Kathmandu

Stupas at the Monkey temple
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We were relieved to arrive at our hotel in Kathmandu in the evening and quickly took our bags to our room before heading to the restaurant for some food and a drink. The next day we walked into the main tourist area of Kathmandu to buy a few last minute items for the trek. We knew that Nepal is considered as India's 'poor neighbour' so were surprised to see that everything actually seemed very clean, organised and attractive. The pollution from the traffic was pretty bad, though, and several Nepalis were wearing masks for cycling or walking along the pavements.

Buddhist prayer wheels
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Kathmandu was very tourist friendly and after we met our group leader and other group members for the trek, we spent a couple of days going out to the tourist bars and restaurants and looking around the shops. We also visited the large Buddhist temple perched on the top of a hill (known as the Monkey Temple) and the traditional Nepali buildings and temples of Durbar Square. Kathmandu seemed a really good place to relax with lots of peaceful rooftop cafes and bars. Although we knew from the news that there was political unrest in Nepal, apart from the excess of armed police and soldiers around the palace, we didn't pick this up at all from the atmosphere in Kathmandu.

Sightseeing before the trek