Late August 2006
So things have started to heat up now. We were somehow biding out time, before we went to Kathmandu. Actually for Naveen, this would have been first opportunity of Air travel. Infact I myself flew for the first time in February of 2006 itself. But till this time I had already made 3 trips ‘by air’, all to Mumbai for business.
Flying for middle class was not as easy as it is today. Before the low cost carriers like Air Deccan, Spice Jet , and others started their operations few years back, flying was almost out of reach for average Indian, barring people who flew on company business or who got travel reimbursements from their employers. A two way Delhi-Mumbai ticket used to cost anything in range of Rs.10, 000 (USD 225), however that figure has come down to Rs.5,000 (USD 115). This has brought Air Travel in reaches of middle class families.
Coming to the buildup to Kathmandu, preparations were on in full swing, we were discussing about the trip with anyone we can get hold of. Collecting a lot of information about currency, prices, casinos, nightlife, bike rental, trip to Pokhara. Infact we were waiting for October to come, as from September end the festival season would have started, triggering a whole lot of festivities. Navratri , Durga Puja, Dussehra, Dhanteras, Bhai Doooj, Ramzan, Id-ul-fitar, Guru Purab, Diwali and many more. You can check this list of Public Holidays in India to realize how much we celebrate ;-).
So more than a dozen festivals thrown in 40 days time, add to that 1 billion people, with a growing economy, and you can imagine the kind of time we have in that period. So we were waiting for second half of September, as next 30-40 days would be filled with excitement after that period within a week we will be headed to Kathmandu.
