"We have no time to think about football," said Ulf M?hlbacher who with his son Matthias left Germany two weeks ago and made a stopover in Kathmandu on Monday during their 35,000 km around the world flight in a single-engine Piper Malibu.

While the world's attention is focused on Germany, the attention of the M?hlbachers is focused on the world. The father-and-son flew from Bremen to Istanbul, Teheran, Dubai and from New Delhi to Kathmandu.

They flew out on Wednesday non-stop to Mandalay from where they will go on to Vietnam, Osaka, Alaska, across Canada to Newfoundland for a hop across the Atlantic to Rekjyavik and then back home to Germany, which they hope to reach on 5 August.

"We have always wanted to come to Nepal," says Ulf, "and it has been a spectacular flight up from the plains of India to Kathmandu, the weather was glorious and we could see the Himalayan peaks very clearly."

Their plane has been fitted with a special tank to extend its range to 2,500km, and the crew took special training in sea survival in case they have to ditch in the water. The plane is pressurised, can fly to 27,000ft and has a global positioning system for navigation.

As members of the Rotary Club, the two are received by the global network wherever they go. In Nepal, they were hosted at Dwarika's Hotel and visited Rotary sponsored health programs in the Valley.

Matthias just finished high school and is the co-pilot while in the air and spends the long hours maintaining the logbook and the project's website, www.worldflight2006.de

He and his Dad love Nepal, but add: "We just wish Kathmandu aiprort was less bureaucratic."

Min Bajracharya