I am writing these lines on the plane, somewhere over Georgia. That is where I last went hiking in the mountains, taking in the wonderful views of Kakheti in eastern Georgia. Years have passed since then, but the call to do something like it came again. This time in Nepal.
A couple of months ago I watched the apocalyptic mudslides there and thought this trip would not happen. Not to Nepal, at least. Things got better, and we changed just one thing: the bus ride on the mountain road was swapped for a flight.
The Finnair flight left Tallinn at 15:35. I had picked seat 51A in the emergency exit row early, so I could stretch my legs. Then a large woman sat down next to me, and the freedom of my legs was matched by the squeeze on my upper half. Before landing in Delhi the crew sprayed insecticide through the cabin.
Eight hours later I was in Delhi’s Terminal 3. Ahead were several security checks and a transfer to another terminal. It was nice to see that some of the staff simply were there. At least they had somewhere to be, and in India’s crowded streets it would hardly be more pleasant. I will get to know India properly later.
For breakfast I had paneer tikka, lassi and a double cappuccino. On the IndiGo flight to Kathmandu I slept a little, to be ready for the wondrous world of Nepal. At the border in Kathmandu I paid 30 dollars for the visa (≈ 4,560 NPR, ≈ €27).