Another early taxi to Kathmandu airport for our third visit in 3 days but this time the international airport for our flight to Delhi and connection to Cochin. We got there just before 6 to find the airport closed.Fairly soon they opened a door and a long queue formed as everyone's luggage was scanned before we could get to a check in desk.Shirley was lucky her flight was on time.When a man asked us what our connection from Delhi was we realised there was a problem.the gentleman behind us was then moved to another airline's plane to Delhi so he could get his connection. Our connection was not until 6 pm so we awaited our fate.An Indian airlines employee came round and gave us crips and juice. Norman,who was on our tour met up with us in the departure lounge and luckily for him his plane to Delhi appeared to be on time as he had to go through the security check fairly promptly.We used up the last of our Nepali rupees to buy an expensive sandwich and settled down to watch the cricket with all the Indians who were cheering and clapping as the match progressed.Only 3 1/2 hours later our flight was called.stupidly I had an old Swiss Army knife which got removed from the hand luggage as did a small lock and chain we used in the Indian overnight sleeper and most bizarrely an old roll of gaffer tape.perhaps we were going to tie up the captain and gag him.Stranger still was that we were searched again and our hand luggage opened on the steps of the plane in what looked like 3 bathing huts.An Indian gentleman behind us opined that it would justify the lateness of the plane.When we got to Delhi we were thankfully taken through to transfers so didn't need to faff about fetching luggage and going through immigration,still searched yet again!Inside the terminal we just had time to see India win their cricket match and half the terminal started cheering!
Only an hour late for our departure and yet another search before we boarded the plane .Our meal was exactly the same as before which meant as Kate wasn't hungry on the way to Delhi Sebastian had his third little chicken curry of the day but of more concern was that the planes were dry and no inflight entertainment so try to avoid air India! A slight panic at Cochin airport as we didn't see our names on a board by the exit but as we were about to phone the emergency number a fellow approached us and asked us our names.He has always just shown his trailfinders board and tourists tend to see that as opposed to their often misspelt names but we had no idea that they were organising this part of our travels.It was the first time in 12 years he said it hadn't worked.No problem we said as we drove into the old part of Cochin about an hour away.He treated us to some of the smallest bananas we'd ever eaten delicious and creamy.
We reached our hotel and fell into bed a good 20 hours after getting up in Kathmandu.