So Long India

To Kathmandu, Nepal --  Day 1

Hi, it's Dex. Today we are flying from New Delhi to Nepal, after a loud night with fire crackers and fireworks lasting past midnight.  Luckily, I fell asleep before then, and Dad put in earplugs.  Kylie was so tired she fell asleep almost immediately, despite the constant loud bangs.

Our flight left at 10:40 a.m., so we were up early.  Everyone was a little grumpy, but we got everything together, and were ready to go at 8:00.  When we got outside, we could see the effect of all the fireworks and fire crackers from the big Diwali celebrations; it was hard to see the top of our building let alone the down the street.

We got a cab and immediately checked what the air quality index was.  According to Google, it was 999 -- hazardous (ten times the recommended limit!).  We had checked it the day before, when we arrived in New Delhi because we thought it was bad then, and it was only 386!  Just imagine heavy fog but made up entirely of smoke and smog.  Cars kept appearing out of the smog, and we could barely make out the street lights.

When we got to the airport, we discovered our flight was delayed by one hour.  Kylie and I made up a game where we closed our eyes and drew a shape on a piece of paper, then added the fewest details possible to make it look like an animal.  When the plane arrived we got in line.  Dad was saying that surprisingly Kathmandu is farther south than New Delhi.  The man in front of us disagreed, but sure enough, Dad showed him Google Maps and it's true.  The man and his wife, Vikas and Sangeeta, were from India and it turned out were going to hike to the Annapurna Base Camp. They recommended getting a porter because it was much less tiring, and you could enjoy the views more. They had hiked with their kids a few years previously, and the kids were always running ahead ready to play a game of basketball at the end of the day.  I can't wait.

On the flight, I sat alone, in front of Mom, Dad and Kylie.  A nice Nepalese man I sat next to asked me a couple of questions.  He was really good at pointing out the snow-capped mountains when they came into view.  It was awesome seeing the towering mountain range!  I was excited and nervous at the same time.

When we got off the plane, getting the visas was surprisingly easy.  Mom and Dad got SIM cards and we were ready.  We took a cab (no tuk-tuks) and there was much less honking, fewer dogs, and only one cow!  When we got to Hotel Api, Mom and I were excited to be in Nepal.  But Kathmandu still looks a lot like India, so I hope it brings something new.  When we left to look around, the first thing I noticed was a hacky sack that I have been looking for for a long time.  Pretty quickly a man approached us with a metal wire ball that you could bend into many shapes, and he also had a mini chess board.  We checked out some other shops that were full of trekking gear and clothing, including one that Helen Jeffs (a friend of Dad's) had recommended.  We had a good dinner at the Road House Cafe and called it a day.  I called it a good day.

Pre-dinner cards at the Road House Cafe