The Russians

When I started talking to the gentlemen across from me at the airport it did cross my mind that they seemed like the Hollywood stereotype of the Russian Mafia. They were wearing bad eighties clothes. They spoke in very broken English, They were getting drunk in a public place. They ogled women as they walked past. And for some reason they gave me money after I spoke to them for a few minutes. And they started showing me photos of smiling men with semi-automatic weapons.

Turns out they were just sailors who had been working on the film set of Sylvester Stallone's new movie (apparently it has boats in it). It was an interesting chat/mime. A good way to pass six hours in the most uncomfortable of airports.

I have been awake for nearly 24 hours now. Everything hurts. I can't wait to be finished with airports for a while.

Well here we are in Abu Dhabi. Its 3.00 in the morning and our plane goes at 10.00. We have been here since about 11.30. Its extremely noisy and busy. Getting any chair was difficult but as we knew we were here for a while we waited for a couple of the deck chairs that are in the waiting "lounge" so that maybe we could get some sleep. However sleep wasn't easy as a 12 year old kid was in the chair next to us and he giggled away the whole time in a high pitched voice. Both he and his mother weighed more than me. But they were having fun. Opposite are four Russians who sit and stare....when I say opposite I mean about two feet away....its very crowded......and they look like the Russian mafia in the movies and are drinking scotch from the bottle.....but all part of the flavour of the place. Its noisy because its crowded but also I think because its a dome. Made of mosaics, in red and green and a very low ceiling.

Yesterday we spent in Kualar Lumpur airport.....about 8 hours. After a wild taxi ride....130 k/h where lanes just seem to be there as a suggestion we arrived at the airport. It is a magnificent building similar to the Sydney Opera House and there are signs saying it has won the best airport in the world for past three years. I know why. It was well laid out inside and out. Lots of space, clean, orderly, well organised....the way an airport should be. Everyone seemed relaxed and helpful....even the fellows with the machine guns. We found some quiet seats and slept and read novels. When we finally checked in we went down stairs to customs. There was a massive cheque and Amanda's fears of customs seemed about to come true.....especially as when we approached this crowd of people and an official approached us and ushered us off to the side. OK now we thought here comes the full bag search and the questions. But no he put us to the diplomat counter, just to hurry the cheque up. We were the only ones there and went straight through. On the other side we got straight into a train which ran us down to a lounge, where we had a coffee and waited for the plane. It was the way an airport should be.

But there was more to come. Etihad airlines! The plane was a little more roomier than the last one, but much more comfortable. Each seat had its own computer screen. You just dialled up the movie, the TV show, the computer game or the music you wanted.It was terrific.....I want this setup at home. The meals were ala carte and absolutely first class. They kept offering drinks and cushions, pillows, blankets.......I wanted to stay on the plane. But it was a 8 hour trip and you can only take so much.

Amanda is chatting to the Russians now as I battle to write this post. The computer is interesting as it contains Arabic letters as well as english and the address and password are around the other way but I think we have suceeded. The next post should be from Nepal.

Travelling with Dad

So i will admit I was a little unsure about traveling with dad, he has a tendency to wander off. We had the chat about making jokes when going through customs and about locking our bags. It will be fine I told myself and I didn't really want to go to Asia by myself.

Passports... check
Tickets... check
Money... check
Dad... Dad... oh there he is talking to some random stranger.

We made it to KL. Dad ate frogs. I ate McDonald's. We didn't get lost. We didn't fight. His snoring only woke me once. This could work out fine.

This blog chronicles our seven weeks in Nepal. It began when Amanda decided she was going to do volunteer work in India or Nepal. And when I said "I'll go with you". Many emails later to 'Hands for Help Nepal' and finally convincing them that there were 7 weeks between 27th November and 19th January, not 2 weeks. We requested half of our time working in an orphanage and half in a monastery. In the orphanage we are looking after the kids and in the monastery teaching english to the monks. We hope to spend a little time in a school as well. So this is the plan.
Amanda organised cheap flights, flying out of Melbourne. I got a passport and visa, had my 10 needles and collected various medicines, lotions and remedies to take with us. I skimmed the guide books and internet and spoke to people who had been. All of the advice was conflicting. The day before I packed.
On the 27th November I boarded the bus at Parkes and slept a good part of the way to Cootamundra. There I changed to a train. Of course the air conditioning was broken, but this proved handy because at Albury I was moved up into first class. I shared a carriage with a fellow who used to be in National Service and then the army band. It was a long trip but I now know every tune he ever played and what happened to his house when his mother died.
I spent that night with Kate in Melbourne and then final shopping the next with Kate and Amanda. After our last meal in Australia....Greek we were dropped at the airport at 10 that evening. We lined up and booked in, and breezed through customs to wait in the lounge with a group of school kids from Adelaide....they were going to Vietnam.
At 1.30 we boarded and took off. The seats were narrow and there was little leg room, but it was only going to be ten hours. I spent a lot of time standing up at the back of the plane. Amanda tried to sleep, contorting into a multitude of positions, including sitting on the floor with her head on the seat. This worked until she got stuck. But we did get some sleep.
Landing in Kuala Lumpur our bags seemed to be last to come out on the conveyor belt, but at least they did come out. Amanda had been terribly worried about customs...based on previous experience. We were expecting a long delay and having to unpack everything. However we wound around corridors and up hallways to find that customs was EMPTY. Yep...straight through and onto the street.
We found information to find that we had to depart from the main airport not the one we were at. Our first meal was breakfast....McDonald's. Then a bus into the city to find a motel, as we had 24 hours before taking off. We bought bus tickets and sat in the bus for an hour before it moved. It drove through the countryside....lots of palm plantations, and I fell asleep before reaching the city. Suddenly the bus stopped in traffic and the drive kept yelling something. Everyone jumped up and got off....so did we. But it proved right. We found a motel....about $30 Australian dollars for the night. Then off for a walk. We were at China Town. It was hot, sticky and a little smelly. they were setting up for the afternoon/night markets. The people were very friendly, and wanted to sell you everything. I bought two T-shirts. Lacosse. About $17 Aussie dollars for the two. Then our first meal. Amanda played safe and had spring rolls. Not for me....I had deep fried frogs in ginger. Fantastic.
In the late afternoon another short walk, but we didn't find much, probably because of the area we were in. Amanda had McDonalds for tea, while I had a curry from a street vendor. It was hot but OK. The pet shops were interesting. Lots of turtles, lizards, big mice and birds of all sorts. The markets had grown into an amazing sight. Everything for sale. They called me cowboy because of my hat and tried to sell me DVDs, shirts, watches, belts and perfumes.
After an early night we had rice and curry for breakfast. I enjoyed the bits of kidney in the sauce, and the chicken was nice. I also enjoyed the coffee. Everyone was friendly. All the customers helped us with our order and chatted to us. Off to airport now...but checked to find don't fly out till 8.40 tonight.