Today was probably the most stressful travel experience I've ever had, all because I didn't double-check my
departure time. Instead of leaving at 10:30am, a time which I had somehow ingrained in my mind so convincingly
that even when asked several times about my departure time I didn't feel the need to check, my flight was leaving
at 9:30am. Luckily, it was the flight after a stopover so I already had my boarding pass for the flight and my
luggage was checked all the way through to Kathmandu.
Aside from that hiccup, the rest of the morning went very smoothly, landing on time and even having my luggage
make it too!
The traffic in Nepal is wild, extremely different from anything I have experienced before. There is 0 following
of traffic laws (save keeping left, most of the time) so as a result there's an unending stream of communication
(read: horn honking) between drivers. Surprisingly the system works, and I'm guessing it also combats the issue
of distracted driving that is present in countries with stricter road rules, because in Nepal if you lose
concentration you're going to collide with the next car/moped/pedestrian on the road.
When we finally made it to the hotel (and more importantly out of the car), I felt a lot more comfortable, but
still very uneasy about being in such an unfamiliar environment. I spent the rest of the day in my hotel room,
partly because it has air-con and partly because I needed some debrief time to myself after the past two weeks,
and arriving in a new place. The view from my hotel room also didn't help my efforts to leave it.
ALSO, this is basically the first time I've written a blog of any kind, so I'm sure my style will keep fluctuating
over the next month as I find my groove.
Anyhow, until next time..
M