First things, first. Have heard from some folks that they are having difficulty accessing these posts. Mea culpa. Am hoping that now that I am adding new posts things will straighten out through the subscribe notices. I will check with some of those after I post this to make sure things are working.

Now – What to pack, what to leave behind, will we be able to do laundry, does that color of my fleece match my eyes?!? Since we will be going from altitudes as high as 18,500 ft. (Mt. Everest) to 15 ft. (Sydney, Australia) it is a difficult packing job; from down jacket to shorts and flip flops within one week. Not complaining, just planning. Fortunately, I got a great suitcase from NatGeo on our last RTW trip so that will be the one bag I bring on this trip. Speaking with Jeff about packing, I had to talk him off the ledge after he told me what he was planning on packing, and that his bag was “so heavy”. We are traveling great distances, made up of many flights, and we don’t want to check luggage so more than ever the mantra is “Less is more”.

Got all this into my one bag !

Left Greensboro on time, headed to Dallas/Ft. Worth. Easy flight of 3.5 hrs.

Fortunately I have been busy in the days/weeks leading up to this trip which has allowed me keep my excitement emotions in check and not get too far ahead of myself. Flying to DFW though broke those walls down and I am now flat out excited.

Met Jeff at the Admirals Club where we camped out for our flight to Doha, Qatar. Got some food and liquid refreshments in preparation.

We flew Qatar Airlines from DFW to Doha – a snappy little flight of 13.5 hrs. Jeff outdid himself on flight seat planning so we were in Business Class, a treat I recommend to all. Our seats were mini-apartments, each with its’ own TV, storage, and lay-flat bed. We each settled in and enjoyed the flight to Doha.

it is something else to spend over 1/2 of a day in the air. The loss of time begins, and I fear we will not be chronologically grounded again for some time.

We both did well to get up and walk as much as possible, however in this department Jeff was the clear champ. Walking the aisle by our seats, 20 steps, he walked almost two miles. I would come to find out that tracking, and attaining , his “steps” would be a very important thing for him for the whole trip.

Finally we landed at Doha. I found out that currently the Doha airport is ranked as the #1 airport in the world. They did not disappoint in size, decor, or overall ambiance.

We made our way to the Qatar lounge to settle in for our 3.5 hour layover. In this case lounge is just not a strong enough word. By size alone it was staggering. There were two sections, each of which was bigger than most/any airline lounge I have encountered before.

In addition, we came to discover that this airport is full of large pieces of art by several artists. Can’t say it was really my style, but it does capture the eye.

Finally time to make the final leg to Kathmandu. Once again, Jeff’s planning was superb and we again had our apartment seats.

Flew four more hours and began the descent into the Tribhuvan Airport. Some may remember that it was at this airport that our NatGeo group sat for several hours waiting for our plane to Tibet, only to be sent back to our hotel. Kathmandu immediately earned the name of Kathmandont.

We were met at the airport by our guide for the week. In addition we met two other travelers-Sahid and Nick undertaking the same schedule. Sahid is from Iran, Nick from France, but both are together now in LA, CA.

At the hotel, after some logistical chit-chat I went to my room and collapsed into a coma. We had been traveling about 23-24 hrs. and I had only slept 3-5 of those hours.

I woke up, late, at 3 PM as we had two stops to handle with our guide. I felt worlds better but wasn’t sure how well I would hold up.

Nepal is made up predominantly of Hindus and Buddhists. Their people, temples and impact are felt every minute of every day. An important aspect of their handling of the dead, or those who have been reborn, is burial by cremation. Now, in the US cremation is handled by funeral homes with the actual process done out of the family’s, or anyone’s, sight or participation. Here it is a very public process of celebrating the deceased.

On the banks of the Bagmati river, which ultimately flows in the Ganges in India, is located the local crematorium. There public cremations are done throughout the day and night of every day.

Bodies are first washed and prepared for their send off.

They are then placed on bamboo stretchers and carried to the pyre.

There are approx. 6 sites with pyres, with each crafted by holy person. The family gathers around the pyre and the fire is lit. The flame is started by the eldest surviving family member, accomplished with a lit reed in their mouth. From there the fire is tended to by the holy person.

It takes 2-3 hours to completely burn a body. Once the holy person declares the process over, the ashes are then just pushed into the river, and the site is then prepared for the next ceremony.

While the smell is not as rancid as one might image, it is unique and stuck with me, and my clothes, for the remainder of the day/night.

Also, only family members of the deceased are allowed to be on the side of the river where the cremation takes place. We were on the opposite side of the river, as were kids playing Cricket, families on outings, couples on dates, etc. While I love the inclusion of death with life, and people of all ages, this level of openness was a true eye-opener.

Next stop was the Boudha Stupa. A stupa is a temple for one holy figure or another. While most/all stupas reflect Boudha, other holy figures are also represented.

The monuments are constructed in a circular fashion and have many, many elements of significance built into them. Many, many people were there to observe and celebrate their religion. People walk only clockwise around the monument, and the spinning of prayer wheels, large and small, is practiced.

It was then time to dodge the traffic back to our hotel. Jeff and I opted to not go out for dinner as we were again feeling the effects of this LONG day.

Sorry to start out with such a long post, but it is exactly the way the day felt – never ending.

Tomorrow is the “Big Day’ when we helicopter to the base camp of Mt. Everest. We have to meet up to go to the airport at 5:30 AM so all I can muster up is a quick bite to eat and more sleep of the dead.