Going Home

The decision to leave Nepal was made in a hurry. My Visa was expiring and could not be further extended. The best thing to do is go back to America, and return after I took care of some business.

The flights out of the country were booked with Nepalis looking for work in other countries. It was difficult to find an empty seat, but on the last day of my Visa, Gulf Air agreed to take me out of Nepal. I got to the airport in Kathmandu 3 hours early, as required for international flight, and was told my flight was 4 hours late. I checked in and prepared to wait. Fortunately, I had a fresh book of Sudoku puzzles and could occupy the time. The airline provided a free meal for everyone on the flight, so we all lined up at the only restaurant at the airport, for a typical Nepali meal of steamed rice, lentil soup, and curried vegetables.

About 2 minutes before midnight, the aircraft arrived, and we soon were boarded, on our way to Bahrain. When we arrived there, I had missed my connection to London, so the airline put me in a hotel room so I could sleep for a few hours. Bahrain is strictly desert, although it is on the Arabian Sea. It's a resort and vacation area for the middle east, and must have at least 2000 hotels, building more every day. It reminded me of Las Vegas, without the casinos. The hotel I stayed at (Al Fahir) was posh elegant. There is obviously a lot of money in this town. My room was spacious and well-appointed. I slept for 5 hours, then went down to the hotel restaurant for lunch. Their buffet was delicious: fresh greek salad, humus and pita, olives and fruit, chicken and lamb, rice (steamed and fried), and decadent cakes for dessert. After living on Nepali food for 6 months, it was uplifting to have something different.

Leaving Bahrain, I went to London, and again missed my connection to America. Again, I was put into a hotel, and slept some more. Our flight arrived around 10:00 at night, and most of the airport workers had gone home for the day. When I returned around 7:00 the next morning, the airport workers were still not around, most of the ticket counters were closed. I began to worry about my checked luggage. The people who stamp your passport when you leave the country were not yet at work, so I did not get my passport stamped. I wonder if they realize I have left the country?

I arrived at Oklahoma City after 3 days of travel, but my luggage was nowhere to be found. We talked to the Baggage Service guy, who told me "Your bags are not lost. They just haven't arrived yet." He figured they were caught in the London Triangle. Four days later, a courier rang my doorbell, delivering my suitcases.