Oh the Bureaucracy

We have arrived. Actually we arrived yesterday. After 2 days of travel that for the most part went pretty smoothly. 9 hour flt to Korea with an overnight stay there then 6 more hours to Kathmandu. We arrived here on time, right about noon. We did do a few loop de loops around Kathmandu before landing. It's a busy little airport.

And then the madness began. You can get a visa when you arrive at KTM airport, but it's quite a long line and usually takes an hour or so. So we decided to be more organized this year and get them ahead of time. You pay extra for this convenience. So most of us (all but 3) got our tourist visas ahead of time. Just before leaving Honolulu, the Docs were informed they would have to pay extra and get business visas, even though we are volunteering. So we were prepared for that, but hopeful they would waive the fee. Well when the Docs went up to the visa counter a new guy was on duty and didn't know what to do, so they all went through on their tourist visas. So far so good, although really no faster than the other line. The 3 who didn't get their visas were in line just as long as those of us who did.

After that we file down to to baggage to claim our bags and 50 boxes of surgical supplies, anesthesia supplies etc. Then to customs. Then the bargaining began. We go through this every time. The dude in charge this shift wants a bribe. He'll let us through for a little cash. Our Nepali handlers spend about an hour in negotiations. He won't back down. Lots of arguing, head shaking, pointing at paper work. Meanwhile 40 volunteers sitting around a hot airport waiting for someone to give.
Sort of like the standoff that took place in DC the last couple weeks.

Finally, about 2 hours into this waiting, the main boss dude arrives. All the parties involve disappear into a little room. Our FL follows. A few minutes later, our FL comes out smiling. It seems there has been a break in negotiations. We are finally given the ok to leave with our boxes of supplies. What we find out later is our Nepali friends did still have to pay to get us through customs. Just part of the system and they are used to it.

The negotiations

Wasting time while waiting...selfies :)