Kathmandu and problem solving

Kathmandu is a weird and wonderful place at the best of times and this early morning scene is the calm before the storm of traffic which fills every street to bursting by 10.00 when the shops reopen after a late close at 10.00pm. The rubbish in the streets remains as a stinking and rotting mass until someone decides to burn it. There is the acrid smoke of smouldering remains of everything from dead animals to plastic bottles and general paper waste. The heavy humidity means things burn slowly and badly. Even the burning of the dead along the rushing tributary of the Ganges which runs through the city is a slow and ponderous affair. Set amongst this backdrop of decay it is amazing that the people remain broadly good humoured and even generally optimistic.

We have spent a day of frustration working with doctors and the bureaucracy of both insurance companies and airline officialdom. In all instances you learn from bitter experience that process is everything and trying to speed up procedure and system never does more than frustrate you and cause further antipathy and delay. We now await final confirmation of the insurance company's final decision about the flights for the client.

The helicopter is ours and booked so we have a good deal of flexibility for our flights tomorrow and we are very hopeful of departure for all concerned during the day tomorrow.

We have all had to draw on our reserves of patience, resourcefulness and problem solving over the past few days but we remain focused on our goal and are keeping the trip timing under constant review. We remain confident of our achieving all goals.