Chapter 11: Flying over the Himalayas to Katmandu GMT+5:45

If you ever have cause to fly this way please do not give it up!
The Royal Nepal flight from Bangkok to Katmandu has to have been one of the most beautiful experiences of our life.
First Burma or Myanmar. From the air, the flight over that delta was so calming. I await the day when the borders open up again .. and dread them. The beaches below were completely bereft of the sun umbrellas that dominated the beachfronts in Thailand. Miles of water below shimmered like a silver silk only rarely punctuated with a fishing boat. Rivers snaked across the landscape - taking more and more 'u' bends (literally!) as they approached the sea. You could see the afternoon sun glint off the clusters of corragated iron roofs in well dispersed clumps below. This must be one of those unspoilt areas to visit.
Then you see the foothills of the Himalayas - what a thrill! The 'hills' .. which must be about the mountains on the Eastern coastline .. take up about a fifth of the porthole windows on the airplane. Ian was fortunate enough to have as company a delightful American from Seattle who was flying over to volunteer teach at one of the many orphanages. He let him take a window view .. which was important because the closer we got to Katmandu, the bigger the mountains got, until they filled the entire porthole! Just imagine something so big that it can dominate your view from so far away!
Then we flew into the Katmandu valley and lost our view - the circling hills hide the major mountains. But now, it is a landscape rich in agriculture. And the first thing that strikes you are the rice terraces! I had always dreamed of seeing these when I was a child - but imagined that I would be in Japan when I first saw them!
Landing at Katmandu was a treat! If we thought that the bus to the plane was a different level of aviation technology, then this went one better! We disembarked by walking down the stairs onto the tarmac .... and then, thrill on thrill, the kids actually had to walk UNDER Their plane and into the terminal!

Our other great flight was the next morning - when we got on a little 18 seater plane to fly over the hills and into the foothills of the Annapurna range. You are so low down, it is amazing! Our flight back was just as great. We flew above the clouds - -it actually appeared it was just us, the clouds and the mountains!