The Paro-Delhi flight is a delight on a good day and this was one of those days when it was pure magic. Out of my plane window, the peaks of the Himalaya were in clear view. I was so excited, taking photo after photo of the mountains, even though I’ve seen them innumerable times. Very few others on the flight showed much interest, except when Everest was mentioned, yet this was probably most passengers’ first view of these peaks. Only a couple Indian kids showed interest, “Papa, snow mountains!” “Yes, beta, they are just mountains, let me sleep.”
First came Kanchenjunga at 28,162′:
Second, from east to west, was Makalu (27,762′):
Then Everest (29,029′) and just to its right, Lhotse (27,940′):
Fourth was the massif of Cho Oyu (26,906′), left, and Gyachung Kang (26,089′) on the right:
Fifth was Shishapangma (26,286′):
Then the triple peaks of Manaslu. Manaslu (26,759′) is on the left and Baudha is on the right:
Then came the Annapurnas. To the extreme left is Annapurna 1 at 26,545′. Can you spot Machapuchare (22,943′) on the far right?
The last of the big massifs was Dhaulagiri. Here is Dhaulagiri 1 at 26,795′:
I hope to always have the wonder of a child.
-Photos and text by WT Trip Leader Hashmat Singh
You can see these stunning vistas on our Scenic Everest Flight!
