Namaste

The evening at the hotel I was at was so worth it. Having the opportunity to shower and nap was a blessing. Now I am in Kathmandu and I am doing the same thing.

I left the hotel at 12:45am in a pre-arranged taxi to take me to the airport for 1:00am. My flight (Colombo-Chennai-Mumbai-Kathmandu) was set to leave at 3:05am. Tons of time. I went through security, which turned out to be a giant joke as the officers seemed more interested in where I was from rather than the safety of the airport. Regardless, I made it through quickly and pain free (except for my back, which still hurts). I went to the Jet Airways check in counter and received some bad news. The woman behind the counter asked me for my visa for India. I didn't have one because I wasn't staying in India. She said that if there is more than one domestic flight in India then I need a transit visa. Failure to produce it would prevent me from even leaving Colombo. Tears and a wobbly voice came next.

I talked to a man who looked in charge and told him that my original flight (Colombo-Mumbai-Kathmandu) had been changed recently by the airline and I was not told to get a transit visa nor would I have had the time to apply for one and receive it prior to leaving Winnipeg. He told me to sit and relax and he would figure out what to do. I waited over 30 minutes. He walked down the hall and never came back.

I then proceeded to talk to the manager who told me he would fix it. He successfully switched me to a flight leaving Colombo to Mumbai and then to Kathmandu for 6:10am. Do-able for sure. I was able to check in and get a spot on the flight without any problems. One employee, who knew my situation, escorted me to the counter and checked me in ahead of the scheduled check-in time. It was now about 3:40am and I could relax.

I went through another security gate that had a guard sitting and drinking out of what looked like a hybrid between a wine bottle and a Bailey's bottle. Not at all sketchy. ;) There was a lovely selection of  shops and coffee bars to peruse but at a cost. The stores have washers and dryers, PS3, watches, sunglasses, other electronics, it's just weird. I'm not going to buy a bar-fridge on my way out-of-country. It helped to pass the time at least. I boarded at 5:30. The boarding is a bit odd because you have to take a bus to the plane all the way around the airport. This was the same in Mumbai and Kathmandu. Maybe it's a Asian thing?

Karen and Christie met me at the airport and we took a taxi back to Christie's cousin's place. The taxi was held together with packing tape and had no seat belts. I got to shower, we went out for a snack, and meet some friends who came over for dinner. From what I've seen, Kathmandu is crazy. Or as Christie and Karen suggest, a calmer India. There are people, motor bikes, and dogs all in the streets. There are no street signs or street lights and there is a lot of honking. It is very dirty here with trash everywhere, especially in empty lots and on the side of the road. The pollution is bad too. Many people wear masks to protect from the dust. I even saw a chicken and a few cows just eating and observing the hustle and bustle. This is a different place for sure. 

Karen and I will be going traveling tomorrow on a 8 hour bus ride (though only 200 kms away) to Pokhara and spending one or two nights there. We will be hiking, looking at the lake and the Himalayas and whatever else there is! Apparently there are museums, caves, waterfalls, Tibetan villages and adventure-related activities like jungle treks and paragliding! Depending on what we get done, we will determine the number of days. Since we will be doing some hiking and be outdoors I will NOT bring my laptop. Updates will follow once I'm back!

Love!