Day 1 - arrival in Thamel

All set up and ready for the hike...
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After spending all day in airports and airplanes, we finally arrived in Kathmandu on Friday evening, shortly after 4 pm. The following morning we wanted to head on  to Pokhara, so we had booked a hotel beforehand. We had no plans to do any sightseeing, but  since our lodge for the night was situated right in the heart of Thamel, the busy - and touristy - nightlife center of Kathmandu, we were planning on a little shopping spree. After all we were hoping to find some maps; the one we head was really good, but also very expensive. If we could find a reasonably cheap local one for everyday orientation, we wouldn't need to spoil our little treasure. And sure enough, there is nothing you don't get in Thamel. Book and map stores galore, along with trekking shops offering real - and real fake - outdoor equipment at more than competitive prices. While wandering around in Thamel and negotiating our way from shop to shop, we also experienced what would accompany us throughout our trip to Thorung Pass and back: a power outage, leaving the whole quarter pitch dark, except for the few cars fighting their way through masses of pedestrians. Well, we were done shopping anyway, and slowly wandered back to our hostel - which appeared so much more romantic in candlelight ;-)