Hello all!
We have arrived! All safe and sound here in Kathmandu, my plane actually came in a half hour early...crazy. My flights to Doha, Qatar and Kathmandu were pretty much the most international of flights I have ever been on, people from all over Europe and Asia, no one culture majority. Rebecca, on the other hand, experienced being the ONLY female on a flight from Doha to Bahrain, which I'm sure was pretty interesting (she's writing more about that later). There was one man on my flight from Britian who looked to be about 70, wearing full Nepali garb (though he was white) and looked to be an old hippie of sorts, maybe rekindling a past visit to the Himalayas. He sat on his feet (squatting) on the airplane until the stewardess made him sit and buckle his belt. He was a little off, I think. Also hilarious was getting a visa and going through customs at the airport. You fill out a sheet of paper, give them $30, and they give you a visa. I don't think the man even looked at my passport. "Customs" referred to two men chatting beside a nonworking metal detector. Oh, I already love this country...
Flying into Kathmandu was absolutely gorgeous, as we descended the Himalayas stuck out of a layer of cloud cover, it is amazing we didn't crash into one actually. Kathmandu sits at the lowest spot of the valley, pretty much surrounded by mountains on all sides- so you know I love it. We also met with Ashmita, our contact here in Kathmandu last night for drinks (meaning 7UP), and she is super sweet. She's getting us connected with a language teacher and bus ride to the orphanage, and strangely enough, is applying to the University of Oklahoma... random.
Right now it is kind of chilly and my time is running out, but just wanted to let everyone know we are here and safe!
