May 21, 1990 - Flight from Kathmandu to New Delhi - Journal Entry

Published Jun 17, 2023

30,000 feet over the Himalayas. Flight 205 Kathmandu to New Delhi. Mountains scrapping the sky to the north. The 727 landed in New Delhi. A six-hour lay-over in the transit lounge. Thankfully the bar had bottles of cold Kingfisher beer. Todd aka Dice gave me Newsweek to help kill the hours till boarding.

When I originally set off from NYC, I had John from PanExpress Travel add Dehli to my itinerary, I wanted to trek in the Kashmir, however the political situations had heightened in the divided kingdom with the threat of war between Pakistan and India. Yesterday Indian security forces killed six Muslim militants outside Jummu. The Indian press called the dead 'terrorists' as is the practice for any nation seeking to legitimize their oppression of another culture. Doctors are on strike to protest the arrest of a compatriot who sympathized with the native inhabitants. A hypocritical President Bush, who had conducted the secret Iran-Contra war for Reagan, inflicting thousands of deaths of Mayans in neighboring countries, has called for a truce. Each nation claims the high morale ground running into the Himalaya. Both might not want a war, but they are spoiling for a fight. The monsoon season has ended. Peace is all up to Ms. Bhutto. She is a good woman unlike her husband, and knows the risks of failure, since her father was hung by the previous government.

LATER

$100 might last 10-30 days in Delhi. The temperature is 104F is in the shade. Plus there are too many people. 640 millions in total. The massive population of China is the reason why I didn't go to The Middle Kingdom.

Next year I will book another round-the-world ticket from John at PanExpress.

NYC-LA-Honolulu-Manila-Hong Kong-Nabgkok-Sri Lanka-Nepal-Paris-London-NYC.

We might have to return to Biak and Bali, although Sri Lanka might answer that itch to be in a Buddhist country as opposed to a Muslim land, since the religious strictures apply to everyone even infidels.

How and when I return depends on earning money this summer and fall. Over the phone Richie promised me a job in late August. A long time away and I only want to work three days a week now, while writing THE BEST IS YET TO COME. Then work like a dog in the fall to gather up $6000 enough to stay away from America for months.