Singapore to Kathmandu...first to third (world's apart)

The four hour flight from Singapore was pretty easy, compared to our flights from LA and Tokyo. I sat in a window seat which looked north, with hopes of catching my first glimpse of the great Himalayan mountain range. Most of this very green landscape was draped in clouds, though I was able to catch the very tips of some mountains off in the distance. Closer to when we landed I was able to capture my first views of Nepal.

What I see is the polar-opposite of what I see when landing in SoCal - very green, hilly-actually fairly steep canyons rimmed and spotted with homes. The total lack of arrangement of the homes makes it appear as if some great entity scattered their homes with a single toss. As we descend I can tell that we are entering a struggling nation. Dirt roads, lack of infrastructure, power lines stretched in a maze as if they grew there like vines. My curiosity was struck by the appearance of many small towers which seemed to be used for burning something due to the black scars around the tops of these tall, yet steeply conical towers. We land and I get a rush of excitement and amazement that we are finally in Nepal!

We step off the plane into the warm air of Kathmandu and walk across the tarmac to our shuttle. From the horribly stuffy shuttle I can see the presence of military, ranging from soldiers to seemingly high military figures due to the bling that adorns their uniforms. The small, rustic airport reminds me of other developing countries I have been to including Jamaica, Morocco, and even places in Peru.

We fill out our immigration and visa paperwork and this is where it gets really interesting... The officer asks us if we have a picture of ourselves to place on the application...but, he does this by simply saying: "picture". We tell him that we were not told we needed a picture and did not have one...he repeats: "picture...no picture? Go there" and with a quick hand gesture he points across the way. He continues working on some other paper work when he repeats in very little words or gestures that we need to go "there"...awkward! We are very concerned at this point and don't really know what is going on...if we are going to be able to get into the country or not, and have no money yet. We finally make it through immigration and head down to get our baggage, only after walking through a metal detector that no one is monitoring. A man walks through the metal detector before us in the opposite direction, the alarm sounds and no one takes notice...we pass through and it alarms... and no one takes notice. Luckily we get our bags very quickly and head to the exit. We see a ton of Nepalis standing behind a barrier looking for their disembarked when we see a sign that reads: Rebecca Cady. Oh, what a relief! We meet our guide and he takes us out to the car when some random guys help us get our bags into the car, at this point I am not sure if these guys are part of the tour company or what...but as they subtly hint that I should tip them, I gather that they are not. Regardless, I reach in my pocket and grab the Singaporean change I still have and hand it over...whatever I am not going to use that again for a few weeks. Our guide places a fresh flower lei around our necks and we are off to our hotel. We cautiously wander the local area to see whats up, and end up at a very safe cafe to get some food and local beer. I have found this to be the best way to ease culture shock by eating familiar food in a safe place with a nice cold beer!