Time to go home

Friday 7^th July 2006

Home soon...

Will I go back one day? Hopefully, yes, to Nepal but probably not to Tibet, - it has changed too much.

After another enjoyable shower, just as good as last night’s, the ball was set rolling for the day. I had done most of my re-organising and packing last night so it was just a final check and tidying up before a walk down the street for breakfast. And my feet knew just where to go – straight to the ‘New Orleans’ where, by now, we had made quite good friends with the staff. A big bowl of muesli, mixed fresh fruit and yoghurt followed by two slices of brown bread toast, butter and jam, washed down with two muggaccinos. Very good! It cost nearly as much as last night's dinner - but what the heck. The ambience of the place was really special. I sat outside beside a bronze Buddha with the scent of burning incense sticks wafting on the warm humid air. It was a scene typical of life in the KTM valley during the wet season. Yes, I was back.

I stopped off at the Internet café to send a few words just to let Jennie know I was back in the 'civilised' world. I cashed another USD10 to get enough rupees to pay the departure tax of Rs 1695. With the few rupees left over, I bought a 2007 calendar. By then it was time to get ready for our transfer to the airport - and home.

Now, let me tell you, there is BUSINESS CLASS and then there is… business class.

Judge for yourself which category best fits the Thai International Lounge at Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu. To begin with, there’s no separate room, just a small section partitioned off from the rest of the departure area. In the centre, is a self service area for drinks (Johnny Walker Black Label – very good) and on the far end wall, a snacks area that dispenses ‘Pringles’ (a nice change from the Ritz dry biscuits I had for lunch in Tibet), mixed nuts, tea and coffee and packaged biscuits in threes. If you look up, there are some windows that act as a light trap. These windows and the building structure beyond are laced with thick layers of cobwebs in every corner and on every wall face. Dusty light-shades point both upwards and downwards. Outdated posters showing where Thai International flies to, line the walls. Even the photo of Bangkok must be twenty years old, maybe even thirty. The poster skites about the fact that Thai airline has serviced KTM for thirty years…. the dates are from 1968 to 1998! An oscillating fan swings languidly on its pedestal at one end of the 'room' while, at the other, two more modern numbers attempt to keep the air moving, to keep the heat and humidity of the monsoon moving. Outside it tries to rain. Yes, it’s somewhat better than the outside area which is just plain hot and very sticky and very crowded. So, I'll raise the points for this lounge - on the scale of 0 to 10 for Business Class lounges of the World, from 0 to 1… just for being there when I needed it and… for having a decent, clean 'loo'!

Saturday 8^th July 2006

...on way home

I’m hurtling through the air at 10,000m in a modern jet, having just left some of the least developed areas on this planet. I might be sitting in the lap of luxury with fine food and wine and clean loos a few rows of seats away, but the Himalaya and its people are still, in my opinion, some of the loveliest experiences one can have.

So, am I satisfied, did I achieve and experience what I hoped for? You bet! There was plenty of clean air, magnificent mountains, wonderful colours exhibited in thousand upon thousands of prayer flags, temple buildings and decorations, the sky, the land and the people. There were the sounds and smells, there was everything that is Himalayan. Will I go back one day? Hopefully, yes, to Nepal, Bhutan, but probably not Tibet, - it has changed too much from what it must have been before the Chinese intervened. I’ve seen enough and feel terribly sorry for the Tibetan people who have to live under the present regime.

A trip I would totally recommend.

David