We left our hotel in Kathmandu around lunch time. I had a quiet morning with a slightly unsettled tum so decided to have a sleep in. At the airport I could have given the check-in guy a big hug when he said that he could check our luggage through to Christchurch. We had sent a number of emails prior to leaving NZ and no one could confirm whether we would need to pick up our bags in Delhi. We had even purchased another visa to India in case we needed to go through customs. Alison and I are thinking that it will be a small miracle if our luggage manages to stay with us on 3 flights and a 13 hour stop over in Singapore. Given we had a near two hour delay in Kathmandu we think a delay in getting luggage might be a small price to pay.
This might seem like a small delay to seasoned travelers but Kathmandu airport is not a place you want to get stuck in. We had out bags half heartedly checked and our bodies patted down in a fashion that could only be called cursory. In the departure lounge we settled down to a lunch of chippies, biscuits and cold drinks as there was only one take-away restaurant. When our departure was finally called we were taken 25 metres by bus to the plane. Then there was a hand luggage security check. Picture those little sheds that line a UK beach in summer. There were three red ones lined up leading to the aircraft steps. One line for women another two for men. This reflects the history that mainly men travel from Nepal (similar to the ratio of men:women loos that could be found in the airport).
We have had a great holiday and said goodbye to Nepal as the sun set behind the Himalayan mountains.
Our excursion through customs at Delhi was as could be expected with officials very confused that our boarding passes are printed on Air India letter head for a Singapore Airlines flight. Sitting on the flight to Singapore we breathed a sigh of relief that travelling home, so far had been reasonably smooth.
It is a balmy 26 degrees in Singapore. We caught the metro into town and wandered around the river and the garden known for its wonderful greenery and statues. It has been over 10 years since Harry and I was last here and I certainly can't remember much about the Harbour at all. Much of it looked new. It was nice wandering around with cruise ships and container cranes in the background. Considering we haven't had much sleep in the last 24 hours I am surprised we have coped as well as we have. Back at the airport we had a refreshing shower and found ourselves a comfy spot near the window, foot massage and cafe. I could feel my eyelids drooping.
We left on time and arrived in Christchurch after 9 hours. It was made longer for me, as my entertainment system didn't work, and neither did the light above the seat (no reading!!) so 45H was quiet and in darkness. I was probably the worst person to have this lack of entertainment as I wandered up and down the aisles looking at most others sleeping the flight away. I was given a $75 duty free voucher as a compensation and when the lights came on for breakfast flipped through the duty free magazine. $75 seemed generous at first glance, but actually most goods were well over the $100 mark. I settled for a $79 face cream - my face won't know what has hit it and I am expecting to feel young and rejuvenated very quickly.
Christchurch was warm and sunny and to our amazement our bags came on the carousel. Mine was the second to last out, and the aide who was beginning to doubt our bags would arrive was also pleasantly surprised. Pretty impressive service having a number of people all wearing uniforms look out for tired travellers. I think we were too tired to care about our luggage but I did give a small thank you to the baggage handlers who had managed our bags over three planes and many thousands of kilometres. We managed to get on an earlier flight to Wellington (the journey through Customs was a breeze thanks to Alison suggesting we write down everything we purchased, and my suggestion of packing all our purchases in one spot).
Harry was there to welcome me home and I needed that big hug. We sat outside in the sun which was one of the only sunny days Harry said NZ had had. This was confirmed by my sad green looking tomatoes. I was fast asleep by 8.00 having drifted off a number of times after we sat down for tea (my longed for salad).
Sunday - Harry has gone to a work expo and I have slept until very late. I am just beginning to mooch around the house, unpack, eat, download photos and finishing the blog.
This might seem like a small delay to seasoned travelers but Kathmandu airport is not a place you want to get stuck in. We had out bags half heartedly checked and our bodies patted down in a fashion that could only be called cursory. In the departure lounge we settled down to a lunch of chippies, biscuits and cold drinks as there was only one take-away restaurant. When our departure was finally called we were taken 25 metres by bus to the plane. Then there was a hand luggage security check. Picture those little sheds that line a UK beach in summer. There were three red ones lined up leading to the aircraft steps. One line for women another two for men. This reflects the history that mainly men travel from Nepal (similar to the ratio of men:women loos that could be found in the airport).
We have had a great holiday and said goodbye to Nepal as the sun set behind the Himalayan mountains.
Our excursion through customs at Delhi was as could be expected with officials very confused that our boarding passes are printed on Air India letter head for a Singapore Airlines flight. Sitting on the flight to Singapore we breathed a sigh of relief that travelling home, so far had been reasonably smooth.
It is a balmy 26 degrees in Singapore. We caught the metro into town and wandered around the river and the garden known for its wonderful greenery and statues. It has been over 10 years since Harry and I was last here and I certainly can't remember much about the Harbour at all. Much of it looked new. It was nice wandering around with cruise ships and container cranes in the background. Considering we haven't had much sleep in the last 24 hours I am surprised we have coped as well as we have. Back at the airport we had a refreshing shower and found ourselves a comfy spot near the window, foot massage and cafe. I could feel my eyelids drooping.
We left on time and arrived in Christchurch after 9 hours. It was made longer for me, as my entertainment system didn't work, and neither did the light above the seat (no reading!!) so 45H was quiet and in darkness. I was probably the worst person to have this lack of entertainment as I wandered up and down the aisles looking at most others sleeping the flight away. I was given a $75 duty free voucher as a compensation and when the lights came on for breakfast flipped through the duty free magazine. $75 seemed generous at first glance, but actually most goods were well over the $100 mark. I settled for a $79 face cream - my face won't know what has hit it and I am expecting to feel young and rejuvenated very quickly.
Christchurch was warm and sunny and to our amazement our bags came on the carousel. Mine was the second to last out, and the aide who was beginning to doubt our bags would arrive was also pleasantly surprised. Pretty impressive service having a number of people all wearing uniforms look out for tired travellers. I think we were too tired to care about our luggage but I did give a small thank you to the baggage handlers who had managed our bags over three planes and many thousands of kilometres. We managed to get on an earlier flight to Wellington (the journey through Customs was a breeze thanks to Alison suggesting we write down everything we purchased, and my suggestion of packing all our purchases in one spot).
Harry was there to welcome me home and I needed that big hug. We sat outside in the sun which was one of the only sunny days Harry said NZ had had. This was confirmed by my sad green looking tomatoes. I was fast asleep by 8.00 having drifted off a number of times after we sat down for tea (my longed for salad).
Sunday - Harry has gone to a work expo and I have slept until very late. I am just beginning to mooch around the house, unpack, eat, download photos and finishing the blog.
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