July 8 - Borobrodur and Chicken Church

Our eyes have seen the glory of the mighty Chicken Church!

Tourists hanging out at Borobrodur.

Back to front on the church, zoom in to see someone taking a selfie on the crown!

July 8 Day 144

                We got up early, picked up our boxed breakfasts and got onto our shuttle.  e were the first ones on and so we got a dark tour of the city while the van filled up with other guests.  Then it was more than an hour to the site of Borobrodur.

                The place was part of an ancient Buddhist capital.  There were a few other ruins in the area but we were focusing on the main temple.  Our tour was the hill sunrise one.  We could have paid double for the sunrise in the temple tour, or paid a little less for the morning tour, no sunrise.  Our tour took us to a hill overlooking the temple to view the sunrise.

                Alas, it was misty and the sunrise wasn't visible so we spent 45 minutes on a nice hilltop overlooking some jungle and a few buildings.  At least we didn't pay the extra to see the lack of sunrise from the temple.

                From the hill it was a short ride to the temple and then about a 5 minute walk through the grounds to the temple.  security was there but we all set off the metal detector and no one minded.  We were given a small bottle of water, told where and when to meet up afterwards and sent on our way.

                The main temple is quite large, with staircases at the four cardinal points leading up to a large top stupa.  Along the way are many levels where you can walk along the outside of the temple and see lots of Buddhas and sculpted Buddhist scenes along both sides of the path.  Just before the top is a field of stupas, each containing a Buddha.  A few are out in the open for us to see but most of the enclosed ones are headless or damaged in other ways.  many of the scenes had missing bits where they put in plain structural bricks rather than carved ones.

                The main stairway was busy but the sunrise people had spread out so all areas had people but few were bottlenecked by them.  Meg just missed getting a picture of tourists sitting on the stupas right next to a sign asking them not to, but a few security officers came around and shooed people off. 

                The preservation of the temple was impressive, the sheer number of carvings and scale of everything made it different from other Buddhist structures and we've seen lots, well worth the visit.

                After the temple we walked along the path by the elephant ride station and the movie tent, where no one was there to tell about when the informational movie might be shown.  We headed back to the restaurant we were supposed to rendezvous at with our driver and get a coffee.  All they had was a breakfast buffet for those who purchased it (we didn't) and a waiter sold us the coffees for cash which he probably just pocketed.

                Our driver made a point of finding us as we hadn't paid cash but asked to use Visa.  He got ahold of a machine and after paying we needed to negotiate the next part of our day.  We needed to see the chicken church, which was close to the temple but not part of the tour.  We were also looking forward to exploring the temple site after most of the tourists left.  Our driver actually offered to survey the other passengers, as one group just needed to get back to town and the others needed to get to Prambanan by early afternoon, both groups having some time to spare.  We thanked him but decided to make our own way.

                At the site we saw a superior coffee shop and headed to the museums.  The boat museum had a few interesting displays but the main one had been integrated into a digital presentation area full of cartoon characters aimed at 5 year olds, so we passed on that.  The archaeological museum had a yard full of stones that had yet to be placed on the temple and a fair amount of information in English.  It gave us some background and the old pictures of the temple's first reconstruction were interesting.

                The 9 am gamelan performance didn't happen so we decided to make our way out.  We walked along the town but found no taxis at all in the core.  We came back to the temple parking lot and found a Grab station.  Grab bought out Uber in Indonesia but our phone doesn't have enough memory to take the app.  Fortunately and employee was on hand and was able to order a car for us and tell us the price.  We were able to get a ride to the church with a one hour wait and then  a lift back to Jogjakarta which was exactly what we needed. 

                The ride there wasn't too long but went along many narrow roads and would have been very difficult for us to find on our own walking.  From the parking lot you had the option of getting transport to the church but we opted for the steep 10 minute walk because we're tough.  The ticket office was partway up the path and our tickets came with  vouchers for a discount on coffee and a free "local treat".

                Once we got to the top of the hill there were a few vendors offering us drinks but we ignored them as we basked in the glory of chickeny radiance.  The church was very much a giant chicken with glass eyes and a majestic open beak.  Its size was huge and its presence undeniable.  We were awed for awhile and then headed to the main entrance through the side of the beast.

                A woman met us at the door and checked our tickets.  She said that the church wasn't a chicken but a pigeon of peace, a dove we figured.  She gave a few facts about when it was built and that it was meant to be a temple of peace for all religions.  By the entrance there were many cave-like alcoves with Christian images in them and as you moved along you came across small private prayer areas for Muslims.  Down the stairs were some Buddhist statues and paintings leading to a small garden with a statue commemorating love and unity.

