May 10: Delhi, India to Brussels to JFK to Home

A quick cat nap and off we went in the dark and 105 degree heat to the airport and the security checks of India. Like Nepal they are frequent and thorough and hand done!! Another Jet Airways flight -- Yea!

Nine hours later the plane touched down in Brussels, Belgium. This time we were back in the modern western world with its high prices and clean facilities! As we approached our new gate we heard the dreaded news -- flight delayed because of the volcanic ash out of Iceland and the construction of runways at JFK.

Our next flight was going to be another nine plus hour flight raising the total number of hours it will take to get home. However, it will be another great Jet Airways plane and crew!

Four hours late and nine hours later after flying over Greenland and down through Canada our plane touched down at JFK. All of us are now without a flight home having missed our original connections. Fortunately there is a representative from the tour company waiting for us as we come through customs to usher us through the maze and find new reservations for us. All but one must spend the night in New York, so the hunt for a hotel was also part of the project.

JFK Plaza is not a hotel that should any time soon win the Mobil Five Star Award. It is a hotel that just recently reopened under new management and the crew forgot to take the course, "Hotel Management 101". The check-in staff had no idea how to use the computer or credit card machine, the maid forgot to put towels and toilet paper in each of the rooms, as well as light bulbs in the lamps. The restaurant didn't have much food and the waitress didn't speak much English. Other than that it was a great place to put one's head down and sleep after another nine hour flight.

Tomorrow will find all of us in our own beds, our own homes and reflecting back over the last couple of weeks.

As I turned the doorknob to enter my own home I realized that it had been over 53 hours ago that I sat down in the first leg of the trip home. Nepal is a long ways away -- but a beautiful country with beautiful people who are all at peace with themselves and their surroundings. They all work hard, but are happy. What more can anyone ask for? Peace and harmony!!

I don't know if I will ever get back to Nepal, but do dream of someday trekking again -- this time to the Mt Everest Base Camp. It is a nice dream to hang on to!! One never knows when dreams can come true!!!