Kathmandu > Bangkok: Flying away to meet the bird flu

Last day.

Ang and Subas came to our hotel in the morning to say their goodbyes and gave us scarfs for safe-passage (or something related, I’ll show my ignorance there). A little disheartening to say farewell to these guys since they were the two we grew closest to over the trek with them both speaking great English and being with us all day, every day.

But everything must come to an end.

Even for Christina.

She grew pretty attached to Subas. So much so, that we’re certain she had a pretty enormous crush on him ;-)

In any case, we also said a “see ya” to Jamie, with the possibility of meeting up in Bangkok in a few days. He hasn’t a clue as to his plans though… All he knows is that he’s booked into the Ambassador and meeting his girlfriend before going somewhere else in Thailand. So we’ll see how that goes.

After all that, we’re away to the airport. A last look at the sand-bagged streets and barbed wire.

A country I have learned to love in a few short weeks. A country I know I’ll return to.

At the airport, we check-in for Bangkok. Eric and Christina are off to Delhi… and the last we hear, they are arguing over excess luggage… All 60kg worth.

We board, we take-off. I look at the landscape of Nepal as we fly away, and I actually get a little teary at leaving. Never before, have I felt this way at leaving a country. Let along one I have been in for less than a month.

After moping around, keeping quiet all the way to Bangkok, we arrive, find a taxi and get on our way to Bangkok’s version of the Radisson. I never stay in a flashy hotel, but felt that after 2 weeks in a tent we may as well splash a little.

Mistake.

When we walked into the place, it was as if we had been flung back in time to a Western where a stranger walks into the saloon and the piano is brought to a screeching halt.

That was exactly it.

The other patrons were all in the equivalent of ball gowns.

We had walked in, carrying packs, and wearing hand-washed trekking gear that hadn’t been washed for 2 weeks prior.

Oh, the looks we received.

Anyway, check-in, get upstairs fast.

As soon as we walk into the room, our phone is flashing. My mum had rang and left three messages.

“Don’t eat any chicken… Don’t eat ANY chicken!”

She’s a little nervous at the best of times. But apparently she was warning us about the outbreak of what they are calling bird flu.

What is a bird flu?