                Going upstairs we came to the main hall, which was three stories tall and had a few chairs set up to watch a video of the founder speaking in Indonesian about the church.  Behind the tv were displayed some nice pictures of the place being built and some couples getting married there.  Certainly if we were even to renew our vows, this would be the place to do it.

                Heading upstairs into the chicken torso were some large, unfurnished areas with walls covered with colourful murals about living healthy and avoiding drugs.  We were asked to wait in another area for tourists to descend before we could move on.  This room had large pictures of similar monuments sucha as the Eiffel Tower or The Pyramids mixed with images of the Chicken Church.

                We went up one level to get the view out through the giant beak, but the highlight was when we went up on top of the chicken's head to walk inside of its crown and get a 360 degree view of the surroundings.  We could pick out Borobudur but the view was a little misty.

                After coming down we went up the chicken's backside to claim out coffees as well as delicious deep fried cassava with chili sauce.  The cafe was well set up with great views and nice looking food and the gift shop was tempting but limited.

                We went back down the hill, turning around every once in awhile to have one last look at the church.  We waited a long time for our driver to come back from getting petrol and talked to another driver in the lot.  Meg also fed some chickens hanging out there, probably staying close by in case their leader gave them instructions in their quest for world domination.

                The drive back was really long as we were driving when other people were too, unlike our pre-sunrise approach.  We got back around two and grabbed a late lunch at a local place and then headed back to the room to catch up on our sleep, do work and watch part of a strange Indonesian movie about a hero with magic powers that allow him to move logs around.

                We had another nice dinner at the same place as the previous day and went to bed early.  On our way in the hotel asked us what kind of breakfast we wanted and we requested the Indonesian one.  The correct choice, as we would find out.

July 7 - passage to Yogyakarta

July 7 Day 143

                We got up early and met the Belgian couple preparing with us.  There was no sliced fruit like tthe hostel mentioned for us and the taxi came quickly.  It got us to the station quickly and we were told to leave an hour for getting our train tickets as there could be long lineups at the ticket printing machine.  We walked up to the machine and had our tickets in a minute with lots of time to kill at the busy station.

                We walked down past the lineups to the shops looking for breakfast.  We found a place that made nice coffee and had buns so we filled up there.  We initially walked through the wrong gate as our Indonesian is still weak but managed to make it to the correct platform and hung out with the Belgian couple until the train came. 

                They had executive seats and we had economy so we were in completely different cars.  Our seats were reserved but they were hard, 90 degree seats that kept you wiggling through the whole trip becasue they were uncomfortable.  The scenery stated with railside slums then turned to rice paddies and fields in between the small towns.  We were wiggling a fair bit during the 8 hour trip but were well prepared with snacks and so could ignore the vendors that came by.

                We were grateful to be off the train but couldn't find a Bluebird cab or a Grab centre.  Most people seemed to be picked up by Grabs so we got one of the few remaining cabs, which was willing to go on the meter, and headed to our hotel.  On the way there we saw motorized chairs, similar to the pedal ones we used on our slum tour but larger and attached to motorbikes.

                Traffic was as bad as Jakarta and the city was busy and dusty, not many attractive places.  We did do a circuit of the local stadium which had some interesting graffiti on it but that was about it. 

                The driver had to call the hotel because it was on  back alley but the room was nice and the staff was amazing.  The woman at the desk helped us to book tours over the next two days so that we didn't have to wander around and get information on our own.  That gave us a much more leisurely evening.

                We did have to go out and pay the tour company down the street and attempt to get cash out of ATMs.  Meg's card was acting up but I got some and we got the tour sorted.  We mt the Belgian couple again and planned to meet them at a local vegan restaurant.  The walked back and told us it ws 3 km away.  I consulted the guidebook and found it was taken over by the Via restaurant, which had expanded to give its bakery a new shopfront. 

                The Via looked pretty good so we ate there with the Belgians, who had eaten but got snacks and an incredible tropical fruit plate, which included dragonfruit and mangosteen.  We had good food and conversation and said goodbye and headed to our hotel.

                Since we had an early start to go to Borobrodur for sunrise, the hotel arranged to have a packed breakfast ready for us.  We thanked them and got to bed early to prepare.

