Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Home Again....

So, there was a chicken in someone's hotel room....left the window and the screen open (if there was a screen) and in walked a chicken. Two maids and the window washer were trying to corral the chicken and get it to go back out the window it came in. Oh Kathmandu....

The Kathmandu Airport is the most interesting international airport I've been to. There's one snack shop once you pass security with really cheap water and really expensive snacks.  There are only five gates, so everyone is sitting in a large room (think DMV), waiting for the gate to be announced as flight times get closer.  Flights are headed pretty much everywhere in Asia - China, Bangladesh, India...it's a figurative and literal melting pot of culture in the 90+ degree heat. I'm thinking that getting on the plane and having some AC is going to feel really good.

The whole airport process has been as much of an adventure as when we arrived and when we flew to Lukla. The REI bus dropped us off with the masses on the curb and we had two airport people (I think) help with the bags (the REI people seemed to know them). They got us into the line and then left us with the carts, so I got to steer a cart full of bags through the masses in line (luckily, I didn't take anyone out in the process).

Once you're inside, all the bags, including carry-ons go through a scanner and everyone gets patted down by some poor soul not wearing gloves. Then you get to check in and head to customs which is a slow process with long lines. But, luckily, no issues.

Then comes security...where you get to walk through old metal detectors and everyone receives another pat down, whether they set the machine off or not. And the lines are broken out male and female. Somehow, I got through with half a bottle of water, but got stopped because they thought I had a lighter. Didn't believe me when I said no, but did after they went through the pocket of my bag and found nothing - sorry Nepalese TSA, I'm just not that exciting.

Our final twelve hours in Korea has been pretty uneventful - the lady at the information booth let me use the phone there to call the hotel shuttle last night, we got to sleep in, and we had dunkin donuts for breakfast. I feel like we've been at the airport forever, hotel checkout was at noon and our flight isn't until 5:30.  Luckily, it's a pretty nice airport...decent food, free foot massagers, and the carts that transport people from gate to gate play music rather than honk incessantly.

And, after an incessantly bumpy flight, we made it back. I can definitely say I was glad when we landed and glad we were on a 777....it would have been a nightmare on a smaller plane, but still, dry heaving two hours into a ten hour flight isn't fun. 

US customs wasn't as crazy to get through as its been in the past, and soon we were home for nap time.  It was great to take a shower in clean water...and brush my teeth with tap water because I finally could....

We finally had the Barney's we've been dreaming about for three weeks for dinner. Yay gourmet burgers and chicken. So full...and so sleepy. The rest can wait until tomorrow.

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