At 7am, I took a spot in line outside the gates of the Indian Embassy in my bid for an Indian transit visa. I found a loop-hole by searching the web whereby I can enter India for a period of 15 days if it is for the purpose of traveling onward (must have proof of such). This loophole must have divine origins because I have exactly 15 days until my flight! Further, I was able to find great airfare from Delhi to Shanghai for only $210 in Katmandu – the one good service rendered by the tout!

Much like trying to get into the Potala Temple, I did not reach the front of the queue until noon – Indian bureaucracy is notorious. I was the last person able to hand my passport over in time, which meant that I was once again the luckiest guy on earth!

I spent the next several hours buying more presents for friends and family, and arranging a bus that would take me to the border. Later, I picked up my passport (but not without difficulty because all the Indian computers crashed), and I hopped on the bus as it was literally pulling out of the station.

It felt like a hectic end to my Nepal trip, but as I was to find out in the coming days, it was a mild introduction to the unreal world of India.