Air India is still the least efficient airline I've ever known and checking in took at least 10x the time it should have. They almost made me buy a return flight from Nepal on the spot. I haven't booked my flight yet because I'm not sure if I'm staying closer to one week, or two.
I made it through security and then waiting in line for the passport check with a nice family from Florida. I walked quickly to my gate and boarded right away. There was an extra bag check and security screening at the gate and another passport check on the plane. Security is even stricter here than in the US.
The plane was pretty full but I was lucky and had a whole row to myself. I watched ant man and started the grand Budapest hotel, which I've been meaning to see for a while. As soon as I stepped off the airplane, the thick smog filled my nose, welcoming me back to India. I had about an hour between flights and grabbed some noddles and a coffee. It's strange having to switch currencies so often and I'm getting good at estimating the conversions to dollars.
At the gate, I started talking to a girl from France that I saw reading the lonely planet guide for Nepal. She's on the first day of a three-to-five month trip. So exciting!
Both flights I had a whole row to myself. Maybe it's because I've been wearing the same two outfits for a month..
Nepal was immediately different from the places I've been. The Kathmandu airport ( the only international airport in the country) was a small, falling apart brick structure with ancient-looking or broken down planes littered around the short runway. There were no shops inside and the visa on arrival was a pretty simple process and cost $25. I met a representative from the tour company I had a contact with. Allie's mom worked with them a few years ago and she set us up. They brought me to my guesthouse, which was the nicest place I've been and way too fancy for my current travel mindset. I went to the office and met Naba, who couldn't speak more highly of Allie's mom. He wants to do his best to help me with whatever he can. He says I should stay at his house tomorrow night. I also asked him to cancel the hotel room and he found me a hostel nearby instead. We talked about options for over and hour and then he insisted I eat dinner at a place nearby and let him pay for it. It was also a nice restaurant that is owned by his friend and he asked me if I'd write him a review on trip advisor.
The hostel was the worst I've stayed in. Everything was super dirty, the shower was freezing, which is only bad because it gets down to 40 at night. The people in this hostel also seem more.. intense, than in the hostels of Thailand and Malaysia. I'm not sure what it was but they just seemed more into their personal spiritual journeys and acted superior to people who were travelling easier or simpler than the were. Its definitely alright but this would not have been an ideal place to start travelling from. It might be because it's colder and darker here or just my mood. I'm tired and getting a little worn out from travelling and may have eaten something slightly questionable. My physical state definitely impacts how friendly people seem.
I went to sleep early and exhausted. Meeting Naba at one of his hotels in the morning for breakfast and to discuss plans.
-AB
Only international airport in the country
The hotel I didn't stay at
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