July 6 - Big mosques, museums and Western movies

July 6 Day 142

We got up, had breakfast, got a few things done in the room and then headed out on the commuter train to the third largest mosque in the world.  Ronny had told us how Sukharno had courted the Soviets and gotten all sorts of things built in Indonesia by them, including this place.

                As we entered the grounds all of these women tried to sell us black plastic bags to put our shoes in.  Actually, they handed them to us and then demanded  money.  One chatted nicely with Meg and then said "you don't want to support me?" when we still refused the bags.  Supporting the local economy is one thing but adding to black plastic accumulation is quite another.

                At the door we were met by a greeter who showed us the shelf to store our shoes and gave Meg a robe to wear - headcovering was just for Muslims.  I didn't have to wear anything extra.  We walked up the steps past the washing area and saw the huge chamber - it can accommodate 200,000 worshipers.  During our visit, a few people were praying but several were sleeping or catching up on their phones in the mainly empty chamber.  There were shiny stations that I thought were drinking fountains but turned out to be bookshelves, presumably with copies of the Koran.  The upper levels were fenced off, it had 5 levels to mesh with the pillars of Islam, so we walked around the balcony of the 2nd.  The size was impressive, but it was real Soviet realism with almost none of the ornamentation that you can examine for hours in a Turkish mosque.  A 15 minute look around and you're ready to move on. 

                On the way out one of the bag ladies (sarcastically?) thanked Meg for her help.  Our greeter told us about a free bus to the museum when we asked how to walk there so we went with the bus option.  This was a tourist bus that did a long loop of the city, mainly the huge park and lush shopping areas, before dropping us at the museum an hour later.

                There seemed to be lunch at the museum but it was for participants in a women's cookoff being held there.  We found a coffee shop and had coffee and brownies to fill the gap until we could get somewhere else.

                The new wing of the museum had 4 floors of historical items.  We saw juice machines, old bikes, models of ancient ruin sites, furniture, weapons and burial procedures from the many areas of Indonesia.   There was lots of English explanation and a few groups of kids more interested in running around than seeing the displays.  The tops floor had the most gold we'd seen since King Tut's tomb with some amazingly ornate work.  The curation focused first on Buddhist traditions and then the Dutch conquest and some of the treasures taken by the Dutch.  This floor on its own was worth a long visit as there were many world-class pieces.

                We entered the old wing and saw rooms full of Hindu statues surrounding a garden of statues, similar to what we've seen in Greece and Turkey.  At the end of the space was a room showing videos of sites around Indonesia and he best of them had archival footage of indigenous rituals.  The statues were fine but we were tired and so we headed out.

                We managed to hail a Bluebird taxi and took a slow ride through traffic to the mall that was playing our movie.  It was a huge, posh mall and we had to walk a long way to get to the theatre.  We grabbed tickets and were looking at overpriced, fancy restaurants until we found an actual food hall.  There was lots of selection and I went for the hand-cut noodles, which were being made in front of us and were delicious.  They didn't have a veggie item on the menu, so Meg went to an Indian place that had a veggie curry that was mainly potato.  Tough being a veggie.

                We were looking to pick up some travel food so we went to a department store that referred us to their food hall, which is what the Indonesians call a supermarket.  We got some bread, fruit and snacks as well as some anti-perspirant, finally!  We bagged our booty and headed up to the movie theatre.

                Our film was the comedy Yesterday which we were interested in because it was directed by Danny Boyle and all of the other movies playing were not good.  We were surprised by how popular it was, as we only had about a dozen seats left to choose from and ended up sitting apart in the second row.  The Indonesians seemed familiar with the music as they laughed in the right places to song references.  Overall it was overlong and underwritten but an okay distraction for an evening.

                We wet back to the hostel with takeout from the food court, Meg having learned to ask for chicken dishes without the chicken and vegetables substituted, although she got raw salad vegetables on her her cooked noodles.

                The taxi back to the hostel was slow but we had time and were starting to recognize landmarks.  We first chatted with a Belgian couple who were on our train and so planned to share a taxi in the morning.  We also chatted with an Egyptian guy with his young son who expanded our knowledge of modern Egyptian politics.  Packing had to be done for an early morning so we threw our stuff together and went to bed.

The world's third largest mosque.  The prostrate people are sleeping, not praying.

Big, scary stone head in the statue garden of the museum.

Big, cool sculpture at the museum entrance.

July 5 - Jakarta Real City Tour

July 5 Day 141

         We got up and did stuff in our room until it was time for our real Jakarta tour, which we were looking forward to.  We took the train downtown to the main square and this time found an underground walkway that avoided one busy street but meant we had to cross another to get to the pedestrian street.

