Heading for Kathmandu, Nepal

My arrival in New Delhi was uneventful and the driver from my bed and breakfast picked me up and deposited me for a restful night. After breakfast another driver picked me up for my trip to the airport for the Kathmandu leg. Then the first glitch in my trip occurred. He dropped me off at the domestic airport instead and since it had a big sign, Indiri Ghandhi International Airport, I didn't notice the difference until I went inside to check in. Despite the fact that the domestic and international sections use the same runways their terminals are miles apart. So I had to trudge for blocks around the terminal to the departure area and take a taxi to the right terminal for another $6 and a wasted hour. I always try to book a left side window seat on the Nepal flight, hoping to see the Himalayas which are visible on a clear day. No such luck. Just beautiful clouds. But nice views of the foothills and the Kathmandu valley as we arrived. The air is clearer than usual because of the frequent monsoon rains this month.

I spent the first night in a hotel I had never used before, decided I didn't like it, and moved the next day to the Kathmandu Guest House which I frequently stay in. It has a wonderful garden and I always get a garden facing room. Its more expensive than most, but to me it usually seems worth it because of the ambiance and location.

Kathmandu Guest House was a Rana mansion converted into a hotel by Karna Sakya in 1967. Starting with just 13 rooms, it has been slowly nurtured into a sprawling 121-room hotel . Today it is reputed to be an internationally acknowledged "best budget hotel". It was the first hotel established in Thamel, which is Kathmandu’s most popular tourist destination with the highest concentration of tourism-based service outlets in Asia. Streets in Kathmandu change names, have no names, and houses have no numbers so addresses are referred to as "near the Kathmandu Guest House" , "near Asan Tole", etc. The Kathmandu Guest House is right in the center of Thamel.

I liked to come out and sit on the swing in the cool of the evening.