On the road to Kathmandu

Fun times.

Yangon airport kept experiencing power cuts while I was there and all the computers and servers had to keep resetting, which I found hilarious.

Ordered a beef burger. Yes I'm a classic white tourist but man it was gooooood. It's been so long since I've had beef.

Got held up at security since I'd forgotten to take my pocket knife out of my carry on luggage. Good one Amiee. First I'm deported, then I'm caught trying to carry a knife onto a plane. Burma <3 Amiee. So cya later Swiss Army knife, hope you enjoy your Burmese retirement.

Thought I had 2 stopovers this leg of the trip. Actually had 3. We stopped at Gaya in India for half an hour en route to Kolkata but weren't allowed off the plane.

Arrived in Kolkata. Taken by bus to the terminal. Sign to "transfer" pointed to no where so I asked the security guard where the Air India transfer desk is.
"You have India visa?"
Oh god. Here we go again. Good luck deporting me back to Burma guys.

So apparently the concept of "transit" is quite an unknown concept here at Kolkata airport. I was "detained" and had to explain to at least 5 separate people that yes, we're in India but no, I'm not going to India, I'm in TRANSIT to Nepal. Kathmandu. Just give me my damn boarding pass for my flight to Delhi and take me to the gate!
"You don't have visa for India?"
"No. I fly to Nepal"
"But you fly to Delhi"
"Yes. And then to Kathmandu 8 hours later. Look *points to luggage ticket* bags are checked all the way to Kathmandu. TRANSIT!"
"But you don't have a boarding pass"
"No. They told me in Yangon that you would give me the boarding pass here."

The airline staff were so disapproving. I don't understand what the problem was but they were all treating me like a child that needed chastising. They took all my stuff again (passport, flight itinerary, boarding pass, luggage tag)... Love it when they do that. Doesn't induce anxiety at all. And then eventually returned with my boarding passes. And told me to Sit. Stay.

This country's "no smile" policy is all coming back to me now. I remember it being something that really unnerved me when I traveled here. People don't smile back when you smile at them, they just continue their cold states. Very hard when you're someone who generally smiles her way through tense situations.

Eventually I was summoned to be taken to the departure area. I was like a pet dog. "Come."
"Put bag here."
"You keep this boarding pass and passport in your hand"
(Duh lady, chill the F out)
Then there was miss military who did the bag scanning and called me into the frisking room for my rub down.
"Come."
"Go now"
Yes ma'am.
"Take your bag."
"Take your boarding pass. Go to gate 16. Straight then left."
Super friendly peeps.

Will continue to update through the night in a last ditch effort to keep my sanity.

UPDATE (1:30am Delhi time, Delhi airport):

Have reached point of delirious hilarity. You get a mandatory frisking in Indian security checks. Women get a private little curtained booth to get frisked in so no one gets to watch. I think the woman who was conducting the frisking enjoyed her job. She opened the curtain, looked me up and down, gestured to go inside, before then cracking her knuckles...
It was certainly an experience. I mean I've been frisked plenty of times.. But man she was thorough. Like proper through.
Probably didn't help the awkwardness that I was laughing the entire time after the initial look she gave me.

Promptly got gastro upon entering Delhi. It's like my stomach remembers this location.

It's now about 5h til my flight to Kathmandu but I think I'll just go all in and stay awake. Ironically there's actual napping pods here. I like airports though. And I'm delirious. And there's so many pretty things to look at. And ice cream.

6:11am Delhi airport.

Ok so I had some sleep. So whaaaat. I was just strolling around trying to be awake and then a lounge appeared like a divine apparition.
"Come Amiee, sleep on me," it said in a gentle, Morgan Freeman voice.
Ok lounge you win.
Now I'm exploring the transit hotel for funsies (I've also tried out almost every bathroom - they have attendants that have to stand there listening to everyone's bowel movements and then pass you paper towel once you've washed your hands. What a job) and there's wifi here yay! Also they're pumping some beats which is keeping awake since I can't afford the exorbitant price of their coffee (after paying their exorbitant price for their fancy wifi). Flight boards in about half an hour.

Laterz.

Update:
Flight was delayed half an hour. Then they boarded us. We sat on the plane for half an hour. Then they made us get off. We had to do the whole transit security check all over again! Only this time it was a different woman. She creeped me out because while she was waiting for her next female victim she was sitting in a chair rubbing her hands together and rocking slightly and she looked a little possessed. I'm not even making this stuff up. But guess what?! She just did the metal detector wand thing and didn't even touch me with her hands!! So clearly the other woman just reeeeeally liked her job.

They estimated a new departure time of 09:30. Just went down and it's now 10:30. Luckily the transit hotel people are being nice to me and letting me use their wifi so I can email the guesthouse in Kathmandu who are picking me up at the airport!

One day I'll leave this place.

**update**
I ended up literally running for the plane. In my delirious state when the boarding time was changed to 10:30 to me it was more like "probably never". Lesson: don't get distracted skyping handsome men. When I left the hotel at 10:30 an air India staff member saw me.
"Kathmandu?"
"YES"
"Miss Groundwater?"
"YES"
"Run!"
So I did. Various staff members saw me along the way and were all radioing each other that I was coming and to hold the plane. Luckily the staff at the gate were much more amused than pissed. (Probably at my attempt at running in thongs on glossy tiles). I was the very last person on the plane. Yep, I'm that guy.