         We had some trouble finding the restaurant we were supposed to meet at and asked some people where it was.  Here we had the classic Asian problem of not wanting to say no, as we got some random instructions as to where it was close to and one person said it was closed.  I took one more look and found the restaurant and we met up with our two guides, Ronny and Anneke,  a husband and wife team.

         We ate in the simple but delicious restaurant they had chosen and introduced ourselves.  She was quiet and probably the organizer who kept things going.  He was an extroverted talker who used to be an artist (quite famous from his own description) and very detailed about Indonesian history, which we discussed at length. 

         We walked along a street close to the main square where he asked people selling simple wares on the street what their story was and took us into a back alley where the street buskers lived.  It was very basic with small dirty living spaces set up in ramshackle ways among the shining costumes and makeup stations.

         We then boarded a local bus with seats torn up that took us to a park where we got into a tuktuk ( I forget what they call them in Indonesia).  We stopped by a park that he said used to be low income housing and still had people living in it.  He mentioned how they had limited types of trees planted in public places and never replaced the fruit trees that used to be there as the fruit caused too many problems.  The result of this is that there were no birds in the park. 

         Across from the park was a dirty bay with shacks on the other side of it.  Behind the shacks were tall apartment buildings and in the water were cranes dredging out the mud from the bay.  He talked about how removing the mangroves hurt the wildlife and how the shoreline was being sold off to companies that wanted to build boutique hotels.  A short tuktuk ride along the filthy shore took us to the large slum where we spent most of our time.

         We started off in a dusty area with rickety shacks and pile of garbage burning.  Ronny found out from talking to the people there that the government was coming in the next day to bulldoze the area and kick the people off the land, some of whom had been living there for 20 years.  Meg made an impassioned video that hasn't yet made it to Facebook (wait for our movies about our trip, I'll insert it for sure).  When asked what could be done, Ronny said that he knew lawyers but the work was slow.  He had been involved in many protests but if 1000 police and soldiers come out with water cannons and tear gas, what can you do?  The people were not going to be given housing alternatives so that would be pushed further out  finally laid off when we kept insisting but our energy was pretty tapped by then.  We headed back to our room to sleep.or into more crowded conditions.

         We continued into the larger slum, where many of the buildings were made of concrete, there were shops selling everything you'd need and the alleys ran in all directions with houses and businesses.  Ronny talked with many of the people he met and seemed to be fixture of the neighbourhood.  Anneke had a bag with toothbrushes, pencils and treats for the kids that seemed to know to swarm around us when they saw us.  On girl had braces, which meant that some people living here were doing okay bus still didn't want to move.  There was a sense of community with things going on but the filthy streams everywhere and the lack of water had to be a deterrent.  Still, so many people smiled at us as obviously wealthy foreigners I was reminded of some of our Buddhist teachings.  These talked about our attachment to things and how wealthy people often were less happy than poorer people because as you get money you acquire things you become attached to which doesn't lead to meaningful happiness.  It can sound like romantic claptrap and people living here had to worry about their and their children's futures but everyone smiled at us and many were having a good time there.

         Groups of kids always clustered around us (certainly Ronny's doing) and we went for quite a long walk through the area, which must go on for kilometres.  We then got on more local transport, which were luxury cyclo seats which only fit one person at a time.  We went along streets with little traffic because of frequent steep speed bumps which we felt in our cyclos.  The homes were a mix of tidy and rundown.  Ronny explained that this area was different from the slum as people owned the land legally here, so it was a more mixed place but still under threat from development.

         Our ride ended in a big dusty square that looked like it held large markets at other times.  Another group of kids gathered around and they sang "Frere Jacques" to us in 7 languages.  We sang back a Beatles song and talked to a mother of two who looked 15 but said she was 23.  Ronny referred to these as "his people" as he had represented 500 families here.

         We took a tuktuk to another intersection and walked through a dark and crowded pathway of living spaces clustered along the train tracks.  We met a woman who lived in a small space with a cut window with her two kids up a ladder and down a narrow passage.  She had a dream to send her kids back to the country to live with their grandmother while she did laundry until she could buy a house for everyone.  She said it paid about $50 a month and Ronny said that at that rate the woman's dream wasn't realistic and she might be stuck here.

         we continued along the dark path until we came up by the tracks and watched a few trains go by just a few feet away from us and the people living there.  One place that was finished nicely and functioned as a shop/restaurant for the neighbourhood had a family who were very chatty with us.  They were very proud of their daughter who had gone to university and was on track to become a medical technician, the first university educated member of the family.  So success stories do happen.

