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2008 K2 and Broad Peak Expedition

Dispatch Seventy-eight: August 16th, 2008

Day Seventy-eight: Flight from Islamabad to London; Night in London Today, I woke up at 5:00am, packed up my duffel bags for the last time, and headed down to the lobby for breakfast. I checked out of the hotel, which as usual at this hotel was a mess, with the staff trying to charge me twice for bills I had already paid. I headed to the airport which had actually been renamed “Benazir Bhutto International Airport”, after the late candidate for the presidency who had been assassinated. After checking in and answering questions by every single security personnel about my foot, I finally was able to relax in the departures lounge, where I had my last cup of Pakistani chai. I boarded my flight and was disappointed to find that I had the middle seat in the middle column of seats; not an ideal situation for my foot. I asked to be moved but they never came round to do it. The flight took off almost on time, and I relaxed as much as I could knowing that soon I would be in London. Upon my arrival, I headed down to an almost empty passport control, cleared customs (my bags were all  checked all the way to Los Angeles so I literally had nothing to search), and got a taxi to my hotel.

 

In Photos:

Left: Islamabad International Airport (now Benazir Bhutto International Airport

Right: Boarding the British Airways Flight