There's a festival this weekend so the streets are crowded so it takes us an hour to reach my hotel in Thamel. Actually I'm not sure if it's not like this every day. Having spent the last three months in civilized (not including the Outback) I've become unaccustomed to third-world poverty which shocks me all over again.
I envisaged Kathmandu as an Asian version of Cusco, a charming cobble-streeted town steeped in snow-capped mountains. I thought I'd need woolly hats and gloves although I'm not sure why I had this impression. Instead, it's a sprawling building site - hot, dusty with unpaved roads and dilapidated buildings. There are people everywhere and the noise of motorbikes and taxis negotiating the unsurfaced roads is deafening.
Although my hotel is in Thamel, a mecca for tourists filled with souvenir shops, it's an oasis of peace. I go for a walk after checking in but am not used to the heat and hassle so return after an hour.
(Photo - Durbur Square)
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