In the last few days, some of the last tourists have managed to escape Kathmandu. Others patiently bide their time.
Peter Hamor managed to squeeze onto an overloaded plane to the Czech Republic. He now has to find his way home to Slovakia from there. Horia Colibasanu of Romania, however, still waits in Kathmandu for an exit opportunity. Earlier today, he packed some essential gear (mainly electronics) into a small backpack and tried to join a German group bound for Frankfurt. A long line of would-be passengers, most of whom sported heavy backpacks, waited for the same flight.
Foreign tourists stand in line, hoping to be evacuated in a German plane. The waiting list for the flight totaled 130 people. Photo: Horia Colibasanu
Ultimately, he didn’t get on the plane, but the operator had some good news for him. He managed to get his name on a waiting list and was told that he will “probably” get out Wednesday.
This is not the first world event that the apparently star-crossed Colibasanu has experienced in the greater ranges. “I got caught the Maoist insurgency in 2006 and the riots in 2010 when the king was overthrown,” he recalled. “I had to walk 30km to the airport. In 2015, I miraculously escaped the earthquake because I left the day before, after Peter had an accident.”
Colibasanu was in Pakistan during local riots and tense nights on the Karakorum Highway, when groups were at risk of being stopped at machine-gun point. “But nothing was like the return from an attempt on K2 with Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner in 2004,” he said. “Coughing and defeated after almost three months of adventure, I managed to miss my connection in Dubai and stayed at the airport for three days, heroically surviving on biscuits and Cola.”
About the Author
Angela Benavides
Senior journalist, published author and communication consultant. Specialized on high-altitude mountaineering, with an interest for everything around the mountains: from economics to geopolitics. After five years exploring distant professional ranges, I returned to ExWeb BC in 2018. Feeling right at home since then!
This Guy is a real adventurer!
There are some real flaws in the article. 2006 the Maoists ended there “people’s war” The monarchy was overthrown in 2006 The monarchy was abolished in 2008 Why needed to walk 30 km the day before the earthquake 2015. There was no strike, nothing. The roads where mostly fine even immediately after the quake. Very strange this account of the events. I do not recall anything special during 2010… surely nothing like overthrowing of the king… Happend 2 years before…. peacefully the king left Narayanhiti Palace. I need also to clear that I was present all the events recalled. I… Read more »
Hello, Thanks for your message. We are only humans at ExplorersWeb and we sometimes make mistakes. In that sense, we greatly appreciate readers’ heads-up about some missing details, extra information, inaccurate facts or errors, that we swiftly correct, apologize about and appreciate. We are proud of our audience, and glad to have so many experienced climbers, expedition outfitters, scientist, and basically all kind of people enjoying adventure, who are always there, ready to help make this website better. The facts you mention as wrong were quoted directly from Horia Colibasanu (source is also quoted and linked to). He might have… Read more »
There are some who appreciate the reports, you, and your colleagues post on this site. Keep up the good work, Ignore the over negative comments.
Of course when you have so many errors in your article, then you can’t expect from a professional perspective to get accolades. Next time I am sure you crosscheck your sources and information. Exposure is not always nice, but as a journalist with over 20 years experience, you should accept critic about clear wrong facts you publish under your name. Maybe more people read and believe it is as you write, which is largely wrong and then distribute this wrong information’s. That’s called fake news. I am not negative, I am for the truth, as one of the core ethics… Read more »
It is very unfortunate and very sad to say that our beautiful “Himalayan Kingdom of Nepal” was never been govern by the will of the puppet, incompetent and corrupt regime’s of Nepal?
I am former Gurkha and from the martial race still struggling hard to find our “STATUS” in home and abroad?
Nepal is one of the nature wonder of the world. But the corrupt regime’s have indeed created a toxic environment for the citizens and others?
Insecurity, pollution, poor sanitation, inadequate basic drinking water, inflation,(nepotism) unemployment etc???….