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Hi, I'm Jay Reilly, an
expedition staff member of the 2002 Ama Dablam International
Expedition with Dan Mazur and Rex Dougherty. Here's an update for
you: |
We are
still in Bangkok! At the gate yesterday, approx 5 mins before the
plane was due to leave, we were informed the airport at Kathmandu
was closed. Apparently a helicopter had crashed on the runway.
According to news reports, the Russian Military chopper snagged a
rotor shortly after takeoff and went down with 9 people aboard. It
is unknown if anybody was seriously injured. Rex is a former
helicopter mechanic and speculates the snag could have been caused
by a too sharp take-off and the rotor may have struck the ground.
Bangkok was certainly worth the stopover though - we were put up in
a 5 star hotel, fed the most exquisite Thai food (last minute
calorie cram before the trip), and taken on a fantastic tour of the
city by a local entrepreneur, Dak. A ride on a Dragon Boat (long
skinny boat with a v8 engine mounted on a stick) was definitely a
highlight, with temple visits and floating markets. Well, we're
about to try and leave the city again! Stay tuned. Jay, Dan, Rex. This
expedition is organized by SUMMITCLIMB.COM
Dispatches
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