Due to rough weather yesterday in Kuala Lumpur, I missed my connection to Kathmandu and was forced to stay in KL overnight, catching a flight out this morning. While inconvenient, safety is the top priority. I appreciate the airline accommodating a hotel, new flight ticket, and transport.
I packed my bags, ate the hotel’s breakfast, then shuttled to the airport. After checking in and making my way through passport control, I arrived at my gate with time to spare. I laid out my yoga mat and did a yoga flow by the gate before grabbing a seat, pulling out my computer, and catching up on writing.
The Kuala Lumpur airport’s layout is not well thought out. Instead of a single security checkpoint before entering the terminal, each gate had its own security screening equipment and the security team would move around the gates according to the flight schedule. How inefficient and inconvenient. This meant I had to pour out my water before getting to the sealed off gate area. After getting in an argument with the security agent about my holy water, slyly I left that bottle in my bag, grabbed my refillable bottle, left the screening area and dumped out that water before passing through once again. My holy water would continue on my journey for a while longer.
We boarded the flight, which was less than half full. I scored an exit row window seat, but ended up moving to a non-exit row seat during the flight due to the need for an armrest. The armrest came in handy, as I spent the entire 5 hour flight working. At times when we weren’t allowed to have devices out, I sat next to my Nepali friend Karki, whom I met while sharing a row on the rough plane ride yesterday.
Upon landing, we shuttled from the plane to the airport, where I did my visa on arrival, passed through immigration, and breezed through customs. Cab drivers were a tad aggressive for my liking, and charging 3x the price I could score from the Bolt app. I made good use of my 20 minute wait time by grabbing a burger, fries, and iced mocha at the nearby “Burger House and Crispy Fried Chicken” restaurant. I finished, paid, and hopped in my ride. We were heading to the opposite side of Kathmandu to Thamel, a popular neighborhood for tourists and where the trekking office I would need to visit is located. While making our way, I observed loud, crowded, chaotic streets similar to Bangkok and Hanoi. However, unlike Bangkok and Hanoi, there were not any buildings taller than six or seven stories. Kathmandu is comprised of smaller buildings, many of which coated in bright colored paint.
Upon arrival in Thamel, I checked into my hotel. I dropped off my bags and then headed to the Wilderness Excursion trekking office. There, I met Pradip, the manager whom I had been in contact with for several weeks leading up to the trek. He was kind enough to let me ship my cold gear (mittens, hat, snow pants, and base layers) to his office. I made good use of my gear while snowboarding Japan, but saving the space and weight while hopping around Southeast Asia was incredibly helpful. We reviewed the trip itinerary and gear checklist of what I still needed to acquire.
My guide was held up in traffic, so I left the office and wandered Thamel shops in search of the few remaining items I needed. I rented trekking boots and a sleeping bag and purchased ice cleats, a trekking hat, and a nice cashmere scarf. People close to me know I’m a big fan of pashmina scarves, wearing them at music festivals, nights out, or just as an accessory. I had to exercise some impulse control, limiting myself to buying only one, knowing my needs and space constraints. This has been difficult as there are streets stuffed with stores solely selling scarves of pashmina, cashmere, yak wool, and more materials.
For dinner, I reunited with my friends and early Asia travel companions, Joseph and Morgan. It had been over a month since I last saw them in Chiang Mai. We met at an upscale Nepali restaurant nearby called Third Eye. I caught them up with travel stories from Cambodia, Vietnam, and Indonesia. They filled me in on their travel adventures in India and some time spent in Nepal. We enjoyed six or seven Nepali dishes family style and drank Nepali beer and house wine. They were kind enough to gift me with a silver Hanuman amulet to be strung and worn as a necklace. Hanuman is the focal point of my Sak Yant tattoo that I received with Joseph and Morgan after they received theirs. Therein lies the significance. The Hanuman amulet was wrapped in a thin, bright, white cloth scarf that they mentioned was blessed by a monk in Nepal. “Keep it for safe travels and blessings, or if you find a meaningful spot in the Himalayas to fly it, feel free. It’s yours to do with what you will,” Joseph said. I thanked them for the generous gift.
Following dinner, I said my farewells to Joseph and Morgan, and returned to the trekking office where I met Tes, my guide for the elevated excursion. He seemed friendly, experienced, and calm. I felt a level of comfort and confidence in him from first meeting. We discussed the meeting time and place plans for tomorrow morning, then I returned to my hotel. Here, I prepared my pack only with the items I would need for the trek then worked until my tiredness overtook me.