Arrived in Kathmandu

Well, I finally arrived in Kathmandu!

Trip was great, Qatar airlines are the nuts.

Left home approx 6.45 am and arrived at Gatwick approx 7.30. Really good run.
Easy check in and flight left on time. Plenty of leg room, good seats and very attentive staff.
Great choice of films, tv programmes and radio . However I never got past the music! It was like having your own personal ipod. I didn't need mine.
Flight was really good, very little turbulence and a great landing.
Doha airport is huge, I mean massive. It is like landing at Luton airport and going to a terminal at Stansted. It was a good 10 mins in the bus from the plane to the terminal.

Airport is very clean and spacious, this is a hub airport for the Middle East and they fly everywhere.
We were given a meal voucher for something to eat as the connection was over 5 hours wait.

The duty free here even had a Ferrari for sale! Loads of designer stuff, especially jewellery and watches.
Had my meal, sat down with my book and ipod and waited till 4 am before we boarded.

Lots of Nepalese on the flight to Kathmandu, all going home for Diwalli,4 days of festival.
Great views of the mountains as we approached Kathmandu, may try and get some photos on the flight back.

Finally got my visa, long queues and was met by Ramsharam, my contact here. He is a really nice guy, he had a driver take me to the hotel. Just as well as the traffic is a nightmare,everyone tooting, cutting each other up and driving on the wrong side of the road.
Do not let anyone ever tell me the traffic in London is bad, this make London look like a village as far as traffic goes!
Anyway, we got to the hotel in one piece and I checked in. The Mandap hotel is centrally situated in the Thamel district, the main tourist area. Thamel is always busy during the dy, but gets quiet approx 11 pm when most places close. There are a few bars that stay open but not very many.
The hotel is basic but clean, has a nice bakery and a terrace area.It is in a graet location, in the centre but not too noisy. Staff are really friendly and helpful.
I unpacked, showered and met Ramaharam about 4 pm. We went for a walk around the town, what a assault on your senses.
Noisy, crowded and fascinating!
Street sellers everywhere, selling everything and anything.

We had an Indian for dinner, meal for 2 with drinks in a top restaurant approx 10 pounds!
Got back to the hotel, had a couple of local beers, it is called Everest (what else), wrote in my journal and phoned Sandra. It was really good to talk to her as my mobile doesn't work out here. Missing her loads, especially as I have to plan when I can talk to her.After a chat I then went to bed.
I turned on the tv, found BBC news and heard that Ramos had been sacked and "Arry" was our new manager. Oh joy!!!!!
Found a channel that has Sky Sports, so watched the West Ham v Arsenal game. More to the point saw that we actually won a game, conceded no goals and got 3 points!
Trust me not to be there to see it.

Then I found the Portsmouth game on the tele, seems they get more football out here than we get at home. So I guess I will be able to watch the game v Arsenal on Weds in my room.
Finaly got to sleep approx 1.30 am.

First impressions of Nepal: people are very welcoming and polite. They all have a smile on their face, a lot have very few teeth! They seem incredibly happy even though they do not have a lot, in fact some have nothing at all!
Kathmandu is fascinating, very vibrant, crowded, noisy, dusty but a great place to be. If the first day has set the tone for this trip it will be truly memorable.