Dirty, Bustling, Noisy, and Awesome

Kathmandu, Nepal -- November 26-27 -- Day 5-6

Ahh, it’s Sunday, we are back in dirty, bustling, noisy Kathmandu, and loving it.  We rolled out of our sleeping bags at 5:30 yesterday morning in Luklaso we could be at the tiny airport at 6:00 a.m. (an hour before our flight.)  We had a scare when we got to the counter and the man there pointed out that we hadn’t actually reconfirmed the flight before 3 p.m. the day before!  Arrgh! Of course not, we were still just trying to get to Lukla at 3 p.m. on Friday.  He let a crowd of other trekkers cut in front to check in, but eventually he let us weigh our bags, handed us boarding passes, and it seemed we were home free.  

Lukla airport

We gobbled down a few tasty samosas at the tiny food counter in the next room, and before we knew it, we were ushered onto the runway toward one of the four twin engined planes assembled there.  The amusement-park-like thrill ride of a flight did not disappoint.  The distant snowy peaks, steep tree-covered mountains, and lower terraced hills were amazing to gaze at.  What wasn’t amazing, though was the increasingly thick haze as we neared the Kathmandu valley.  Guess we've got to take the good and the bad.

 

Increasing haze

Kathmandu

For the next two days, we ran around the tourist enclave of Thamel, running errands and enjoying our favorite restaurants -- Rickshaw Cafe, The Pumpernickel, Roadhouse Cafe, and The Third Eye. The Rickshaw Cafe was the hands-down family favorite for breakfast and we ate there three times in a row -- eggs benedict for Meg and Dex; pancakes, eggs and bacon for me; and a cheeseburger for Kylie.  

We also had one of the absolute best Indian food meals of the trip at The Third Eye.  Tika masala, paneer masala, fried dal and the best piping hot butter naan ever.

After one obligatory night at the basic, cold water Hotel Api, we upgraded to the Hotel Ganesh Himal the next night, specifically because of their claim of "endless hot water."  It was heavenly to finally wash hair and get the dirt out from under the fingernails.  It's funny that I’m still getting use to the easy access to water (hot and cold), electricity, and food options.  The modern conveniences are awfully nice when you’ve done without for a little while. Next stop, South East Asia.