I'm finally here! It was a long ride, 20hrs or so from LA but there were no problems. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised when I arrived in Kathmandu how swiftly & smoothly the Visa and customs process was.

Some differences I noted in both the China and Nepal airports, (1) you wait at a gate, then get on a tram which drops you off next to the plane. The Nepal airport reminded me more of an old high school than an airport. It was all brick and had the look of some of older schools about it.

The people I have encountered have been extremely nice. I lost one of my shoes because I took them off on the plane to sleep and, once people understood what I wanted (most of them were Chinese and spoke very little English so I ended up holding up the shoe I had and pointing to look under seats) they were very kind and helpful.

Another amusing think I noticed - there appear to be very few traffic laws here. It a chaotic, crazy mess! I'm so glad my guide from Himalayan Glacier came to get me at the airport. I would never want to drive here. There were actually some cows in the middle of the street in downtown Kathmandu - it's a big city - I was surprised!