Day 15
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Day 15: Friday 13th December

Everest flight; Pashupatinath to witness cremation by ghat; Bodnath stupa; the gentle call of Frances to lunch; free afternoon (shopping in Kathmandu); Kilroy's for Gill's birthday.

Today is the flight to Everest as well as the Pashupatinath trip mentioned in the itinerary.

I meet Kirby in the breakfast room at 6:10am; the tea/coffee breakfast we intended to have rapidly expanded into a half-breakfast (cereal/fruit salad) before we stop for fear of missing the departure.

Clare dispatches us all into the hands of the local bus tour guide, who takes us to the domestic terminal of the airport, driving through two checkpoints unhindered.

The terminal itself is a walk through a checkpoint (exiting the car park) and then along a road to the building. We have boarding passes courtesy of the guide on the bus; on asking at check-in they wave us through... to security...

Security is an X-ray machine - operator reading a paper - beside which there's metal detectors (men and women separate). Security check for the men was the metal detector immediately followed by a curtain... behind the curtain is a man with a table who asks you "Any sharp objects, explosives, matches etc...?". The correct answer gives you a stamp and you can move into the 'departure lounge', a huge, open, draughty room leading straight out onto the airport tarmac through some double-doors (the 'gates'). There's no indication of what flight's going or from which 'gate' until the staff shout it. Outside, fog rolls over the airport - you can't see a thing, and it's cold!

Our flight, originally 0705, left 0910 just after we'd succumbed to tea and coffee (5Rs). Got through another level of security and onto the transfer bus sitting on the tarmac... and there we stayed... the airport is hovering between open and closed due to the fog... and there's a delay... Frances jokingly orders a coffee from the man, and (after some misunderstanding) he escorts a few of our group to get tea/coffee while waiting for the airport to reopen if the fog lifts.

Eventually, in the cold (but thinning) fog, we move out to stand on the tarmac beside our plane. About 20mins and a few photos later we get on... Caro and I at the back. A delay in anything happening gave us all an opportunity to get photos of us pre-flight (although Sally's camera refused to flash despite the efforts of the stranger at the start and Graham after him).

The flight leaves, and we all keenly follow the profile map [p1, p2, p3, p4]. On the right are Kathmandu and its plain; on the left-hand side are glorious white peaks; the views are reversed on the return flight.

As we approach Everest it's my turn to (quickly!) visit the cockpit, where the co-pilot is doubled-up to allow the punters good views of the mountains ahead.

The return journey also gives the option of buying (of course!) a T-shirt ($8) and video ($20). But free with the flight is a certificate signed by the 'Flight Commander'.

We're a bit late getting back to the hotel, of course - 10:20 instead of about 09:00! Clare is still there, though, having stalled the 10:00 trip until 11:00 - which means we can have (or complete) breakfast (most people are starving). Kirby & I complete our earlier aborted attempt at breakfast.

At 11, then, we return to the bus for a trip to tourist-heavy Pashupatinath [back] on the banks of the Bagmati River, with the local tour guide. This is the holiest Hindu shrine in Nepal.

By luck, and the delay from this morning, we witness the dying embers of a cremation (turfed into the river), and the start of another (clothes thrown in river - apparently they're collected by the poor downstream, body moved onto bamboo stretcher, body wrapped in straw mat). We watch from the other side of the river, where there's a row of shrines. The body is then moved, without much pomp and ceremony, onto the pyre, and lit.

Getting back onto the coach, we are pursued by hawkers - mainly with jewellery - and Frances ultimately flash-buys a **huge** necklace for 500Rs.

We've overrun here by about 1 hour; the next stop is at Bodnath/Boudnath/Bouddhanath Stupa, which is up a side street off the main road. It's a massive Buddhist stupa (the largest in the country), white, crowned in jasmine-coloured paint - a focus point for Buddhist pilgrims from all over Nepal. We all walked round the stupa (clockwise!) at various speeds (3 times for Frances), rolled the huge prayerwheels in the adjoining room and around the edge, and ascended to the base of the summit.

For speed, Clare has organised lunch at the adjoining Stupa View restaurant, at the top, overlooking the stupa. But Frances is missing... she's still on the stupa... Clare calls through the serenity but Frances is oblivious - so Graham has a go, efficiently smashing the serenity of the Buddhist shrine...!!! Lunch is a few lassi and a pre-ordered rice dish - the Nepali version of thali.

We're released after lunch - most of us use the bus back to the hotel. It's 2pm and the next date is 7:30pm at reception for dinner at Kilroy's - and Gill's birthday!

Everyone dissolves into their rooms and I go out for Christmas cards - along the top road and down the western side of Thame, all the way to the edge of Dhurbar Square, where I'm stopped for a ticket. I explain I'm not here for the square, so I'm directed through a corner street (dirt track!) which leads to the northern edge of the square. Managed to skirt along the top of the square and into Indrachowk... through side streets to Kantipath, left to Asan Tol, then northwest and back into Thamel - where I find the first shop selling Xmas cards (hand made/drawn, 5 for 100Rs) and one opposite (175 per card down to 140 after I say it's cheaper elsewhere) - but it's not cheap enough to satisfy my need for 20! There's a paper shop a bit further south (near Rum Doodle) which sells exactly what I need - 8-packs (175Rs) plus singles! I get two packs & 4 cards for 400Rs.

Shopping achieved, I try a different route back to the hotel via Thamel, nipping back briefly to convert £10 (300Rs). Back at the hotel I have shower & get ready for Gill's party.

Meet most of the crew in reception; Caro and Sue go off early to collect Sue's made-to-order trousers. Clare is resplendent in a light sari (yes!) - and make-up!

"Happy birthday" started off the meal - Gill's loving it! - and there's loads of western food - like pumpkin soup, cheese and tuna melt, rum and diet coke... and to top it off, a birthday cake accompanied by another rendition of the birthday song!

Some filter off to the hotel after the meal - the military curfew doesn't encourage much after-hours entertainment - but Gill and Chris manage to find a hotel bar to prop up until nigh on 3:30am; Alex, Sally and Clare manage the Jump Club with a 2:45 end. And don't forget - Chris leaves tomorrow at 10:00 for her flight back...!!!