Day 482 - Kickin' back in Kathmandu

As morning neared we made our way over windy roads where fog clung to mountain tops reluctant to let go and float into the hot day to come. At 5.30am we rolled into the outskirts of Kathmandu where a hotel tout jumped on the bus and tried to engage in conversation - after not sleeping all night we weren't really in the mood!! From our window we gazed upon the houses at the edge of the city that creeped further and further up the green mountainside in search of space to live.

As we didn't really know where we were going, we let the tout take us into Thamel (the tourist area in Kathmandu) where we showed us 'his' hotel - we almost stayed there as the price was pretty good, but the toilets didn't flush, the hot water didn't run, and the bedding was dirty! We decided breakfast was needed to help us think clearly and make a good accommodation decision so we went into the first place we saw that had set breakfasts with eggs, potatoes, tomatoes, banana, toast, jam, coffee for only $2 - we felt like we died and made it home to NZ for breakfast!!

At this time in the morning the streets of Thamel were very quiet but as we made our way through the alleyways people began to spill out and awaken to a new day with new customers.

The hotel we eventually decided upon was much nicer with a balcony off our room, and a garden restaurant and bar out back - the best thing was it's in the heart of Thamel and there are many other tourists we can talk to for trekking tips! While Liv had a snooze in the hotel Adam went out into the midst of all the action and started to get some idea of prices for all the gear we have to buy for our hike. We both ventured out for some food around 3pm and were suddenly shocked at the prices of food - about 3 times what we were paying in Delhi. Eventually we asked another traveller if he knew somewhere cheap to eat, and soon we were dining on all-you-can-eat curry for $1.20 at a small Buddhist restaurant tucked away from all the hustle and bustle. The lesson here is that there is cheap food to be found, if you can be bothered looking for it!
The rest of the day was spent browsing the shops and absorbing the atmosphere with memories of 8 years passed flooding back, before completely sinking into bed for much needed sleep!

Adlibing Thamel.