On My Way

They say trouble comes in threes. I prefer to think that the more problems that happen pre departure the more awesome your trip will be. The first setback that occurred was when my Mom called the airlines to double check that I had a seat on the flight. I did, but before hanging up she casually asked what size was the maximum for luggage and if it would be able to be checked all the way through to Kathmandu. Nope, no way can that happen. Because my layover is over 12 hours long(ya I’m already super excited that, way to make it worse airlines) they can’t hold it that long. I would need to get a visa and get my luggage, recheck it in, and then go through security again. I didn’t have time at that point to get a visa without paying around $200, which I am unwilling to do. If I didn’t have liquids I might be able to manage only having a carry-on, but between contact solution and other items I really needed to check a bag.

My possessions for the next six months

We called back and got assurance by a different man that they would be able to check it all the way through because the layover wasn’t longer than 24 hours. We just had to make completely certain when we checked the bag at the airport that it was checked all the way. This turned out to be true, but we had to have the poor man at the luggage check in call the airline themselves and do a manual override of their bag checking system. I also discovered when I checked in that I would not be spending my 12 hours and 40 minutes in the airport with food and drinks, but instead I would be stuck in the transit area. Super fun.

The second problem had to do with my car, which decided to die two days before I was supposed to leave. Luckily it wasn’t the alternator like we thought, just a faulty break light. Still, it had my Mom and I panicked for a bit.

My presents for my home stay families

I discovered a third issue when I tried to buy gas at the gas station. My credit card was rejected, which didn’t make sense because I had just paid my bill. I called them when I got home and discovered that it had been shut down because someone had stolen the numbers and was attempting to buy building materials in Delaware. My bank, being awesome, immediately smelled something fishy and shut down the card. So I didn’t actually lose any money, but I won’t be able to get a new credit for a week. I’m going to be in Kathmandu by then, and my Mom is flying to California for the next month. Considering I was primarily thinking I would use my credit card in Nepal, that is slightly inconvenient. My Mom is going to send it to me when she gets home, and I’ll have to manage with the cash I have until then. I don’t think it’ll be too hard.

So now that I’ve got those problems out of the way, hopefully the rest of my flights will be uneventful, if dreadfully long. I am currently sitting in the Tampa airport, munching on a turkey and artichoke panini, waiting for the plane to board. A bit sad about leaving, but mostly crazy excited to begin my adventure!