Relative Something

April 2nd seems like a long, long time ago to me now, but that is the day I headed to the airport in the early morning to set off on the first leg of my journey to the other side of the world.

At the Minneapolis Airport, ready to go

There I met up with Jim Klobuchar, the man responsible for organizing this trip. We would become primary companions for the flights to and from Kathmandu, Nepal, as all the other members of our group had selected either different airlines or different routes. First, we flew to Los Angeles and then had an entire day to kill before our flight to Bangkok on Thai Airways. We wandered the airport and asked for options of something to see nearby. We were directed to visit the Promenade at the Howard Hughes Center. It’s funny, the differing perceptions people have about estimating distance. We were told a range of guesses about the distance between the center and the airport, many of which referred us to bus options because it was too far to walk. Of course, our reference involves our plan to be walking all day long for weeks, so the short hike to the Howard Hughes Center was well within our range. We walked and talked and I completely neglected the fact that the sun rays coming through the lightly overcast sky were something I should consider. I got just enough color to serve as a warning which worked well enough to keep me suffering any further lapses of judgement regarding skin protection for the rest of the trek.

When we were finally able to board the flight for our longest leg of the air travel, from Los Angeles to Bangkok (a little over 18 hours), I discovered I had an aisle seat far enough back that there would be only 1 person beside me. I was very fortunate to meet Rosemary Jeffrey as my seat-mate. Rosie was on a return trip to Nepal and shared valuable insights and her precious appreciation for the people and places I was about to encounter. I encouraged her to go ahead and wake me if she ever needed to get up and past me while I was napping. As proof of how well I am able to sleep on a plane, when the time came and she tried to get my attention, I was deep in a dream and when I felt a hand on my shoulder, it occurred as if in my dream and I was aware of it, but it didn’t make sense in the context of the dream. Then she spoke when she touched me again and that broke me from my slumber. I told her how her nudging me had become part of my dream and the second time it woke me. She reported that it was actually the third time. I took that as a good sign.

Jim tests his camera while Rosie visits with Gary

Rosemary gave me a mini-lesson in some Nepali phrases I could use. Luckily, I wrote them down, because I did not retain any of them well enough to use without going back and re-reading my notes several times over. After a relatively short layover in Bangkok, we connected with two more from our group, David and Gary, at the gate of the flight to Kathmandu. They were visiting with Rosemary when we walked up!

After the long leg from LA, the flight to Kathmandu from Bangkok seems short and sweet. There is only minor confusion navigating the details to get us all through the Nepal visa form and customs line and by the time the last person is through, we’ve already claimed all our checked bags and are ready to meet the representatives from Tiger Mountain and be ushered to our hotel.

Since we don’t know who is whom, there is quite a bit of confusion as freelance bag handlers confidently step in and grab our bags and walk with us to the waiting van, then solicit tips for their efforts. The Tiger Mountain staff just let come what may and somehow it all seems to work out.

Then comes the thrill ride of ground transportation in Kathmandu. We are quick to discover that they drive on the left side of the road and the steering wheel is on the right side of the vehicle. The horn is used all the time for navigation to signal intent similar to the way we might use a turn signal. Pedestrians, bikes, 3-wheel rickshaws, scooters, motorcycles, cars, buses, and trucks all share the road space and do so with little wasted space between, so you really do need to keep your hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times. The reality of where we are and how far we have come sets in real fast. The scenery is vivid in exposing the relative poverty, dense population, primitive conditions, amazing colors, flourishing marketplaces, ingenious solutions, impressive tolerance, significant trash accumulations, crude electric power distribution, a proud and beautiful collection of people, and diverse number of officials ranging in look from traffic control, to local police, to multiple military uniforms.

The Yak & Yeti hotel is an oasis of calm and we are greeted as preferred guests and issued our choice of fruit-flavored welcome drink and directed to soft cushioned chairs near the lobby while Jim arranges for rooms and keys. It has been a great start. We are able to catch our breath here and freshen up after all the air travel. It is now Saturday afternoon to us, April 4. So far, so good.

Next: The group assembles and explores Kathmandu…