The Khumbu and the way to Everest
Nepal is an interesting place. It’s a modern country–everyone has a cell phone and just-in-time ride-sharing is totally a thing in Kathmandu–but it’s also got one of the lowest per-capita national incomes in the world. There are roads and cars aplenty, but many of those roads are rough, to put it mildly. The city of Kathmandu is full of cute new restaurants and glamorous clothing (all those kurti and saris!!!!) but you can’t drink the water, and the power goes out all the time.
The Khumbu region, also known as the Everest region, is northeast of Kathmandu. As the crow flies, it’s not far, but it might as well be across the ocean as far as most transportation is concerned. To be fair, you can walk there. The first Everest expeditions did just that, hiking all the way from Kathmandu with an army of porters.
But today, most people–tourists and locals–get to the Khumbu region by flying into Lukla. And once they’re there, they walk.
This is because of the local geography. Remember how geography is destiny? The Khumbu region consists of the highest mountains and deepest river valleys in the world. It’s simply not amenable to road-building. There are well-maintained trails aplenty, but they’re full of steep and irregular steps, irregular rocks, sudden narrow bits, and other features that render bikes, carts, and ATVs out of the question.