We've arrived in Nepal

After a very, very long flight and an additional stop in India we have arrived in Nepal. There were lots of weather issues yesterday that prevented us from landing in Kathmandu so we flew into India where we refueled and waited to see if the weather would clear for us to head back to Kathmandu. We didn't arrive until after 10pm.
The airport in Kathmandu we were told was air conditioned, which we found out meant there where ceiling fans everywhere. Even with our late arrival there was still a lot to do in the airport. We exchanged money which made me feel really rich as I gave them a $20 and got 2500 Repels back. The man behind the counter was very nice but also very fast and was onto the next customer before I realized he had taken my money and exchanged it. Thankfully we had already gotten our visa's so going through customs was simple and pain free. As we headed to the baggage claim area we had to go through another security check point where they scan your bags. We also did this once we arrived in Dubai so are becoming very proficient at the whole process.

Baggage - we were standing at the carousel that everyone else from our flight was at. And everyone was getting their bags and TV's they had bought somewhere else and then all the bags were gone. And we were still standing there waiting for a single sighting of our bags. I'll admit I started to worry a little bit before this point that someone had taken our bags. ("You were freaking out Jenessa" - Keturah) We asked this kind man who didn't speak much English about the bags and he pointed us to another carousel on the other end. I almost cried when I saw our bags there, all perfect and beautiful, not stolen. It was a wonderful sight.

One of the cool things they do in Nepal which I think we in the US should do at airports is that one you get your bags as you head out of the airport they have security to check your bags against the baggage claim numbers you were given at the beginning of your trip. This ensures that everyone goes out with their own bags. Had I know this before hand I might not have freaked out as much when our bags were not there yet.

Our next stop was the pre-paid taxi stand. We met the three most chatty-catty guys there. They wanted to know where we were from, what we did for a living, if we married (I'm kidding they didn't ask that last one.) It cost 1300 Repels or $16 for our taxi. [See post about 'Best Driving Ever' to read about this terrifying experience with our taxi driver - Utah driver are nothing compared to this guy]

We arrived at the house in Kathmandu for the Mountain Fund. We were met by Santhi who is one of the 'Sisters' here. The women who run the program are all called 'Sisters'. This makes it really easy for me as I can't seem to remember anyone's names. Keturah is really go at this and is able to tell me names again as well as words we just learned that seem to go in one ear and out the other for me.
Santhi was so nice they set us up in our room and she told us to get rest and not to worry about what time we got up in the morning as we would need sleep after the travel we just had.

It was a very nice welcome to Nepal.


Jenessa