holycowgolf: Whirlwind First Day in Nepal

This is how electricity works in KTM

View from my room on the first day


View from my other window

So the previous pictures were from my temporary living arrangement. Which is basically a hotel room, and just recently got hot water. It's not lavish, and things take time, but the owner is very nice and was kind enough to pick me up at the airport when I arrived at 11:30 pm.

Speaking of which, it took me almost an hour and a half of waiting in line to get my visa. At that late hour most of Kathmandu is shut down, so after getting my visa, I simply walked right through the rest of security as the X-ray machine was shut down and the guards didn't seem to want to do anything except go home. There was a man (the hotel owner) waiting with my name on a sign and he grabbed my bags and placed them into his tiny white minvan and drove me in almost complete darkness through back alleys to the hotel. This was a crazy five minutes as I had no idea where I was, nor where I was headed. Finally I was shown to my room, and had never been happier to pass out after 30 hours of traveling.


Here is my bathroom. Notice the shower, sink, and toilet all in close proximity

After a few days I got hot water!

One of the local pros picked me up in the morning and we walked to the golf course. After meeting some of the members I was told I'd be heading to the course in Gokarna. There was a tournament between some Indian and Nepali players going on as well as a huge awards banquet after, at which three scholarships were awarded to needy kids that include golf privileges and schooling for the next year. This was all so overwhelming, especially considering I slept for maybe five hours due to the time change and jet lag, which doesn't always make you tired, it just screws with your internal clock. The people I met at the tournament were some of Nepal's most prestigious. There were ex-Generals, ministers of various departments of state, and established businessmen.