I think I'm going to Katmandu

Saturday 12th November – Packing Day

After a leisurely breakfast I donned my Japanese Riding Boots (thongs) and headed down to the Busy Bee for my last yoga session. I decided that the 10:00 session would be good today as it would give me time this afternoon for some packing and organization of our bags. The class was once again enjoyable and this morning it was even more so as I was the lone male with ten women. Afterwards James and I met for lunch at the Sandwich Point. This is one of Pokhara’s good cheap eats as you can get a medium roll with ham and cheese for Rs190 ($2) and they always taste great. Afterwards I headed off to the barber as I wanted another close shave with the cutthroat razor. I thought that a haircut might also be in order so I lashed out and spent Rs300 ($3.70) for a cleanup. He even did a good job on removing my ear and nose hairs. I hope he gives the scissors a good clean after that sort of operation.

For our flight to Kathmandu we have a baggage limit of 20kg and we know that we will be slightly over that. With that in mind we have done an exceptional job of compartmentalizing our luggage. Between us we have about 46kg of luggage that we can place in the hold. We have now worked out a backup plan just in case they do not allow us the extra weight. Shekhar who knows people everywhere does not think we will have a problem. That is most likely because 1.5kg of that weight is some presents that I am bringing back to Brisbane for his daughter.

We have reserved a table for our last Pokhara dinner at the Concerto Restaurant. As we were leaving for dinner Shekhar asked if we would like to have dinner with him and his wife. His wife is a good cook and was going to prepare a special Dal Bhat for us. Due to our reservation we had to decline their generous offer but we promised to have a beer on our return. Our reserved table was adjacent to the fireplace and our waiter soon had an Everest beer on the table which was quickly followed by a smoothie and a bruschetta. Unfortunately that was as good as it gets. Our main course was delivered much too soon and the vegetables that came with it were cold. It seemed like they had been plated for some time before our beef and chicken were added. I voiced my displeasure to the waiter but declined the offer to reheat the food. It was a disappointing end to what has been a great culinary experience in Pokhara. We were back at the hotel quite early and managed to have a farewell drink.

Sunday 13th November – Back to Kathmandu

This morning we bid our farewell to Shekhar and his wife and at 9:00 we headed down to the airport for our return to Kathmandu. Both of us agreed that we could not face another 8 hour bus trip on the Prithvi Highway. Shekhar accompanied us down to the airport and ensured that we were not charged for our extra 9kg of luggage. After he left we stood in line and waited to be checked-in. We had arrived an hour before the scheduled flight time but it is Nepal and the check-in did not occur until 9:40. Our luggage went through without any trouble which is more than I can say about the large group who were trying to get their hand luggage through security. I don’t know what was in their bags but it took ages and a lot of emptying of bags before they got through. James and I just sailed straight through.

Our flight was scheduled to depart at 10:15 but there was no sight of our plane. With only five minutes before departure our plane finally touched down. I could not believe how fast they turned the plane around as we were airborne nine minutes later. It is only a small plane and each seat has an access to a window which in this case gives you a magnificent view of the Himalayas. There must have been some air traffic buildup as we did a couple of loops over the Kathmandu Valley. By the time we were ready to land I had a code yellow that was starting to incapacitate me. As soon as we hit the terminal I left James to take care of the baggage whilst I went in search of a comfort stop. With business taken care and then some negotiation with the taxi drivers we headed off to the Tibet Peace Inn.

After we had settled in we headed off to the Pumpernickel Café for lunch. It lived up to expectations and fortified us for a walk around Thamel. The rest of the afternoon was spent trolling the shops looking for some last minute bargains. When 18:00 rolled around I had to wake James who has needed a little shuteye. It was time for a pre-dinner drink at the Hole In The Wall bar that we visited when we were last in Kathmandu. There must be a couple of owners as there was a different Nepalese guy in charge. Nevertheless the music was great and the beer as promised was as cold as your ex’s heart. By the time James fronted I had nearly finished my beer but there was still enough time for a couple of beers. Dinner tonight was at the upmarket Third Eye restaurant that specializes in curries. We both looked resplendent in our shorts, tee-shirts and thongs. The food was great but I think my leg of baby lamb must have come from a giant sheep as it was huge.

Monday 14th November – Short Walks

With the majority of our shopping done we were in no hurry to head out into the hustle and bustle of Thamel. In fact we were so slow off the mark that our first stop of the morning was the Pumpernickel Café for lunch. I had my Lonely Planet with me so we decided on doing a couple of walks that should give us a medium workout of about 6km. With lunch over we launched ourselves into our first walk and headed south towards Durbar Square. This is a great walk as the Lonely Planet descriptions give you a good insight into what the various temples and gods represent. There are small side trip into small courtyards such as Itum Bahal which is one of the oldest in the city, with some lovely architecture and stupas. Unfortunately, many monuments were lost here in the 2015 earthquake. Piles of rubble and steel props holding up crumbling brickwork are evident as you wind your way through this myriad of alleys and main thoroughfares. The Nepalese are out in force today and on the main corridors the motorcycles with shrilling horns force their way through the tightly packed pedestrian traffic. By the end of our first walk we were seeking some respite from this cacophony of sound and the debilitating exhaust fumes.

