Wednesday, October 21: Return to Bangladesh...Take 2

Since we were stuck unexpectedly in Kathmandu until the afternoon, we had to figure out what we were going to do with the morning. The missed flight and extra day in Nepal caused a couple of problems including:

1. We had nothing to do for the morning.
   
2. We had to miss a trip planned for this day in Mymensingh, Bangladesh. We were going to see some of the programs that MCC is working with in that area.
3. We were expected the prior evening for supper at a co-worker of Phillip.
   
4. We did not have to much of a way to communicate to those expecting us back in Bangladesh. Phillip had to pay for a phone call when we got to the hotel to let them know that we weren't going to be there as planned.
5. We didn't know where we were in Kathmandu.
6. And last but certainly not least, we had no more clean clothes. We had planned on a certain number of days in Nepal and left anything not essential in Bangladesh.

Using some maps of Kathmandu and a Lonely Planet guide book, we were able to figure out where we were. They had put us in a hotel near the business district. It also appeared that we were in a hotel that was frequented by Indians. Many of the TV channels were from India and was got the impression that most of the other people we saw staying that the hotel were Indian. We took our time getting up and around in the morning. We enjoyed being able to watch a couple of American channels. We watched part of a show on the Discovery Channel and watched part of the Yankees-Angels baseball playoff game. Due to the time difference, the game was on at about 8 am in Nepal.

Eventually, we decided to go find some breakfast and someplace to get on the internet. We started to walk towards the Thamel area that we had stayed in before knowing that there were many places there to use the internet. It took about 20 minutes to walk there, and on the way, we stopped at a bakery to buy some donuts. We also joked about running into Krishna (our travel agent). We were not particularly impressed by him and were glad to through dealing with him. He was very nice, but we all got the impression that whatever he said or did was ultimately done with the thought of how could it benefit him. So of course after we had finished using the internet and were on our way back, we turned a corner ran right into him. We quickly filled him in and insisted that we were ok and didn't need his services. Fortunately, he did not insist on helping us, and we were able to joke about this later.

After lunch at the hotel, we were picked up to go to the airport for another attempt at a return to Bangladesh. They assured us that there would not be technical problems this time since they had flown in another plane from Bangladesh. This plane was much bigger than the original one, and we later figured out that this was because they combined the previous day's flight with the current day's flight. That would also be why our flight was not rescheduled until the afternoon. After we got checked in, we made sure to wait to go to the terminal with the urine stench until absolutely necessary.

Of course even when waiting until we had to, we still sat in the worst terminal on earth for a while. Eventually our flight was called and we made it on the plane without any problem. Unfortunately, when they assigned seats, they didn't put any of us together. I had a seat in the middle of the plane, and Phillip and dad were on different sides of the plane further back. After we boarded, we settled in and waited for take off. A large number of the seats were not filled, and I was hopeful that I would not have anyone next to me. It's awkward enough having a stranger sit next to you, but one who doesn't speak the same language is more so.

We waited another 15 minutes or so without many more people boarding the plane, and it appeared that everyone was on board and we would be going soon. Finally, after about 30 minutes they had everyone on the plane and were ready for take off...as soon as they had something to move the plane back away from the gate. Of course with our luck, the vehicle that usually pushes the plane away from the gate had broke and they were trying to get another one. It was about this time that I started to get scared that we were going to be stuck in Nepal for yet another day. Eventually, they did get the plane pushed back, and we were able to take off.

Goodbye Mountains!

I don't believe I mentioned it before, but for those of you who have never flown with Bengalis before, it can be an interesting experience. There are two events from our trip that stand out in my mind. The first was when we were arriving in Bangladesh at the beginning of our trip. Phillip had warned us that Bengalis are good at getting of crowded vehicles quickly and to be patient and just let them go. Well, we landed in Dhaka and were still on the runway taxiing to the terminal when all at once you could hear what seemed like every seat belt in the plane being unbuckled. Additionally, while we were still taxiing to the terminal, everyone started to get up and move towards the exits. This prompted the flight attendants to tell everyone to sit back down and wait. The second event happened as we landed in Dhaka on our flight back from Nepal. For this flight we flew Biman Airlines which is not know for its quality, and I don't see another airline allowing this to happen. Well it seemed that the guy in front of me was a friend to the guys in the window seats across the aisle from me. I assume this because during the entire landing, the guy in front of me was in the aisle leaning over the guys across from me looking out their window. I prayed for a smooth landing, so this guy wouldn't wind up in my lap.

It was a relief when we did land in Bangladesh. It was evening already by this time, and we still had to get back to MCC's apartment in Dhaka. We made it though immigration without any problems and went to find transportation. Phillip negotiated a price with the driver of a CNG. It is a little vehicle that was just big enough for the three of us. He said the drive normally takes about 30 minutes, so of course traffic was heavy and it took us closer to an hour. We were so glad when we arrived after being cramped in the CNG and it being so hot and humid.

I don't have a good picture of one, but the little green vehicle above is a CNG.