The highlight without a doubt was the sighting on approach of the nearby mighty Himalyan Mtn range (Everest just visible) .. an absolutely stunning view as our 737-800 series jet weaved its way through the hills and valleys surrounding Kathmandu.
Our first impressions of Kathmandu after a 5 year absence were "wow what a difference" - sure the chaotic traffic snarls that make the Melbourne Sth Eastern peak hour crawl look like the Daytona speed classic were still there - but there had been obvious effort to improve the city, some airport order, wider roads and the removal of the mounds of river rubbish that often mixed in with the up river cremations giving arriving tourists such a powerful impression of the city - not to mention the families of the bereaved !
Our youthful and exuberant guide for the next 21 days, Deepak, took all the stress out of our arrival by taking us to our good value hotel near the famous Thamel area while dealing with our thousand and one questions - what temperature ranges would we experience, what type of terrain would we trek in and who won the Melbourne cup !
We also used this opportunity to wisely remind Deepak that his tip very much depended on us both making it back alive !We seem to be in good hands though and plan to scour the Thamel tomorrow for trekking bargains to deal with the cold at high altitude
N.b
Just to prove that even walking in Kathmandu can be a hazard a novice motorcyclist late this afternoon went within an inch of putting her bike straight through the glass window of the shop we were looking at - having already fallen off her motorcycle she attempted to remount only succeeding in opening the throttle causing the bike to take off across the road and down the shops steps by itself .....only in Kathmandu !
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