Kathmandu... (?)

"Would you like to go with us to Kathmandu?"

This was the adrenalin-pumping question my friend asked me last night. She and her girlfriend hatched the idea while touring Thailand a couple of days ago. I got into the "lovers'" plan when my friend mentioned that I have been dreaming of going to Nepal.

My answer, automatically, was an overly enthusiastic "Sure!!!". But when? I told her that it's going to take at least a year of planning and preparation. I thought of sometime in 2006 or 2007, but she said that she's thinking of next year, which is barely two months away!

I told her that we should first search for information on the trip and online went. The Lonely Planet (where else?) mentioned that October to November is the best time to go. But we thought that being the peak season, we would have to contend with expensive air tickets, accommodation, and guides, not to mention the throng of tourists and climbers that will take advantage of the start of the dry season. So why not sometime in February and April, the second best time to go? Fine. And we searched for flights on the latter part of April.

Surprise! Guess what? Most of flights from Toronto are already sold out! The ones that are still available are priced almost twice as much as the usual airfare. The usual airfare ranges from C$1500 to 1700, and the others are from C$3000 to 4600. We tried to look for more flights but to no avail.

Well, I guess the Kathmandu adventure will remain a dream for me.. At least for now..