This story is dedicated to the Tibetian people at Shambaling. I have met such nice folks there
The trip in one word:
BREATHLESS
"Is there a theme around this story?. Well, the peaks are white, the mountains are high, the scenery is stunning,
the sky is blue. Enough?"
राम्रो दिन, Rāmrō dina, A good day, dear readers,
there is something going on in November.
Jordan, maybe?.
Kuwait, just for the case?.
Nepal, not to miss?.
And further this way?:
Thanx to, as usual:
http://www.gcmap.com/
Here is the Tripreporter 2013 final data:
TRIPREPORTER 2013 auf einer größeren Karte anzeigen
And this is 2014, at least till now!:
TRIPREPORTER 2014 auf einer größeren Karte anzeigen
The map with the plane types recorded:
PLANE TYPES RECORDED auf einer größeren Karte anzeigen
The first 200 visited airports:
Visited airports auf einer größeren Karte anzeigen
And just some more with KTM recorded as no. 283:
Visited Airports II auf einer größeren Karte anzeigen
All the visited countries, good to see Nepal with no. 59:
VISITED COUNTRIES auf einer größeren Karte anzeigen
And the checked airlines:
AIRLINES CHECKED auf einer größeren Karte anzeigen
Well, I had to leave you to make me fresh at Shambaling, my Tibetian place to stay in Kathmandu. And there is much more to see and not to miss here.
Taxis are reliable, top notch, trustworthy, painstaking clean and ... cheap!
Hold on to and the Suzuki Maruti, made in India, India is definitely dominant here, delivered me for "Durbar Square", the "Place of Palaces"
Absolutely amazing to follow these scenery here
Where the locals sell everything and just a little bit more at the open market
Temples?. Sure!
And just a Holy Cow in between from time to time
Just for the case that you need a rickshaw
Or also a carrier?
Well, everything available here
Someone for Lions?
Close up!
I told you, Holy Cow´s always first!
Just one or two pigeon´s on top
Well, so it seems!
Walking for the other side of "Durbar Square"
I´am really impressed about the wooden architecture here
For the museum this way?
Ah, yes, the entrance is well secured!
And I wonder why my laptop talks spanish to me during the last days!
Out of "Durbar Square" with just one or two other people around
Busy it is
And everything well organized, ahem!
Also the sidewalks are used to offer and sell fresh, hopefully, fruits and vegs!.
And I´am sure, this is a well tax paying business here!
I like to be back at Boudha during daylight, but the first two taxistas are not willing to drive me "home". Why?. I don´t know, but finally another one with an as close to clean Maruti like the first one does!.
And finally ready to be back at Boudha where the old women coming into town, selling fresh veg´s and also prepare the butter lamps for the night around the Stupa
A fresh nights sleep to follow, amazing to feel how warm it is by day in sunlight and how fast it goes cold in the evening. And when you have these fresh shower in the very early morning there is simply no need for something else to be awake with all you´re senses!.
Time now to head for the airport, there is a Visa limit to observe!.
Friday, 22.11.2013
KTM (Tribhuvan International Airport
त्रिभुवन अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय विमानस्थल)
IST (İstanbul Atatürk Havalimanı)
Service TK 727 operated by Turkish Airlines
Scheduled: 08.45 // 12.40
There is just one and also the one and only possible connection to fly out of Kathmandu in the morning and reach the homebase in the evening, what is also necessary this time.
The fare jumped up a good couple of Euro´s after my first check and some more again after the inbound flights are fixed.
"Life punishes those who come too late", not originally me, but fit´s perfectly here. But anway, it´s time to visit Nepal during the short phase of the year with mostly clear sky and stable weather conditions.
And I told you, the weather conditions are perfect also today and the sky is as blue as ever possible and the mountains are coming as close as ever possible but wait,
we should check-in first!.
And just to let you know, OLCI is something for the far future ex KTM.
Fly.de fixed the ticket. Two legs on the confirmation and the fare is 335.00 Euro´s per leg.
And there is a long, a really long, an astonishing long queue to pass security with all luggage screened at the terminal entrance.
Well guided and not in any case oldfashioned or even outdated, no way!
Interesting destinations on the screen and well, my grandfather, he passed away a long time ago, operated a nursery and trust me, that´s immediate on my mind when I´am inside these built of bricks terminal
Some ten minutes at security, after another one at passport check and I´am in the gate area.
Just for a view around, Jet and Oman are really here not only on the screen!
And a couple of Jetstream´s in and out surrounded by the bright morning sun
The terminal is well, local, styled!.
There is a lounge on offer, sure, but not used with the stunning scenery around
Till the big bird coming in
Oh, yes, looking good in the early morning sun
Parked with smoking brakes and engines
Ground staff is waiting, tough job for the brakes here, so it seems
And a new crew takes over
Ahem, well maintained it looks like here
Offloading tons of cargo
Looks like good biz here for TK, especially also from the cargo point of view
Well, not sure if it really works that fast this way
Ahem, with a little help from my friends everything works perfectly here!
