really bad, there have been no summits so far, and the weather is crazy, snowing lots (when it usually doesn't), and he thinks this will be a no-summit year (the last no-summit year was 1996). They have until the end of May to summit, then it's cutoff, because it's too dangerous to try after the end of May. Another man has died on Everest this year too (an American, if I recall), and an avalanche covered one of the upper camps today or yesterday. While no one was killed, there are injured, and as I write this (Saturday evening), they have not been able to get any choppers up to get the injured off the mountain. This is a bad year. For those worrying about me, fear not, we're not going anywhere near the base camps, we'll be well below any avalanche risks and the like.
I headed back to The Last Resort office, the guy was there, he dug up my trip application and credit card slip. He cancelled my trip, then got on the phone to, presumably a bank or the credit card company, and when he was done, he told me that he would rip up the credit card slip, and told me in one month, my credit card would be creditted the amount that was charged. They hadn't sent in their copy of the credit card slip (it was old-style, carbon copy, machine they used), so, presumably after 30 days, if the credit card company has not received the credit card slip, the purchase will be voided.
Went to a bakery across the street and had the best apple streudal ever, packed full of apples, 1.5" thick!
Then went to the travel desk at the guest house and booked my return flight from Kathmandu to Delhi for 4:00pm, May 13. My flight back to Canada is at 11:30pm on May 13, so I can hang at the Delhi airport for the time. There are two catches. That I can get back from Lukla (after the trek) without problems (I have three days to play with), and that the Kathmandu to Delhi flight is not delayed a significantly long time.
Went out and bought a rain poncho for the trek (it'll probably rain!) and a good, aluminum water bottle and then hit the internet again, got an e-mail from Sabine to call her, she wants to meet up tonight.
Back to the hotel and called Sabine and left a message at her hotel to call me at 6:00 this evening.
Went out to the courtyard, met Harold, Seamus and Anna in the hallway, just getting back from their father's cremation ceremony. Harold said the flight shouldn't be a problem. Went to the courtyard and wrote in journal and read.
Sabine called at 6:00 and we made arrangements to meet up at 8:00 at my guest house.
I'd had a bit of travellers diahrea the last couple of days (urgency, bloated feeling, runny poops), so went to the chemist (pharmacy for Canadians) and I told them what was wrong with me, and they gave me some Immodium (well, an Immodium knockoff) to help make things "gel" inside of me better (so I don't have to go as often), an anti-bacterial to kill the baddies in me, and some rehydration salts (mix with water). Drugs are so freakin cheap here (and Asia in general). 5 days of each drug (take two of each a day) and 8 packets of rehydration salts cost me less than $7CDN.
As I was waiting for Sabine and Mike at 8:00, Harold and the "kids" (not kids, 19 and 20 years old) showed up, and I was told we were to meet downstairs at 6:20 tomorrow morning, and that I needed a sleeping bag. At the same time, Sabine and Mike showed up, so when I was done with Harold, me, Sabine and Mike headed to a trekking store and I rented a sleeping bag, then we went to the Roadhouse Cafe for supper (Mike wanted pizza), then we went to the Buddha Bar. It's a comfy bar, they had a live band, you sit on the floor with cushions, and there's marijuana being smoked, people are high, it was quite funny. There was an old lady there (perhaps 50-60), she was all hammered up (or stoned up pretty good), and when the band was on their break, a young local (20-30) started hitting on her hard, and she was getting all into him...it was hilarious to watch.
Got to bed about 10:45.
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