Sunday - April 3 Up at 5 am to be ready to leave for the airport (again) at 6 to do the Mt. Everest fly-around. There are 3 of us going. Now that I am a seasoned domestic flyer in Nepal I lead them through security, airport tax, check-in, etc. We are in the departure area where I go to a book concession and ask for 4 postcard stamps. I later find out (after posting the cards) the guy assumed I was, guess what, Japanese, and sold me stamps for Japan mail. You folks at home may never receive those postcards. Our flight is delayed an hour and we begin to worry the skies may become too cloudy. We are on a small prop plane with 1-2 seating, although the aisle seat on the 2 rows ... read more

Friday I wake up at 5 am & find the power is back on, including wifi! Able to clean out my email and chat with Nikki on FB. Find out Moose is being the best Uncle Moose in the whole world while he babysits Aria. Strangely, while on the internet I lose track of time (gee, that never happened before) and all of a sudden realize I only have an hour until my ride to the airport. No time for breakfast, but I'm still not hungry. Repack my suitcase to be stored at the Norbu Linka while I'm off to Lumbini. Have a little chat in the lobby with a Korean guy from New York. This is his 5th trip to Nepal and he had to cut short his trek due to altitude sickness, first time ... read more

Wednesday- March 30 This morning we don't walk to the park entrance, as Sonja is taking a jeep tour - what a wuss - and we are hitching a ride. It later turns out to be a wise choice on her part. We get dropped off at a trail head where we will head for another part of the river through different habitat, Sal forest, in the hopes of seeing new and different birds and what the heck how about another tiger. Padam is finding the birds by sight and sound and we get to the river, cross a rickety wooden bridge and walk to another bend in the river where we hop down and walk along the bank trail. During the walk Padam casually mentions, "It's going to rain, I hear thunder." We all smile. ... read more

Monday - March 28 Breakfast on the rooftop restaurant (killer organic coffee in a French press!) then pack up and settle the bill. Puscal arrives to get me to the airport for my 9 am flight to Nepalgunji where I would be met by a driver from the Rhino Lodge Bardia. Somehow bumble my way through check-in and make it to the departure area. The room is an interesting mix of Nepali travelers, a group of monks, obviously on their way to Lumbini, western trekkers in all their finest hi-tech clothing, a group of Asian middle-aged tourists, and me. (The middle-aged Asian-American tourist). I can barely understand the departure announcements and go twice to "Buddha Air Flight Information" in a mild state of panic. My flight has been delayed 2 hours due to weather (I think). ... read more

Arrived at HKG after a 14+ hour flight on Cathay Pacific. Managed to sleep a few hours en route. The plane was packed, but the rear of the plane where I sat was amazingly quiet during the entire flight. Leaving at 1 am may have had something to do with that. I also managed to watch 2 movies. Knowing that I had an 11 hour layover here before the 6 hr flight to Kathmandu, I bought a one time pass to United's Red Carpet Club. So I have been living the bourgeois life relaxing on a lounge chair, charging and using my MacBook Pro and partaking of free food and drink in a peaceful and uncrowded haven in crazy Hong Kong airport. I started this blog because I somehow left my travel journal at home on ... read more