Jet on the go
Every airport is a construction site these days, these years, since the beginning!
Oman still on the tarmac
Gate 5 for "Sanliurfa", well, I should check this out soon!
Do not be afraid, come closer please!
Sure, I prefer boarding by airbridges, you know, so much more comfortable than walking around the apron till maybe also...
...under the wing, you know!
Under the big birdie wing, you know
and this machine is by far the largest equipment here
And also for me, it´s time to go now
With the locals also on travel
Ok, this is TC-JNK, the A330-300 like on schedule
New to the log and leg no. 9 on type.
In service since 30.11.2010 with TK. 13 examples are in the fleet and there are no stories to show here
Well, after these interesting apron boarding procedure and my time in Boudha and Kathmandu at all, is there something more worth a picture coming up?
Oman also on the go
If someone need´s a Beech?
09.30 am, 45 minutes late by "Turkish", 7.25 hours, really?. Really!. Ok now I know that I´am really just a little bit further away from the homebase and for the 3050 meters runway "Two-Zero" right now.
12 degrees, clear sky, not a single cloud to see all around.
Cockpit crew is from Turkey. The FO is on the mike while the "Kaptan" fixing some preparations on the ground with a really nice welcome. He is later to hear nice and short during the approach.
Routing is Lucknow-Delhi-Lahore-South of Kabul-Mashad-Baku-Tiflis-Batumi-Samsun at 36000-38000 till 40000 feet.
And now it´s our turn for the runway. Good to know that the runway end is not visible from this point of view
Backtracking
Turning
And well, imagine an LCY style departure on a widebody jet.
Engines spooling and spooling and spooling till the brakes are finally released
There is no straight way out of the valley and with all the mountains around we should turn for the first of a thousand circles immediatelly after lift off
Slowly climbing with circle after circle
Mountain peaks this way
And well, just by surprise, mountain peaks also this way
There are mountains all around and with the ongoing circles really good to follow
Finally circled?
No, absolutely no way!
With the airport and the Kathmandu valley down there
Right above the runway
And one more circle to go
And trust me, I never noticed such a number of people glued to the window taking pics and vids.
And trust me, too, there is simply nothing to hear beside the "Ahh´s" and "Ooh´s" from the pax at the window seats and do not talk about the disappointed faces with the pax in the middle compartment.
I also had an interesting conversation with an well travelled english guy, so it seems, also on the picture track right beside me in the terminal and he confirmed: "I have never done such a huge number of pictures within two weeks time beside in Nepal"
The snow covered peaks in the bright sun
And just for a change a circle in the other direction
Yeah, that´s what I´am looking for
More?. Sure!
Some of the highest peaks of the world around me, I love it!
And a couple more
I hope you will not get bored, the big ones
That´s the way to go in daylight all along the whole Himalaya mountains at my side, of course!
A thousand pictures more, well, no problem till the memory card collapses. It works, also the camera and mobile, thanks god
Stunning, isn´t it?
The nice guy I´am, ok hope so, changed even my seat for a couple of minutes with a nice, young, south asian woman,
India, lovely, to give her the chance for some pictures.
Well, there is also another job to go. What about the legroom with the mixed green fabric seats?. Clean so far and it is acceptable in the end
The load is 90%. The whole mountaineer/trekking crowd, you know these kind of people, large, slim, suntanned from anywhere around Europe and also the States, just a few locals and well me, doesn´t fitting really in this combination!.
Anyway, 39K, the last row window and two for me suits me well, also this time. The safety card and some seat details
The cabin maybe and where are these mountains coming from?
There is a young turkish woman serving my seat.
Large, slim, black hair with a really nice welcome and also talking on the way.
TK service start´s here
And so it looks like en detail and it also seems not local Nepalesi style, more inbound from Turkey
Good for me, at least right hand side!
Some strange curving short to Afghanistan. Who knows why?
And the scenery down there above Afghanistan is definitely interesting, too
And the Caucasus do not want to stand back
Some snack on service while we reached the black sea close to Batumi/Georgia
And the final cabin view short to "İstanbul Atatürk Havalimanı"
That´s the way to go
Not that there is something interesting in between!
Touchdown at the 2580 meters runway "Zero-Five" at 17 cloudy and wet degrees.
And we need ages on taxi, waited at the outer taxiway till a truck picked us up and draws us for a parking position directly in front of the TK technic hangars.
It´s finally 01.30 pm, 50 minutes late and imagine the impatient pax, tough job for the cabin crew, till we finally disembarked in the rain.
Some problems or as scheduled?. Who knows, but anyway a special experience
There is something missing here!
Transfer security is well used but anyway not a real problem this time of the day.
Done within ten minutes and onward for the next flight!.
Safely reached IST and there is the usual leg to come again!.
The Tripreporter
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