Kathmandu: Final Part!

After a nail-biting and rather dull wait for the weather to clear sufficiently for planes to land in Lukla, we made it back to Kathmandu. We only had an afternoon before our early morning flight the next day so after the world's most satisfying shower (first running hot water in six weeks!) we headed out for a final wander around the streets of Thamel. Ali said goodbye to his expedition beard and we also went up to the impressive Boudhanath temple. So a short but sweet afternoon, followed by very good pizza in the legendary Fire and Ice restaurant - not exactly authentic Nepali cuisine but pretty darn good!

BEFORE: Ali with unruly expedition beard, the culmination of six weeks hard work. 

The very cheerful chap at the "beautiful hair" barbers gets to work. The shop must have been all of a metre wide!

Don't flinch or you'll be garroted! 

AFTER: Ali looking fresh as a daisy! 

These dogs were not so fresh as daisies. There's a lot of rubbish in Kathmandu :-(

But there's also some stunning places, like this: the Boudhanath Temple. One of the holiest sites in Nepal, people come here from all over to walk round the base of the giant "stupa", many chanting and/or prostrating along the way. We stuck with doing a few laps then admiring it from a rooftop cafe! 

View from the cafe :-)

Kathmandu Part One

Well, we're no longer residents of Catalunya and officially back on British soil. But before reality bites and work starts we've decided to squeeze in a couple of trips, starting with Nepal!

We started and ended our trip in the sprawling city of Kathmandu, spending several days sightseeing and generally taking in the madness. It's a real feast for the senses...

Taking a break from ferrying the tourists around!

The first of many ridiculous loads that we saw on this trip

Yuck

The Swayambhunath  or "Monkey Temple"

Prayer wheels spinning

One of the many local residents that give the temple its nickname!

Monks with Smart phones... a sign of the times!

View over the city from the Monkey Temple - a big place!

The same Monkey Temple and surroundings in 1965... 

Rush hour and possibly the reason there are so many power cuts!