Since everyone had booked their travel tickets separately and in various airlines we decided to get together at Kathmandu, Nepal. Me and my wife had flown through Indigo Airlines from Chennai to Delhi and after a brief layover at Delhi, took the Royal Nepal Airlines from Delhi to Kathmandu to reach there by noon.

The first sight of Kathmandu Airport tickled me somewhat with backpackers and trekkers making up around 90% of the crowd. The airport was in disarray and thankfully our wait was not long and we exited the airport to be welcomed by our trip organisers.

The travel was a long one from the airport to our stay at Hotel Manaslu, a decent hotel in a decent neighbourhood of Kathmandu. All roads have been dug up in Kathmandu for some water pipeline project and the entire city was highly polluted and you have to wear a mask to walk around the city. The day culminated with an awesome dinner at Fire and Ice Pizzeria, Thamel. Had a blissful sleep without an inkling of what lay ahead.