When we reached Durbar Square the officials wanted us to pay Rs1000 to enter this area but we pointed out that we were headed further south away from the square on a walking tour. They relented and pointed us in the right direction. This walk isn’t quite as good as the first one as the temples and bahals are a little further apart. Whilst walking we only saw a couple of Westerners and they were close to Durbar Square. One of the more interesting sites was the old brick water tanks which are still used today despite the advent of a reticulated water supply. Closer to Durbar Square we visited the Adko Narayan Temple which is one of the four most important Vishnu temples in Kathmandu. Interestingly enough when we approached Durbar Square from this direction there was no ticket box to collect entrance fees. As a result James and I strolled around the square with impunity and time to explore the many temples.

By the end of our walks both of us had slight headaches and were feeling a little nauseous. Our condition was most likely caused by exhaust fumes and the unrelenting noise from motorcycles. It was with some relief when we escaped and found respite in an air-conditioned restaurant. Later in the evening we tried the Momo Hut for dinner. We ordered seven different types of momo including buffalo. There are several different styles of cooking momos so we enlisted the help of our waiter to choose the best style appropriate to each dish. The excellent food was complimented by a couple of Belgian beers.

Tuesday 15th November – Please Sir, Come This Way or Onwards to Bangkok

This morning I said a quiet prayer in remembrance of my Mum’s birthday. Also this morning we have to pack our bags and leave for the airport at around 10:30. The hotel staff called a taxi for us and we negotiated a price of Rs600 ($7.50) for the trip. It was easy to tell that the holiday period was over because even at this time of the day the traffic was chaos. I think most of the gridlock problems occur as a direct result of the police officers who are on point duty. They tend to let traffic flow in one direction for too long a period which causes no end of frustration and exceptionally long queues. Our driver tried a few rat runs only to find himself trapped. On one occasion we were held up for over ten minutes. In the end it took about 40 minutes to travel the short distance to the airport. I ended up giving the driver some extra money due to the long journey time.

On arrival at the airport we took on the services of a porter who seemed to know how to navigate his way around the terminal. There were a few flights leaving before us and the line for the baggage security check was out the door and onto the footpath. I took a walk to gauge the length of the queue and estimated that it would take up to an hour to get through. I need not have worried as our intrepid porter took us to a different area where there were no queues or delays. He couldn’t go past security so we gladly handed over Rs200 and thanked him for his help. Our Thai check-in was a similar experience as we ushered to the head of the line for an immediate check-in. Next it was up to the immigration counter and as luck would have it there were only two other foreigners in front of us. What could have been a nightmare experience turned out to be a breeze.

Our speedy transition allowed us to take full advantage of my Priority Pass and the access to the Executive Lounge. We both enjoyed the serenity of the lounge as well as the delicious food and beverages. The lounge was our home until they announced it was time for boarding our flight. Prior to entering the departure lounge you have to endure another security check. The queue was long but moving at a reasonable speed. Once again however someone with some authority ushered us to the front of the queue where we were immediately processed. We had no sooner sat down in the departure lounge when it was announced that we could board our flight. Given that there are no air bridges at Kathmandu we walked out onto the tarmac and boarded the old fashioned way up the back steps. Our two seats were at the rear of the plane and as a result we had plenty of leg room.

Our flight was uneventful and before long we began our descent into Bangkok. Due to our arrival time of 18:55 there were long queues waiting to be processed through immigration. There was no please sir on this occasion and it took about 40 minutes to have passports stamped. We obviously didn’t have to wait for our luggage as our bags had obviously been doing endless loops on the carousel. After collecting our gear we headed down to level 1 for a taxi to our hotel. The taxi system here is excellent and you receive a number which directs you to a bay where your taxi will pull up. The drivers don’t like using a meter and we had to negotiate a price of B500 ($20) for our trip into the City. We were using the tollway so overall the price was reasonable given the distance we are travelling. It was about 20:20 when we arrived at our destination the Novotel Fenix Silom. After staying in one to two star hotels for over a month we are both looking forward to some luxury.

After checking-in we were escorted to our large room on the 17th floor. The first thing we noticed was that our twin beds were right next to each other. They were so close we may as well have taken the upgrade and shared a king bed. Not quite, we did however reconfigure our room by moving the lounge and one of the beds to create a large space between us. The other great thing about the room is that we cannot hear dogs barking, pigeons cooing, motorcycles starting and unknown persons hawking. After picking up some supplies from the local 7-11 store we relaxed with a movie and then bed.