We were up and out of the apartment this morning at 6:00 a.m. to board a 7:00 a.m. Buddha Air flight over the Himalayans including Mt. Everest. Bret and I are both big believers in doing and seeing everything that interests us in a particular place because who knows when, if ever, we'll be this way again. We were joined by our new Texas friend, Ellen and a friend of hers who is living here. This being Nepal, we boarded the plane with about 10 other tourists shortly after 8:00 a.m. Our flight was about an hour long and the views were spectacular. Everyone had a window seat and the crew was very accommodating, taking each person up to the cockpit to see great views and to point out specific mountains. This was Wynn's first time in an airplane and he did great. He just wasn't too keen on wearing a seat belt. (Not only are there no such thing as car seats here, there are no seat belts either. He has a huge surprise waiting for him when we get home.) Leah, our seasoned traveler, really enjoyed the flight as well.
In the afternoon we went to the U.S. Embassy to apply for Wynn's visa and to complete our interview with the consulate officer. Things went very smoothly and there were no surprises. They are going to do their best to have the visa ready tomorrow (Friday) by 4:30 p.m. After that, we're just waiting for Wynn's airline ticket to arrive from the States. As an airline employee, Bret, Leah and I flew here for a very nominal fee. In order for Wynn to be able to do the same, Bret was able to have him added to his benefits as a dependent yesterday. Then a friend of his at work got a ticket for Wynn to fly home with us and Fed Ex'ed it to our apartment. It should arrive by Monday. So if all goes as planned, we'll be flying home Monday evening. Fingers crossed. In the meantime, we'll spend the next few days doing final sightseeing and shopping. We're just about at the point where we can exhale.
It will be three weeks tomorrow since we arrived in Kathmandu and experienced that wild taxi ride from the airport to our hotel in Thamel. We've learned a lot, had some incredible experiences, and have gotten fairly comfortable with being here. But naturally we're anxious to get home to family, friends and familiar surroundings. Leah said to me yesterday that she forgets what her bedroom looks like.
Photo captions - Mount Everest; Us boarding our flight; Leah on board with her map of the Himalayan Mountain range; Leah and Wynn with the doorman today at our neighborhood hangout, the Shangra La Hotel where we ate dinner this evening.
No comments:
Post a Comment