Day 1: Travelling to Nepal

Weather Update Sunny with mist. High 16°C

Elevation Above Sea Level 1400 metres

Moving to the Airport

I thought that the city was bad, but being close to the airport was ten times worse. The noise was beyond imagination throughout the night. I was up at 3:30 a.m. and couldn't sleep because of the incessant noise from outside. I will be glad to leave this city. I kept telling myself to do the basics well, so I thought at the airport I could change my money back into US dollars, but I couldn't. I flew with Bangladesh Airlines recently; the food was excellent then, but this time not so good. I was a bit anxious about arriving in Kathmandu because I needed US dollars for a visa.

Encounter 1: VIP Visa Service

This is how my day unfolded from feeling uneasy about my situation. I arrived in Kathmandu and found myself in a long line trying to get a visa application done via the internet terminal. I was standing in line when I was asked to show my passport, and this man said, "Follow me." He filled out my application online through my phone without having to queue and then pushed me through customs to the front of the queue. I was singled out among all those other people travelling and got VIP service.

Encounter 2: The Journey with Krishna

I got on a bus that was supposed to take me in the right direction, but I was going the wrong way. A young man named Krishna asked me where I was going, and from then on, he guided me to where I needed to go. We had a really good talk on the bus about many things, and at the end of the day, he saw someone who needed help. In Nepalese culture, they are required to help guests in their own country, and I think that's amazing. He took me to the place I needed to be and to get the right transport to my hostel. I eventually had to go by bike because the bus was, dare I say, crammed to the rafters. Krishna arranged a bike, and the cost was 200 Nepalese Rupees ($2.54 NZ) because it was a long way to go. I would have paid more than double that if I had known the exchange rate.

A Taste of Freedom

I had my first beer today after being sober in Bangladesh, a Muslim country where alcohol is available on the black market or behind closed doors, which I have already discussed in an earlier blog an encounter with some dodgy people.