A day of Visa Bureaucracy

Yesterday we took the bus to Kathmandu to pick up our visa’s for India (we went and applied for them last week).  The bus trip is always an experience.  It takes a good 1.5 hours to travel the 35 odd km’s from Banepa to Kathmandu, with the bus becoming progressively more crowded on the way.  Ben’s far too tall for the Nepali buses, he has to stand bent double and can’t fit into most of the seats due to the lack of leg room.  Bus fares can’t be complained at though with the trip costing around $NZ1 for both of us.

We arrived at the Indian embassy to be told our visas were not yet ready for us (clearance from Wellington has not yet come through).  We proceeded onto the Chinese embassy to discover they were closed (despite what the website says!). So very unproductive on the visa front.  We are in the process of planning a short break out of Nepal at the end of August – due to conditions on the Nepali visa. 

Ben getting Dread-locks

We made the most of our trip into Kathmandu – getting a steak for lunch (a delicious treat) from the Everest Steak House.  Ben spent 4 hours getting his hair dread-locked, while I enjoyed shopping in the Thamel’s touristy shops.  Everything is done by bargaining which gets quite tiring!

We made it home in time to help Rina cook momos for dinner.  Basically a momo is a steamed dough ball filled with minced meat and/or vegetables.  These are a traditional dish in Nepal – very tasty.  We had a very enjoyable feast with all the volunteers here. 

Making Momo