Blogs from Kathmandu, Nepal, Asia - page 140

Well -- 17 hours from LA to Bangkok -- and another 3 hours to Kathmandu's New International terminal -- and I'm back home. I have to say that the service on Thai Airlines is by far the best services I've ever received on any airline. My parents currently live about 100 feet from house I grew up in. Our old house is now an office building and they took out the wonderful rose bushes in the front yard to add parking spaces as well as adding brick work through out the back yard I so often played in as a child. It's weird being back, several of the shop keepers remember our family from when we lived here in the 80's. Arriving in one piece is saying alot after the drive home from the airport, the ... read more

Well - a full two weeks since my last blog - did you miss me??!! I can hear the distant sound of tumbleweed rolling through cyberspace....! I had a fun journey into Kathmandu from Darjeeling which involved a 5 hour taxi ride back down the mountains (had the car to myself - slightly more comfortable than my 13 people to one jeep experience on the way up), to the border town of Kakarbhitta, through a series of wooden sheds that made up the Indian/Nepalese border checkpoints, to Biratnager airport in Nepal. Too many people told me not to get the bus (17 hours plus with no air-conditioning or legroom) - I ended up paying $100 for the whole koboodle (taxi and flight) - but hey...I thought I deserved it! For Biratnager airport by the way, read ... read more

Leaving Varanasi in the dust of an old and decrepit train we headed northward to the lovely and often overlooked country of Nepal. The border was surprisingly hassle free although we did get ripped off by one last Indian man moments before departing Gordakphur and things then taking a turn for the worse. On the Nepal side we were ousted by crafty moneychangers for a small pittance, but more shockingly we had bus problems that led to a several hour delay. I'm not sure what was worse, the actual delay, or the Israeli girl who complained so loudly and bitterly about the delay for so very long. Thus, after so much unpleasantness , and possibly the most intense bus battle of my bus battling career (the dreaded wench in front of me just had to have ... read more

The rain didn't stop on my last day in Goa, and then when we reached Agra it turned into the hottest day I had experienced in India; roasting. I didn’t do much in Agra (since it was my 3rd visit). I did visit the Taj again at dusk; there were tones of India tourists posing for cheesy / romantic photos. That evening I met up with Jo, Steph and Nicole from volunteering, it was so lovely catching up with them and having a good gossip over some chai. On the way back to my hotel I accidentally purchased another ring (aquamarine, my birth stone, in a sliver clasp setting), I let a rickshaw driver take me to a shop, but only I let him know I wasn’t going to buy anything. It was a ‘pee your ... read more

Up again at 5 am - seems to be getting more difficult to get up with each day that passes!! Got on a 'private' minibus that stopped many times to pick people up along the way (and for the driver to talk to all and sundry! Never trust a man in a bandana). Much cleaner and more civilised than the trip yesterday - bags were on the roof so we could relax and not have to worry. The bus seemed to have been oversold, so there was much discussion about seats and moving around of people and a few folks had to stand. There aren't many westerners about - most people seem to arrive to Kathmandu by air, which seems like a good choice after yesterdays journey! The journey was more interesting than yesterday and the ... read more