         We came out by a dirty river by a bridge that Ronny said many people slept under the bridge.  We then walked under an overpass where the homeless gathered at night, each with their own space between pillars.  Only a few people were there but some had thermoses for makeshift cafes and spoke to Ronny easily.  One area close to the road was now being used as parking for a nearby Chinese restaurant so the people had less space.

         After all this they gave us a lift home and we talked politics most of the way.  Ronny thought that the current government was doing better than previous ones but that he companies that really ran things would try to defeat them in the next election.  He talked about how he can't return to art while all of these problems exist but he at least can use his notoriety with the media to call attention to issues.  The 4 hour tour was more than 6 hours for us and gave us lots to think about and showed us a side of Jakarta we wouldn't have seen otherwise.  Check out https://realjakarta.blogspot.com/ if you are interested.

         Back at home we had so much to digest from the tour that we didn't have the energy to catch a movie like we'd planned.  We walked in a different direction ad came across a shisha bar with Middle Eastern food.           There was one non-smoking area in the corner behind a screen and the food was pricey for Indonesia but it had been a long time since we'd had hummus.  The food was quite good but the roach that crawled out of our basket of naan and continued to explore our table made us grateful that we hadn't seen what the kitchen was really like.

         Back at the hostel we slept fine until about midnight when some kids started running and screaming through the hallways.  I got the staff member but we couldn't find them but he announced the problem at the bar and the mom came down and settled them.  Still, it was hard to get back to sleep and was our only bad night at the hostel.

A shack in a dumpy area with buildings behind representing creeping gentrification.  We were told that the city would be bulldozing this area tomorrow, leaving its inhabitants homeless.  The police and the army would be present at the bulldozing.

Me with our guide and one of he many groups of kids that clustered around us wherever we went.

A neighbourhood along the busy tracks of Singapore.

July 4 - Exploring Jakarta

July 4 day 140

         We woke up, had a simple breakfast in the hostel and got some work done in the room.  The co-owner, a Sumatran woman who married and Irish guy, gave us detailed advice about getting around the city.   We spent a long time next door at a travel agent booking trains and found out they were very popular and we'd have to spend another day in Jakarta or take the much longer and less comfortable bus.  We opted for the extra day.  About noon we decided to head downtown and check stuff out.

         We walked about 10 minutes along the frequently sidewalkless road to the commuter train system which bypassed the traffic congestion and had lots of room in the middle of the day.  The tickets were cheap and easy to buy and the trains were reasonably frequent.  There was a women's only car at the front of each train that people seemed to respect.  The route went by parks but also by some slums, which was our first look at how many Jakartans live.

         The central train station isn't far from the historic downtown square but we had to cross a hazardously busy street to get there.  We had learned to watch the local and cross with them between you and the traffic for extra safety.  This led on to a pedestrian street, such a welcome rarity in southeast Asia.  There were museums, restaurants and mimes in metallic makeup who moved for cah of posed for photos.  The Dutch colonial square was surrounded by old buildings, but the big attraction here was to rent a pastel-coloured bicycle and wear a similarly coloured sunhat and scoot though the square.  this was a very popular activity and families were out in force enjoying it.

         We ate lunch at the Cafe Batavia, which looked like a set from an old movie.  The history wasn't exotic, it was a  shipping office for most of its existence, but they had spruced it up nicely.  The staff was super attentive and the food was extremely nicely presented but not exceptional.

         We walked around a bit and then hit the puppet museum.  Most of the space was for wooden puppets used for telling Hindu stories but they also had some huge puppets, skins puppets, strange Christian puppets and primitive straw ones.  Much of the fine cutting and painting on them was amazing but unfortunately they weren't putting on a show the day we visited.

         We made out way back and spent some time on Skype finally getting our credit cards sorted so that they could be usable again.  Meg was annoyed that the movie wanted to see wasn't close by and the others had already started so we went downstairs, had some peanuts and beer and scrolled through what was available in the hostel's digital collection.  We were hoping for the final season of Game of Thrones but they only had episode 6 so we watched the excellent but grim Once Were Warriors instead.

         It was latest but we hungered and so went to a recommended place less than 10 minutes away down a dark, narrow street.  The place was wildly decorated with every room covered in exotic decor and elaborate furniture.  Neither of the two entrances had a reception desk, which made it seem even stranger and more disorienting.

