Last night we had our final dinner in India . The food was exceptional. We said our goodbyes to our driver Sandhip, who was a gentle and kind soul. Not much ruffled his feathers.
We departed through India and it was a much smoother process than Canada. Our flight from Delhi to Kathmandu was 2 hours. We had a 2 hour window once we arrived in Kathmandu. It is a tiny airport and to get to departures you must go outside the airport and walk uphill through pavement, sand and bricks to arrive at the departure lounge. It took close to 20 minutes. Needless to say, as we struggled with this process we arrived at the departure building sweaty, and a bit flustered.
Our check-in process was interesting as our luggage has somehow gained between 2- 4.5 kg each between India and Nepal. Thank the Gods this did not happen to us. The problem is what our luggage allowance is in Canada differs greatly once we get to Nepal. We are only allowed one piece of luggage not going over 20 kg.
Fortunate for us, security was non-existent and the check-in fellow disregarded how many pieces we were over. We were whisked through security as they wished to put us on an earlier flight. This process from landing in Kathmandu to customs, to luggage, to travelling to the other airport and arriving at our gate was accomplished in under an hour.
The check-in fellow told us our plane was leaving in 10 minutes so as we got accosted once again by the female security guard, patted down and groped, we arrived at the gate only to be told to sit. Thirty minutes later we started the process of boarding a bus, 15 minutes later we departed onto the tarmac and then final arrival on a prop plane to fly over the mountains and to Pokhara.
It is hot in Pokhara but not as bad as India. We are in the monsoon season which means daily downpours. It is quite a bit quieter than the craziness of India. The dollar is 1 U.S dollar is equal to $92.00 rupees. Things are much less expensive here than in India where taxes can run up to 27%.
We will start our project tomorrow at 9 am and then move into our homestay. There are 14 other volunteers here in different projects from all over.
It has been a long day. We are all looking forward to what tomorrow brings and looking forward to the next 2 weeks as we learn the Nepali culture. We had a wonderful time in India and expect this next country to be just as enjoyable.
Phewa Lake
Local Dress