Good Morning, Good Morning: Flying to Kathmandu

Friday, October 4, 2019

Flying to Kathmandu

Day 13 - Limbini to Kathmandu

We could have spent the afternoon whiling away the hours under the Bodhi tree at Maya Devi Temple - but we had a plane to catch. Soon enough we were back in our Suzuki van and driving back to the airport for our flight back to Kathmandu.

We did an important diversion to Pawan Misthan Bhandar, in the town of Siddharthanagar and just 5km from the India border. It's an amazing bakery full of locals, Indians and a sprinkling of tourists like us. We had yummy samosas and a sweet rice dish - served quickly and efficiently. We took away a box of pedas, their signature sweet biscuit.

Look at all the yummy things!

The yummy rice in sugary syrup thing

They even have a writeup in the Kathmandu Post:
https://kathmandupost.com/food/2019/02/11/something-sweet

Then we backtracked a few km to the cramped, chaotic, hot, airport. I helped Bharat check in, which was more like getting a bus than a plane and somewhat disorganised. The plane was already 2 hours late as we were checking in. We found some seats and whiled away the time. Angela, whose phone had been acting up due to 'moisture in the charging socket' had finally decided that two days of 40° heat may have resolved the moisture issue, spent her time standing at a public charging station. Bharat was called away for a suspicious item in his luggage, that turned out to be Yak ghee that he'd been given at High Camp.

My job - hold the place in the check in queue

Eventually we made through security (including a pat down in segregated male/female cubicles - I wonder if women have to take their hajibs off? And I'm told that Buddhist priests can't be touched by women?) and onto the Yeti Airlines plane. The flight was exceedingly well run with pleasant but no-nonsense hosties, and peanuts and lollies served. Great views of unfamiliar mountains and the Kathmandu valley.