         We were seated by the nattily dressed and very attentive staff and had a great meal.  It was expensive by local standards but to eat this well in such a cool place for about $30 each was well worth it.

         Full of tasty food, we headed back and slept well once again.

Batavia square with its colourful cyclists.

At the puppet museum.

Lunching at the Cafe Batavia.

July 3 - Hello to Indonesia

July 3 Day 139

         We arrived in Jakarta in mid-morning and took our time leaving the airport.  The customs officer said that we were supposed to have an outgoing ticket but granted our visas anyway.  We got a new simcard, hit an ATM and had a nice coffee at a chain that specialized in fancy donuts.  We followed the advice of our guidebook, cousin and the customs officer and opted for a Bluebird taxi, which had its own line.  These are metred, reliable taxis that take the hassle out of using them that particularly annoyed us in Thailand.

         Traffic in Jakarta is legendary and the trip from the airport to our hotel took a while, but no longer than it would in Toronto at rush hour.  Our hostel was very friendly and out room was clean and windowless - a plus if you need a nap.  We did.

         We went out looking for dinner options and headed to a place recommended by the hostel.  Getting there was tricky as the y had ripped up the sidewalk and the street in front of the hostel was quite busy.  We ended up in a fancy place where they had a buffet table of food on display that they would finish cooking once you chose it.  We weren't comfortable with tepid food sitting out, even at a fancy place, and so went next door for okay fried rice and acceptable pizza.  This place did have great desserts (chocolate lava cake!) and coffee.

         Back at the hostel we booked a cab to the complex where Steve lived and it took about 45 minutes of very slow driving to get there.  The complex was sparkly and posh, with several pools and elaborate chandeliers everywhere.  We had drinks and a good chat outside.  He was getting ready to move back to Canada before heading to his next posting with the Canadian government in the Barbados.  He had lots of tips about travelling and made us reconsider Bali and Singapore.  His time was short because of the move but we were glad to have made touch with him and now Indonesia was our oyster.

         The cab back was marginally faster and we had a bit of energy so we explored the hostel.  It had a sound door separating the downstairs pool table/ movie area from the sleeping area.  There was a nice kitchen with fridge space upstairs.  Beyond another sound door was the rooftop bar which was thick with plants and nicely spread out.  It had a small gym area and a cool little tower which had the best view of the city from its bench.  Very nice.

         Back in our room we had no trouble falling asleep and so we did.

With Steve at his abode.

July 2 - Goodbye to Nepal

July 2 Day 138

         Our last day in Nepal started with an excellent breakfast in the garden of our hotel.  We had a late flight and so paid half fare to keep the room until we left, something we'd been doing when convenient since we found out about this option.        

         We met a Kopan friend for lunch and bumped into 4 others just walking around Thamel.  Christian talked about the fundraiser for Genessis and then showed us his singing bowl from a therapt class he just took.  He spoke about using his skills when he got back o Chile but was not sure whether he should charge for his services or not.

         The afternoon was spent catching up on the net and booking ahead for the next leg of our trek.  We went out to a close place for dinner and had fun watching everyone go by from the restaurant's balcony and enjoyed the food.

         On the way to the airport our cab died going up an incline so we rolled back to where the driver could pull over, which took ten minutes of honking traffic behind us slowly moving out of the way.  He then hailed another cab, put us in it and told us to pay the new driver while the new driver paid him a cut based on how far we had gotten.

         The airport was improved from what we remembered and we got through first security.  We noticed that the monks ahead of us left a tube and we couldn't see them so left it with a guard.  The lineups looked random because there was nothing on the screens above the desk so we got into the shortest lines.  In my line someone asked where we were going and pointed me to the correct line, I have no idea how he knew.  In front of me were the monks, who were glad to get their tube back, it was an expensive thanka painting!  After we checked in the monitors turned on and we could see that our airline was where it said it was.

         At customs the foreign visitor line was short and the migrant worker line was very long.  i had heard about the hordes of Indian workers going to the middle east into gated communities where journalists are forbidden to visit, but Nepalis are doing this too.  I think it was people from villages who had never seen an airport before as they rushed and pushed ahead of others through security and cut ahead of everyone as they went through gates, causing more than a little annoyance.  We found seats in the waiting room away from them and close to an AC unit so we were okay.

         Our airline had entertainment screens but didn't activate them on our first flight until everyone was fast asleep.  On the connecting flight they were on from the beginning but had no movies or tv shows loaded.  You could read your book or watch the plane slowly move over a map.