Bangkok to Kathmandu - March 12

A 10:30am flight meant we has to leave the hotel for Suvarnabhumi airport before breakfast, so hotel reception organised a ‘sandwich’ for us.    

Unfortunately we had to leave in the middle of Bangkok peak hour, which is non stop for most of the day anyway. 

 Thai Airways... fantastic! They just do everything right. Check-in, boarding and in-flight is just so efficient and effortless. Betty and David; the food was excellent. Better chicken tika curry than you’d get anywhere in Brisbane. Plus a fresh roll, tuna salad, cheese and bikkies and a wet donut for dessert.

Kathmandu!! Even having been here before still doesn’t prepare you. It’s chaos, squalor, abject poverty, noise, culture, religion, traffic… all rolled into one. Total sensory overload.

The taxi ride from the Tribhuvan airport was interesting. Found out from a local some time later that we paid the right price for the journey, the equivalent of about $6. Maybe that can go towards a new car. This is a legit airport taxi by the way.

First impressions are that nothing has changed in Kathmandu, it may even be worse. From talking to the taxi owner there’s still no effective government, fuel shortages, daily electricity cuts, water shortages and rising prices.

Our accommodation is the Kathmandu Guest House where, according to our taxi driver, everyone wants to stay because it’s famous.

 But mostly it’s an oasis in the centre of Thamel where once you’re through the gate it’s a different world.

We hit the streets for a stroll (no such thing in Thamel, it’s more like playing chicken with the traffic) to get check out what had changed since 2007 and to get our bearings.  

 Back in the room relaxing and at 9:30 everything goes black….. power cut. Generators kick into action and the essentials come back to life. No power to the rooms though.