Kathmandu, the first steps...
Immigration is a lengthy process. I get the distinct feeling things are done old school style so it's no surprise and thankfully I'm not in any hurry. Tourists Visa on arrival is 40 US$ for 30 days and after filling out the necessary forms its off join the queue of knackered intercontinental passengers which by now is stretching almost back to the planes! Oh, and better have a passport photo handy otherwise it's another queue to get that!
From plane to street is about 1 1/2 hours, mainly because our arrival coincided with others. Stepping out into Kathmandu and confronted with hundreds of people and that continuous honking of horns - yep, I can already feel the vibe.
It doesn't take long, just a few seconds actually before I'm picked out by some taxi drivers privileged enough to be allowed into the arrivals area. Walking away and the deals get better by the step. So, it's a 4$ ride downtown to a guesthouse with a 10$ room, let's see what happens! But before all that I need an ATM. It's not looking good as the first attempt failed, second attempt at getting cash has also failed. Another ATM just this way points the the helpful taxi driver, that fails too, oh dear! No problem, ATM downtown, this driver seems pretty eager to keep me on, despite this minor setback.
It's fair to this place is a little rough, but for anyone who's been to Mumbai, well, it's not that bad. The road is rough, dusty and full of traffic and garbage control could be better. But despite that, the adventurous spirit remains - the vibrancy, the colours and of course the food is all here, welcome to Kathmandu.
Immigration is a lengthy process. I get the distinct feeling things are done old school style so it's no surprise and thankfully I'm not in any hurry. Tourists Visa on arrival is 40 US$ for 30 days and after filling out the necessary forms its off join the queue of knackered intercontinental passengers which by now is stretching almost back to the planes! Oh, and better have a passport photo handy otherwise it's another queue to get that!
From plane to street is about 1 1/2 hours, mainly because our arrival coincided with others. Stepping out into Kathmandu and confronted with hundreds of people and that continuous honking of horns - yep, I can already feel the vibe.
It doesn't take long, just a few seconds actually before I'm picked out by some taxi drivers privileged enough to be allowed into the arrivals area. Walking away and the deals get better by the step. So, it's a 4$ ride downtown to a guesthouse with a 10$ room, let's see what happens! But before all that I need an ATM. It's not looking good as the first attempt failed, second attempt at getting cash has also failed. Another ATM just this way points the the helpful taxi driver, that fails too, oh dear! No problem, ATM downtown, this driver seems pretty eager to keep me on, despite this minor setback.
It's fair to this place is a little rough, but for anyone who's been to Mumbai, well, it's not that bad. The road is rough, dusty and full of traffic and garbage control could be better. But despite that, the adventurous spirit remains - the vibrancy, the colours and of course the food is all here, welcome to Kathmandu.
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