This Flight Tonight

The flight with Austrian from Vienna to Kathmandu was excellent. Check-in was trivial (we already had our seat numbers) and a small problem with missing tickets was cleared up quickly. We met Ja-zer and Matthias at the airport.

We were well looked after throughout the flight with meals and frequent drinks.

The seat-backs had screens which could show news and films and also forward and downward camera views as well as a map view of the flight. This was one of my favourite features. We were able to see the mountainous regions of Pakistan as we passed over them.

Unfortunately the camera views were switched off for landing, so we missed the excitement of the nightime approach into Kathmandu.

Passport control and baggage claim were easy. Austrian had done exactly as they'd promised and the luggage rolled off the carousel as expected.

We were met at the airport by Barche who had organised two taxis to the Happy Valley hotel. We were driven through rough backstreet roads which seemed more like building sites than traffic routes. As it was dark it was difficult to get a feeling of what Kathmandu was really like.

We eventually arrived at the hotel, which has it's own locked compound and security.

A room had been reserved for us. It was quite smart, twin-bedded, carpeted with en-suite bathroom. (We had stayed in a far worse guesthouse in Oxford of all places). As it was late we got unpacked and went to bed. We agreed to meet everyone for breakfast at the Double Dorjee next morning.