The morning started late for us as breakfast was only to start at 8 am. Had nice poached eggs with lovely bread and lots of masala tea. After that we went looking for birds down by the river and spotted a beautiful blue king Fisher perched on an elephant grass. Did not bother taking any photos since it was still pretty misty.
At 9.30am we departed the resort for the hill station in the outskirts of Kathmandu, Dhulikhal. The ride to the airport was less exciting than the trip we had two days earlier. This time it was a luxury mini van. It was also faster as it took us less than an hour.
The check in at the airport was something from another century. The all bags were brought to a counter where someone physically opens each bag and inspects them with hand. No gloves. This would not happen in a country like New Zealand. After it was inspected, they are weighed in a traditional huge weighing scale. No scanner, no X ray, no electronics.
As we had about an hour and a half left to kill, we decided to head down to the local fruit market. That was again like walking back in time. There were lots of ladies selling bananas and other fruits. A lot of apples were there and I wondered how many were Imported? From New Zealand? There were also some curious looking fruits like one greenish looking ball like fruit, locally known as Amala. I had a go at it but it tasted sour as. Couldn’t finish the whole lot.
Then I spotted a guy on a cart selling something that looked like the ‘kacang putih’ we get in Malaysia. I tried it but no one else was brave enough as this guy was not wearing any gloves and did not even wash his hands before hand. The stuff was made of mixing different peas, some crispy noodles, cut fruits, chilli powder, spices and a squeeze of lime. Mix all that together and it is served in an old newspaper rolled into a cone and he gives you another piece of cut cardboard to be used as a spoon. It tasted pretty good and it was one of those snacks that you can go on and on and not want to put it down kind of thing.
After the market experience, we walked back to the airport. It was time to check in. The check in process was just as amusing as the bag drop process. You had to queue outside a curtained room, one line for men and another for women. When you get into the room, there is a guy sitting on a chair and he asks you to open your carry on bag, looks at it then frisks you while still seated and then says go. That’s it!
Buddha Air must be one of the few airlines I have flown (and I have flown quite a bit) that does not have life vests. That’s not all that they didn’t have – they also didn’t have oxygen masks. So if you fly Buddha Air, and which we will in a couple of days, you will need to BYO (bring your own) life vest and a bottle of oxygen.
When we arrived in Kathmandu, the baggage collection was again chaotic and one wonders how many people have lost their luggage. Having said that, this is no different to the remote Indonesian airports. Having lived there for almost 6 years, I have not lost a single bag.
The drive from Kathmandu was windy most of the way. We passed the only dual carriageway in Nepal which was 10km and was built with the help of the Japanese. We passed several stretches that were so narrow I wondered how two buses with people in and on the vehicle could safely make it across. Here was also where I saw trucks being used to ferry people. It literally looked like transporting cattle. Often you see people with babies and children on the roof of buses and in trucks sandwiched between several others. Transportation takes a whole new meaning in Nepal. Perhaps I have lived abroad too long.
I saw the hotel when we arrived and scratched my head. It was perched on a hill and it was quite a climb. Thankfully there were porters and they carried two 12kg backpacks each, which was impressive. It was almost 2 in the afternoon so we ordered snacks instead of lunch. Due to the holiday, there were limited food available and also limited cooks. The snacks we ordered took almost 45 minutes to arrive.
After lunch we took a walk around the village nearby and then to the summit viewing point to get a glimpse of the settings sun. Looking at the steps and the narrow track, I’m not sure if I want to do it but won’t tell Vera (although she’ll figure it out when she reads this) because she’ll be overly concerned. I’ll see how I feel tonight and in the morning.
Dinner is a relatively quiet affair after all the fanfare we had at Chitwan the last two nights. Partly because this is not a resort and partly because this is a holiday and there isn’t enough cooks let alone food.
My unexpected visit to Kathmandu 