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April 24 - Clear sunny morning for our departure, snow atop the mountains surrounding Paro Valley. We could sleep in, enjoy a normal breakfast at a normal time in the hotel even! What a treat. Sadly bid goodbye to Lebo, Sangay, Wangchuk and Kaka. I choked up unexpectedly to be leaving; what beautiful people in a memorable country. I would love to return.
Onboard DrukAir we discovered we had a stop in Kathmandu. What a difference flying into Nepal. Muddy rivers, brown roads, the impoverished congested city shrouded in smog, no mountains visible. The mix of planes at the modest terminal reflects an Asian hub: Nepal Airlines, Buddha Air, Ethiopian Air, Turkish Airlines, China Southern, Himalaya Airlines, Malindo Air (Malaysia), AirArabia, Qatar Airways, Bangladesh Airlines, Yeti Airlines, IndiGo Air. Yet a reminder of the other world of Bhutan is reflected in DrukAir's lavatory: a dish of hand soap, fresh orchids and baby's breath.
Delhi's temperature upon arrival is 41 degrees C (105 F). Quite a change from 11,000 feet in Bhutan. A day room at the Radisson gives us time to repack, take a bath, dine with Megan and four others awaiting flights. Leaving the hotel at midnight, it's still in the 90s, lots of traffic, the airport bustling. Our 3:35 am flight (April 25) doesn't actually leave until 5 am. The delay plus a longer flight path again detouring around Pakistani airspace put our arrival into Amsterdam at 11 am Thursday.
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