Day 22 - Kathmandu - Calcutta - Bangkok - Melbourne

The final trip home was an odyssey, with 8 hours in Calcutta and 12 in Bangkok. Kathmandu airport was ridiculously crowded and the paperwork and queues made Manilla look like German efficiency. I stook in queues for two hours in the following order:

• To get into the airport
• To have luggage screened
• To get a departure tax stamp
• To check in
• To get through immigration
• To get my hand luggage screened
• To get on to the tarmac
• To have hand luggage screened again on the steps of the plane

The whole thing was a complete circus but luckily my plane seemed to be the only one in the previous two hours that had left on time. Calcutta was only 1.5 hours flight away and was the single biggest culture shock I have ever experienced. I had spent $70 on an Indian visa and it was a great investment, as it allowed me out of the airport and into the city. When I arrived it was already dark and, after storing my luggage, I headed off in a taxi to the centre of town. My main objective was to get an authentic curry and to get a sense of the street life.
Managed to get a great curry and walked the streets with no destination in mind. I did this for the next four hours and soaked up as much Indian life as I could in the time. Highlights and observations included:

• The sheer number of homeless people, with thousands sleeping on footpaths, median strips and in garden beds. I must have seen 20,000 homeless people in my time there – disturbing.
• The sound of cricket commentary coming from streetside radios
• The crowds of people, with what seemed like a celebration of some kind on every corner
• The noise of horns, motorbikes and people shouting
• Bollywood music, including at a club/restaurant I visited for a beer and pappadums

I arrived back at Calcutta airport slightly changed by the experience, and determined to come back to India for a proper look. The flight to Bangkok was short and the bus ride into town revealed a stark contrast to Calcutta. There was order, and though there were lots of cars they actually behaved in reasonably predictable ways. I had a good breakfast, a pedicure, manicure and massage before tucking into some pad thai. I had forgotten how much I liked the Thai people – it had been 7 years since I was here last – and being in south east asia felt very familiar to me.

So the trip is almost over and as I prepare to touch down in Melbourne I reflect on a few things that I take away from this trip:

• The piousness of Tibetan people, particularly in Lhasa where spirituality is lived by people and emanates from buildings like the Potala Palace
• The difficult climbs, including the first one and the incredible view of Yamdrok Tso from the top
• The hostility of the Tibetan plateau, including the wind, cold and dust
• The incredible sight of Everest which was more impressive and imposing than I had anticipated
• Crossing the Himalaya (pictured top)
• The contrast of Nepal, and the instant relief from altitude, begging and cold
• The mountain bike race – one of the most memorable experiences I have had travelling