Trip Itinerary

Time left at posting: 97 hours

Alright, so here is our basic itinerary for the trip.  All this is subject to change at anytime, but it is our general plan.
 
10/21 - SFO to Hong Kong (Cathay Pacific Flight CX0879, Depart 1:35pm)
10/22 - Arrive Hong Kong (6:30pm arrival) 23 hour layover
10/23 - Hong Kong -> Kathmandu (KTM) (Sightseeing in Hong Kong in AM)
10/24 - Obtain supplies and depart KTM for Jiri by car
10/25 - Jiri to Deurali (This is where we start walking)
10/26 - Deurali to Sate
10/27 - Sate to JunBeshi
10/28 - JunBeshi to Numthala
10/29 - Numthala to Karila-pass
10/30 - Karila Pass to Phakding
10/31 - Phakding to Namche Bazzar
11/01 - Rest day in Namche Bazzar (Mandatory for acclimatization)
11/02 - Namche Bazzar to Phorche Thanga Via Khumjung
11/03 - Phorche Thanga to Luza or Muchhermo
11/04 - Muchhermo to Gokyo
11/05 - Rest day Gokyo
11/06 - ? (Extra day, but not sure what we are doing yet)
11/07 - Gokyo to Mungla
11/08 - Mungla to Namche Bazzar
11/09 - Namche Bazzar to Lukla (This is where the trail ends for us)
11/10 - Lukla to Kathmandu by Air (am flight and then sightseeing in KTM)
11/11 - Sightseeing in KTM and depart for Hong Kong at 11pm
11/12 - Depart Hong Kong for SFO (Cathay Pacific Flt CX0870, Arrive 10am)

The dates may look like they don't add up correctly at times, but don't forget we are across the International Date Line.  This makes it possible to leave Hong Kong at 2pm local time on Saturday and arrive in San Francisco at 10am the same day.  So going strictly by the clock, it takes us 29 hours to get to Hong Kong, but minus 4 hours coming home.  It's the only way I know how to time travel without breaking the laws of physics! Nepal is very close to being exactly on the opposite side of the globe from California, but is still in the Northern Hemisphere and is 12 time zones away.  So when it is 12 noon on Monday here on the West Coast (PDT), it is 12:45am (NPT) early Tuesday morning in Kathmandu.  So they are 12 hours and 45 minutes ahead of our time.

The flight from SFO to Hong Kong is just under 7000 miles and will take about 14.5 hours going over and right around 12 hours coming home.  I believe the flight from Hong Kong to Kathmandu is about 4 hours each way.   Finally the ride from Kathmandu to Jiri in a private car is supposed to take around 7+ hours, but it is much faster and more reliable than the scheduled bus ride.  So while this trip will include quite a bit of walking, there will be lots of time spent sitting on our backsides as well.