I write to you from a Qatar Airlines plane somewhere above the Arabian Peninsula, bound for Kathmandu, Nepal. The first leg of my trip was a 14 hour flight from Atlanta to Doha (Qatar). I left Atlanta at 9:30pm and landed in Doha 5:30pm. My baggage consists of a 70L Patagonia duffle, a backpacking pack filled with gear, and a 9 foot Jackson, Nirvana kayak with a paddle duct taped to the side. If you’re wondering how to get stares in Qatar check in line, bringing such luggage and being the only white girl seems to be quite the attention grabber. Shout out to the Qatar staff for how accommodating and helpful they were about the boat and to my wonderful father for helping me drag my boat through the mile long international check in line. I prepaid for the dimensions of the boat as oversized sports equipment but was still concerned that it may be an issue. I was extremely pleasantly surprised that I was given no trouble at all. My one issue with my baggage was that I had planned on carrying on my pack but Qatar weighs all carry on’s to ensure they are around 15lbs. Mine was probably 30 so Dad again came to the rescue by running to the car to grab a little day pack I happened to have. This resulted in me having to check two bags instead of one and frantically transferring everything I needed for my flight to a minuscule backpack. Other than this, the only boat hiccup was TSA insisting on cutting off the inch of plastic wrap and duct tape around the cockpit that ensure that my dry bags and PFD did not get lost from inside the boat. They promised to tape it back up but I have yet to discover whether my gear is still inside and paddle safe and padded.
I had one goal on leg number 1: sleep. This failed pretty miserably. I spent most of the fourteen hours staring at the flight map wondering when I was going to fall asleep. I will never get back the $20 I spent on melatonin gummies at target. As soon as I did fall asleep I was being tapped awake by my neighbor for my dinner selection. I was given three options and when I didn’t understand what the flight attendant was saying his response was “its an Indian dish” and I was quite humbled. The mystery dish was by far the most quality airplane dinner I have ever tasted and the three flight meals I’ve had since have held up the expectation.
After arriving in Doha I rushed to a pre-booked sleeping pod in the airport. This was a futuristic experience. I was worried that if I overslept I might wake up in a spaceship in 2050. Nonetheless it was some of the best sleep I’ve ever gotten. I woke up at 11:30pm and walked through the equally futuristic Doha airport to gate number two that boarded at 12:30am. At this point it has been nighttime for over 24 hours (very trippy, 0/10 would not recommend). It still has not quite registered what is happening but I am filled with excitement for what lies ahead. Though I have support from all possible angles, the past four and a half months have taught me that the freedom that comes with traveling alone the most valuable self discovery experience. I have spent more quality time with Madeleine than ever before. Turns out she’s pretty cool and I’m looking forward to more adventures with her.
Lessons learned thus far
Buying a kayak bag is worth it for ease of carrying/dragging
If you don’t get a bag, don’t store anything inside the cockpit or wrap your kayak unless you’re trying to disguise it. Just wrap the paddle and tape it to the side.
Qatar airways weighs your carryon.
Airport sleeping pods are dope and totally worth it for long layovers.
Qatar Airways is a great airline for kayakers and people that eat food.
Always bring Dad to the airport
Photo taken flying into Kathmandu Valley
The extremely jangled set up that was required to get my boat to our air b and b after landing in Kathmandu. God bless the nice man who came to save me with a truck.
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