Nepal part 3 of 3

So after the international soccer game we ate some dinner, went to bed, and got up early the next morning to head back to Kathmandu. This time the bus ride back was 8 hours long because we had trekked a bit further away in the previous days. When we got back to Kathmandu we checked into our hotel and then went walking through the more touristy area of the city. There were a bunch of shops selling souvenirs, Gurkha knives, tea, and other Nepali keepsakes.

We went to dinner at a steak restaurant which was awesome because we hadn't eaten any protein since we had arrived a week ago. The steaks were around $6 or 7 US and they were fantastic! Maybe it was just because we hadn't tasted meat in so long but they seemed to taste exceptionally good.

After dinner we did a bit of shopping. We purchased a small painting of Everest, some tea, a couple t-shirts, and a map of the region where we went hiking. We then headed back to the hotel for a good nights sleep.

The next day we went back to the RANCH for Easter Saturday service because they celebrate the sabbath on Saturdays in Nepal. As a result of this fact Bonnie and I concluded that it would be appropriate to break our sweets fast (ice cream, chocolate, gummy bears, etc.) that we had been partaking in for Lent. We each celebrated with a Snickers.

After lunch it was time to head off to the airport. This was an experience. You had to go through a security screening and a pat down just to get into the airport. Then you go to the ticket counter which is mostly NOT computerized. They gave us hand written luggage tags (but the luggage made it to Seoul no problem). Then we grabbed some snacks and went through customs and security where we had yet another pat down. They also pulled each person aside individually and made them completely empty the contents of their carry-on bag. The security folks would pick up every little thing and examine it, squeeze it, and ask you what it was. It was intense. After that we headed to the gate where we went through yet another pat down before we were allowed to walk out onto the tarmac and enter the plan. It was definitely the most intense security screening process that I have ever been through.

The flights to Bangkok and Seoul were uneventful and we made it back without any trouble. It was a fantastic experience that we hope we can do again some day.