Nepal and Himalayas Day 1

Day 16 (3-1) – Tuesday, November 12, 2019 - Mid Morning Flight to Kathmandu, Nepal; Information Walk; Welcome Briefing; Welcome Nepali Dinner

The temperature was 30 degrees and there was frost on the ground when we woke up at 6:00. We had to have our luggage out at 6:30 and then we went to have a light breakfast.

All of our flights today were within an hour so we all went together in the bus with Yenten and Jamyang took all of the luggage in the truck. Once we got to the airport, we thanked our drivers and told Wangdi how much we appreciated his help and attention during this trip.

The group going home went through one check-in desk and we who were going on to Nepal went through another. Immigration was a quick check of our Bhutan visas and also our visas for Nepal.

The Security agents were very professional and we had to remove our computers and iPad but not our shoes or jackets. The airport was very small so we all met back in Gate 2 and 3 for a two-hour wait for boarding.

The Drukair flight to Kathmandu was only an hour so once we got off the ground, we barely got settled in, had an opportunity to take a flew photos, and it was time to start our descent.

The 12:30 landing was smooth and we rode a shuttle bus to the terminal. The terminal was hectic; several flights had come in so there were long lines to go through immigration. After standing in two different lines, we finally got in the correct line because we already had our Nepal visas.

Our new trip leader Kunal, met us at the exit after we had collected our bags. We took time to use the restroom and then Kunal and our driver loaded the luggage into our nine-passenger van.

Right away we noticed hundreds of soldiers, riot policemen, and security guards. Kunal told us that the President of Bangladesh was coming today and many of the roads were either closed or totally congested.

Normally we would have had a 45-minute drive to the hotel. Today it took over an hour through the bumpy roads and lots of dust and construction. As we waited in traffic, Kunal gave us some of the history of his country.

More that 70 % of the country is mountainous and about 70% of Nepalese population is Hindu. Kunal had never been outside of Nepal, but he had traveled widely in his homeland.

We checked in at the Gokarna Forest Resort at 2:30 and organized our belongings and set up the computers. At 4:00 we went on a group orientation walk to explore the grounds. There were restaurants, a spa, and a golf course.

We saw a troop of monkeys playing on the greens of the golf course. One of the security guards was trying to chase them away with a sling shot.

At 5:30 we had a slide presentation by Maya Gurung representing a group of Nepalese women who organized a climbing team. These women know as Seven Summits Women’s Team climbed Sagarmatha - the Nepalese name for Everest in 2008.

Maya explained about their training and the climb itself that took 45 days. Since the climbing of Everest, they have climbed the highest peak on each of the seven continents. Changes in the mountain from global warming and the trash from the climbers were the major concerns today.

Our dinner was in the golf course dining room where we were served a variety of Asian foods. We left at 8:00 to come back to our room to catch up on the day’s memories and sort the photos of our journey to Nepal.

Tomorrow is an optional flight for closer views of Mount Everest. We have to be in the lobby at 5:25 am. All nine of us are going on this special excursion.

Meals included: B & D

Accommodations: Gokarna Forest Resort