Kathmandu

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Landed safely. A couple of uneventful flights - the hardest part was getting through the queues at Heathrow - I dislike third world airports, especially when they're in supposedely first world countries.

Views of the snow-topped Himalaya of to the side of the plane as we flew into Kathmandu made the feet tingle slightly. Met by Sugam (Shaleish's son) at the airport and efficiently transported to the "penthouse suite" of the moonlight hotel in Thamel. Don't get too excited, it is a bit special for Kathmandu but I've already had a few polite arguments with the bare-bone electrics. Bit of a waste not to be sharing it though...wrong continent again...ho hum.

We fly early tomorrow morning (06:45 if all goes well) and the skies are looking clear so early start and should be on the hills well before midday. A siesta may be required at Phakding as I'm not sure the continually interrupted dozing on the plane counted as sleep.

Kathmandu is just as noisy, dusty, squallid, bright, dark, muddy, chaotic, and organised as I recall it. It's possible the rush-hour traffic has got worse but it's hard to tell one level of gridlock from another so I can't be sure.

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