Having done virtually all the packing last night, all we really had to do this morning was get up, shower, have some breakfast, and jump in a taxi to the airport. Nepal had other ideas. It got downright cold overnight, and we were up too early for the sun to have done much to heat up our bath water. Since we had just showered yesterday afternoon, we decided to skip the freezing water and instead, bundled ourselves up for what we hoped would be the last time this trip and went out to breakfast. Our host at the Elbrus House had said we should leave for the airport at 8:00 am. This seemed awfully early to me for an 11:20 am flight, but I thought maybe Khem knew something we didn't. We made it to the airport by about 8:20 and after having our bags opened and inspected by security, we got in line at the ticket counter. The baggage handler assured us we'd only have to wait 5 minutes for the counter to open; he lied. After about 30 minutes, a couple of gentlemen appeared and started turning on the computers at the desks. Over the next half hour, more staff appeared, and finally around 9:30 we were able to check in. Since we were the first people in line, it was a quick and painless process. We got two seats in front of the wing on the Everest side of the plane. This was one bit of advice we did pay attention to on this trip, since if the weather is clear, passengers on the left side of the aircraft have a view of the Himalayas for the first thirty minutes of the flight.

Then we waited some more. We spent our last Nepali rupees on coffees, some sort of weird pound cake, and some licorice candies. After a while, Brian and Tanja of the DRZ400s appeared, and we chatted about our trips and shipping experiences. Brian and Tanja seemed none too pleased with Suraj and Eagle Exports, since they felt that he tried to cheat them. Through some tough negotiations on their part, Brian and Tanja were able to get their final bill for their freight and personal flights reduced by 300 USD. It seems that Suraj has some air waybills which in addition to listing the actual amount due to Thai Airways, also list 20,000 Nepali rupees (250 USD) as a handling charge. A careful reading of the air waybill apparently reveals that the 20,000 rupees is actually refunded to Suraj. On top of this handling charge included on the air waybill, he also attempts to add another 8,000 rupees (or more) as his fee. Brian and Tanja caught on to this, and told him there was no way they were paying him twice. They also cornered him on his exorbitant price for their air tickets. A bit later, Stefano and Annamaria, the Italian couple riding KLE500s also arrived. It was interesting to hear how different everyone's trips had been so far, and it was nice to talk to some fellow travelers for a while. We also found out that, while our bikes were flying today, Suraj's customers' bikes weren't flying until Sunday. The rationale being that Customs is closed on the weekend (uh oh) and that storage charges would accrue if the bikes arrive on Friday and aren't picked up until Monday. Huh.



We finally boarded around 11:30 am and found the plane to be plain and a little bit old. After takeoff, we rose above the clouds, and the captain identified several of the peaks we cruised past. The food service was good, and the flight was otherwise, unremarkable. We touched down in Bangkok on time and soon taxied to our gate. Stepping onto the jetbridge, we could feel the heat and humidity we'd been missing for the past month or so. There was a bit of a wait at Immigration, but we made it through without problems. After collecting our bags, we tried to slide through the “nothing to declare” lane but got nabbed and had to have our bags inspected. Apparently we were clean and were free to go. Once on the concourse, I found an ATM and was reminded of one of my least favorite things about Thailand: every ATM transaction is whacked with a 150 Baht (5 USD) fee. Grrrr. Confident that we would be able to pick up our bikes tomorrow, we said farewell to the DRZs and KLEs before we left the airport. Brian and Tanja are heading south almost immediately, but we might meet up with Stefano and Annamaria somewhere down the road.

Walking out of the airport to our shuttle van was literally and figuratively a breath of fresh air. The temperature was around 90 degrees and the humidity was high, but it felt great after being too cold for too long. The other notable difference here was the quantity and quality of cars. After nearly three months of Mahindras and Tatas, it was nice to see some German, Japanese, and American sheet metal. (I will never get tired of tatas ). I got even more excited on the short ride from the airport to our hotel. Everywhere I looked, there were cool underbones, street vendors selling food I wanted to eat, and women in shorts. It's the little things! Our hotel is very nice, more like a business hotel than a backpacker flop, and most importantly, it is clean – really clean. The bathroom is clean, the walls are clean, the floors are clean, the sheets and pillows smell freshly laundered, and no 1/8” of dust on the top of anything. We finally took our long awaited shower before heading out to dinner.

The other big advantage to our hotel is that there is an extensive night market next door. Everywhere we looked there was delicious food and fruit. Unlike anywhere we've been for the past few months, the question wasn't, “Can I find something I would like to eat,” but instead, the problem was trying to make up my mind which of the fifty yummy looking things did I want to try today.



We settled on some pork and noodle soup made with egg noodles, sliced barbequed pork, and pork-filled wontons. I love pork, and so does Re. We slurped down this yummy goodness and at the end of the meal we paid the nice lady 60 Baht (under 2 USD) for both of our soups. The night market is also next to a 7Eleven, where we picked up three 640 ml Chang Classics and two Cornetto ice cream cones, for the princely sum of 5 USD. I love Thailand. Back at the room, we ate our ice cream, drank our s, and collapsed into bed, where we fell asleep on a real, innerspring mattress!


Nepal: We were in Nepal for 15 days and covered 270 miles, which equals only 18 miles per day. Being sick and injured sure cut into our riding time. We used 6.33 gallons of petrol, which equals 85 mpg. We spent 611 USD (not including our airline tickets, freight, or paragliding) which equals 41 USD per day.