Getting to Nepal

Monday 6^th April 2015

There’s something about having to wake up ridiculously early that just stops me sleeping. I went to bed last night and knew I only had four hours until I needed to get up but I just couldn’t switch off. That and I was being assaulted by mosquitos. When finally my alarm went off at 1.45am I rolled out of bed and dragged my stuff out of the room. (Since I was in a hostel I figured it was the less intrusive way of getting up in the middle of the night)

It wasn’t long before I was ready to go and waiting for my taxi, and waiting, and waiting when it was 15minutes late I decided to wake up the girl who runs the guesthouse. She tried calling the company but with no success. In the end I had to flag down a rickshaw on the street. I asked him how long it would take to get to the airport and he said 90mins which wouldn’t really leave me enough time to check in. I told him to drive as fast as he could.

He obviously enjoyed the challenge and drove like a man possessed we made it to the airport in less than an hour (and that was including getting stuck at a million red lights, being pulled over by the cops and stopping for petrol along the way.)

I went in and cruised straight up to the desk to check in and actually ended up with time to kill so despite it being 4am I had a huge vegetarian breakfast and read my book in an airport café.

By the time I was finished and had sauntered along to my gate I practically walked straight onto the plane. There was a big tour group who had no manners and just pushed and shoved their way through several of them refusing to put their handbags on the scanner I just stood back and watched amused. The greatest entertainment though was the girl who effused to take off her shoes insisting that if she had to then she should be given slippers (to walk the two steps through the beepy machine) when eventually it was made very clear she either came through with no shoes or left she tip toed her way through practically in tears (personally I would rather walk on the floor than wear someone else’s minging slippers!)

I got onto the plane being pushed from all angles as it appeared the large tour group had no concept of personal space and a deeply ingrained fear that unless they got to their seats as fast as they could the plane might actually take off while they were still standing.

I got to my seat which was occupied by one of the said tour group her seat was the window which I happily took instead. I was happily settling in when a fat man sat next to me. I don’t mean to sound mean but this guy probably should have had two seats he spent the entire flight spilling over into my seat and his arm on the arm rest sat right across my tits each time I asked him to move it he would squeeze his arms in but inevitably it would slide back there so I sat sideways with my back against the window (I don’t even think he was trying to cope a feel I think he was just so fat that’s where his arms were) he also sat with his legs ridiculously wide encroaching my space there as well (come on fat man we all know your junk aint that big there’s no need to sit like that) he also sleep burped the entire flight and at points I thought there might be follow through.

Despite the uncomfortable situation I managed to sleep for most of the flight waking up properly only to eat. Before I knew it we had touched down in Mumbai. The plane hadn’t even come to a stop when the previously mentioned ill-mannered tour group started scrambling for their bags ignoring the commands of the cabin crew over the PA to sit down. I waited until they (and the fat man) had dispersed before disembarking.

Once off the plane I had to go to the international transfer’s desk where I was given my boarding gate and I proceeded through security and upstairs to the gates. I had a wander around but most of the shops were designer and that shit doesn’t float my boat so I found a comfy bench and chilled out. Annoyingly the flight from Colombo to Mumbai was 30 minutes early and the flight from Mumbai to Kathmandu was delayed 15 minutes giving me even more time to kill.

Eventually I boarded the plane I had waited for most people to get on before me as it seemed that no one understood when they announced certain rows to come forward and everyone just pushed in a mad rush I sat back preferring to read my book an get aboard once the crush was done.

I found my seat next to the emergency exit as such I had to put my bag in the overhead locker which for reasons unknown I loathe doing. As I’m short the advantage of the extra leg room was wasted on me. (perhaps long hall it might be nice) before take-off I had a lesson in how to open the emergency door and spent the entire flight looking away from it and fighting the urge to pull it open (I have a thing about buttons and handles)

The flight was only a few hours so I watched a movie ate and chilled out and before I knew it was touching down in Kathmandu. The airport was rustic and I immediately felt at home in the shabby terminal. In the arrivals hall all the foreigners were standing around looking lost as there was no clear signage about where to go for visas I on the other hand had read a sign as I breezed in talking about completing VOA on computers so I walked straight up scanned my passport and followed the prompts in a matter of minutes the machine had spat out a receipt I took that to the counter paid and then took the receipt to another counter where another dude stuck my visa into my passport and welcomed me to Nepal.

I went downstairs to the baggage claim where three flights were all waiting for luggage on the same belt (despite the fact that there were three belts) annoyingly I was one of the first people at the belt but my bag was one of the last.

I went through customs without a pause as I had nothing to declare and got straight in a prepaid taxi. I didn’t have any Nepal rupees but the dude let me pay in Indian rupees although I’m sure I got ripped off since I had no idea what the exchange rate was.

The traffic driving in was quite hectic and I was reminded of Indian roads quite different from Sri Lanka where although they speed constantly at least they understand and follow most other traffic rules (including how lanes work a concept yet to catch on in India and also here apparently)

It didn’t take long to get to Durbar square which is where the guesthouse I was meeting Mark was in I arrived and sat down feeling pretty exhausted for all of 10 minutes before we headed out on a mission to find me a jacket and a helmet. The shopping was a success after getting some cash out we walked to Thamel and checked out a few outdoor shops I settled on a plain black jacket (all the better to see me on the bike!) and then went to a few bike shops where I got a dark grey helmet with a number eight on the side so my head resembles and magic eight ball when I wear it.

Shopping down we treated ourselves to a mango shisha and chilled in the bar until a band started their sound check and killed all possibility of conversation. Back at the guest house I had a hot shower and we headed to a local Indian restaurant for a cheap dinner. By this stage I was falling asleep in my curry and we headed back so I could crash.