On this adventure we took 8 flights during the first two weeks in May, visiting two new countries (Bhutan and Nepal) and re-visiting Doha. We also had time with Chicago family, plus our favorite business class!
Qatar flights / DOH airport
ORD > DOH: We’ve flown the Qsuites several times now. This time the pajamas had racing stripes!
We had both reserved the grilled beef tenderloin for our main course and Leandra doubled down on the beef with a carpaccio appetizer while I got the always delicious mezze selection. After several hours of sleep we both ordered eggs for breakfast about two hours before we landed.
In one change from previous flights, the wifi on board was complimentary, and the starlink connection was fairly speedy with 20 Mbps down and 5 Mbps up. Leandra mostly read a book and finally watched Wicked, part 1, while I watched The Killer, The Last Showgirl, and part of Reacher season 2.
Al Mourjan Business Lounge: with an afternoon arrival we had ~8 hours before our connection. Thankfully we were able to get a quiet room for a few hours, which was mostly quiet and definitely more comfortable than the sleep pods elsewhere. The neighboring shower room was great after 16 hours of traveling.
After a few hours resting and reading we went over to the lounge restaurant. My chicken machboos (with Qatari daqoos sauce, fried sultanas and onions) was delicious. Leandra went for hummus and mutabal, then eel sushi! We both paired our light meals with the Lanson Black brut. For dessert, we tried the passion fruit fruitiini (amazing) and pistachio ice cream, plus Lenz dessert wine and some baklava pieces from the buffet.
DOH > KTM: 1am departure, so I went straight to sleep. Leandra tried the mezze platter and dozed for a bit after reading more of her book.
KTM > DOH: Pleasant enough daytime flight that started with the Devaux rose champagne.
Leandra got the tandoori lobster app and the paneer masala with spiced rice. My only photo was the pistachio tiramisu :)
DOH > ORD: Second pair of pajamas of the trip!
Our flight left at 8am, so we started with breakfast. Leandra went for the traditional Arabic breakfast (fava beans, feta and veggies) and I had the pancakes with chocolate and fresh fruit.
For my later meal I preordered the Qatari Mashkool (basmati rice dish with fried chicken, eggplant, potatoes, and crispy onions with a green chili sauce). The rice dishes are always excellent on Qatar! Leandra’s reserved choice was dropped from the menu so she went for the grilled beef tenderloin, starting with butter poached lobster (divine!) and a waygu beef burger halfway through the flight.
On this flight I finished Reacher and watched half a season of The Penguin.
Drukair flights / airports
KTM > PBH (Paro): On this flight the left side of the plane can usually see the Himalayan mountains. Lucky for us, we snagged seats on this side, and we had gorgeous views of Mt. Everest and the surrounding mountains!
On this short 1 hour flight the staff served a food box with several snacks, and we were quickly in Paro. It’s well known in the travel community that the approach and landing into Paro can be an experience due to the position of the runway in a narrow valley. The pilots even warned the plane that there would be several last minute turns, but they handled it wonderfully and it didn’t feel harrowing at all!
PBH > BUT: Flight was delayed an hour. Unique waiting area had lots of art, including a make your own art area. Airport was pretty empty when we arrived but filled up as the second clump of flights was ready to take off. Leandra wasn’t looking forward to this 30 minute flight on a prop plane, but we were lucky and there wasn’t significant turbulence. Surprisingly, the staff had time to serve the same food box!
PBH > KTM: Two nights before our flight we realized that this early flight, scheduled for 7am, had been moved even earlier to 6am! That meant a 4:15am pickup from our hotel. We said goodbye to our guide and driver and awaited the first of 4 flights home.
On the plane the right side was already booked, so we were seated on the left away from the mountains this time.