Solo Trip to India and Nepal

I spent my last full day in Nepal working and packing. I was low on Nepali cash and didn't want to draw any more, so I stayed in and ate the remaining groceries I had in the cupboard! Later, I went out to pick up my laundry.

It was with a real sense of sadness that I checked out of Cityview Guest House this morning. The property really suited my needs. I was able to get a lot of work done, as well as explore Kathmandu from my central location. I wouldn't hesitate to book there again if I want somewhere to work for a few weeks.

Having said that, what followed did not leave me with the best impression of Nepal! It proved far more difficult to leave the country than it had been to enter it!

The taxi to the airport was fine, but then things got frustrating! The check-in area at Kathmandu Airport is tiny and very disorganised. It was chaotic! I was early as I always am, and Air India's check-in desks were not open. I'd already checked in online, so I just needed to drop my bag, but there was nowhere to do this, and nowhere to wait, either. I just had to stand in the general melee and keep moving out of the way when people with trolleys wanted to get through. Despite being told to be at the airport three hours before departure time, the check-in desks didn't even open until less than two hours before! I was second in line and checked in, only to be told to go to the corner and make sure my bag went through to airside! That has never happened to me before. I joined a crowd at the end of the conveyor and watched as my bag passed me. I still wasn't allowed to leave. I had to check that it was correctly removed from the belt on the other side of a curtain. Anybody's luggage that wasn't, had to do it themselves! In effect, we were all being asked to be baggage handlers. As I was told I was free to go to security, I had no faith that my case would actually arrive in Delhi 😄.

We then had to go through three separate passport and paperwork checks before we were finally stamped out of Nepal. This was frustrating because certain passengers kept getting fast-tracked. Just when you thought you were getting close to the front of a queue, several monks flying business class would suddenly be allowed in front of you!

Bag security took ages! They were very thorough, which is no bad thing, but it was the way the officers just tipped our belongings out of our bags and then pushed the loose items down to the end of the bench that was annoying. Everything was mixed up. People were struggling to find their shoes! I was clearly taking too long to sort my stuff out, so it was unceremoniously pushed off the bench onto the floor! Luckily, I'd grabbed my laptop before this happened!

When we had successfully navigated all of this, we were already at the departure gates. There were no facilities to speak of - just one small cafe/shop where the staff were struggling to cope with the demand of thousands of passengers. I found somewhere to sit and wait. Our scheduled departure time had already passed, so it was obvious we were delayed, even though there had been no announcement to say so.

Eventually, they called my flight. We passed through security again. I've never had a boarding card with so many stamps on it and holes punched in it in my life! Then, it was onto a bus to be taken to the aircraft. There appeared to be only one bus per flight, so we had to wait for the first busload of passengers to be taken before the driver could come back for the next lot.

I was on the final bus, and I thought we would soon be on our way. However, when we got to the plane, things got even stranger. There were three sheds on wheels joined together (like small railway carriages) pushed up against the steps up into the plane. Another first for me. There were already lots of passengers queuing up on the tarmac. We were separated into males and females and directed to join the appropriate queue. We were all rather bemused at what was going on. We were told we couldn't take photos, but I'd already taken a couple before I was stopped from taking any more.

We waited a long time in those queues without understanding why. When we finally entered the first of the 'carriages', we realised it was another security check. The reason it was taking so long was that they were emptying all of our carry-on luggage and checking everything. Some people protested that we'd already been checked thoroughly, but the officers were having none of it. The lady in front of me had her walking poles confiscated, despite the fact that the earlier screening had allowed them through. When it came to my turn, I was confident that I had nothing that I shouldn't have. However, they objected to my insect repellent and the sugar-free caramels that I suck to stop the pain in my ears during take-off and landing. They took both items off me. I asked why the earlier check had allowed them through. They said it was an airline ruling. When I said I had taken several Air India flights in the last few months and had always had these things in my hand luggage, they told me that the rule applied specifically to the Kathmandu-Delhi route. I was getting annoyed by this time. I was about to argue that I had brought both items to Nepal on an Air India flight from Delhi four weeks ago, but I heard Mark's voice in my head telling me to keep quiet and just accept what was happening 😄. So, I did!

We finally took off almost two hours late, but we did make up some time during the flight, and they did serve a very tasty chicken curry and rice for lunch, so it wasn't all bad 😂. And my case did make it to Delhi, albeit it was the last item off the plane, and I was beginning to fear the worst! Once through security (again!), and getting told off for not completing an e-Arrival form (I'd actually forgotten I was on an international flight!), I finally made it to the outside world and got a taxi to my hotel.Lue lisää