Day 11: Chitwan to Kathmandu

We check in and are waiting for our flight to be called – only to discover there is a 30 minute delay. It is very hot inside so we find some seats outside in the shade. We don’t ever find out what the source of the problem is other than the hold up is in Kathmandu and there are no local planes getting out. More and more people keeping piling into the small and mostly amenity-free terminal. Eventually after a 5 hour delay we get our flight – there was some interest part way through as we had to go through departure screening and there was no x-ray so they have to search our bags manually (a men’s line and a women’s line). Our flight turns out to be only 17 minutes in the air (extended a bit today as we have to circle the airport before landing). 5 hours wait for a 17 minute flight – but apparently still better than the road.

We finally get ourselves and baggage back to the hotel (actually Kishor looked after us in his usual very capable manner rather than us doing anything). By this stage it is mid-afternoon and there is not much point in trying to do anything – even if we had the energy. Andrew, Doreen and I sit in the lounge bar outside and enjoy a fresh lemon soda and fries (which was exactly what we needed). We had had snacks during the day and we are going out for our final dinner with Kishor at 6.00.

Poor Jenny has gone down hill and has gone to a private hospital where they determined that she has fluid on the lungs (pneumonia) and they are pumping her full of antibiotics. She will need a few days in hospital and not be able to fly for a few more after that. So Dennis is going to come with us to Bhutan and Jenny will come back to the nice surroundings of the hotel after she has recovered somewhat, then they can both fly back as expected.

We meet in the lobby at 6.00 (now there were 6 – Dennis joins us later) and are transferred by van to our dinner venue (the Utsav Restaurant) which is a very popular restaurant that serves traditional Nepali food and their rice whisky, and has a cultural show. The performers were much more polished and engaged that the ones we saw on our first night of the tour that seems like a very long time ago now.

My cough has taken another turn and now I am losing my voice. There are other changes as well and after talking with Doreen who is a nurse, I decide to start taking the antibiotics I have for chest infections so that I don’t end up with pneumonia as well – particularly as we are heading to higher altitudes in Bhutan tomorrow. Unfortunately I have to take them on an empty stomach so have to wait until morning to start taking them and I have a very cough-filled night meantime.

For this and other similar tours see:

Explore Asia with Intrepid Travel (a range of different travel styles – see my post on travel styles)

Peregrine Adventures (Comfort tours)

Geckos Adventures (for 18 to 30s)

Note: After people telling me they had booked an Intrepid Tour on my recommendation, I now have affiliate links with the Intrepid Travel group of companies and may receive a commission if you book a tour online within a couple of months after clicking through to these sites.  So if you are enjoying my tips and stories and finding them useful in choosing your own travel, please click on these links and help me to bring you more .