Today we made our 5 hour private bus journey to Kathmandu. First impressions were that everything is close together but not as hectic as some cities in India. We arrived at Hotel Harati and some of the group opted for a tour of some local towns. As we have 2 weeks to explore the area myself, Bradley, Jo and Pete took a walk around the nearby Durbar Square where we bargained in the market (Jo is the best for this!) had some lunch and just got our bearings of the area. The group met for dinner in our hotel which was quite expensive once they add 13% gov tax and 10% service tax and they also round it up to the nearest 10. (ie if your bill is 142R they would take 150R) We then had a few beers before an early night!

Friday morning we met for breakfast on the terrace at 8 then set off at 9 for a guided tour of the Buddist Stupas and a Hindu Temple. Our first stop was was the Swayambhunath Stupa which is on the top of a hill and full of monkeys. (also known as the monkey temple) It had some fantastic views of Kathmandu, we had to climb 365 uneven steps to get up there! Our next stop was the Bodhnath Stupa which is one of the worlds largest and most visited. It is surrounded by rooftop bars cafes and adorable little shops which makes it a nice place to stay for a couple of hours. Our third and final part of the tour took us to the Hindu temple of Pashupatinath which stands on the banks of the Bagmati river, Non-Hindus are not permitted entry but are allowed to look around the outside. The best views are from the hillside overlooking the river. We witnessed the cremation of a man who was the head of army. That particular part of the bank is used for crematon of important people like the Royal family. We stopped on the way back at the Four Season Restaurant for a quick bite then Brad went for a walk with Zach (shock this turned into a bar crawl!!) In the evening the group met for our final night together (sniff sniff) and what a night it was! We ate in a rooftop restaurant (Helenas) which is the highest in the area so the view over the citie was fantastic. The hilltop stupa was all lit up against the dark mountainous background. The food was fantastic and had a huge selection so everyone was happy. At about 8:30 we said our goodbyes to the early nightersthen went over the road to Jatra Bar which has low level seating and great shots and cocktails. We then went to Paddy Foleys Irish pub which had a really good live band playing. It was very good for cheap tasty cocktails, they went down a treat! At around 10:30 we went downstairs to Fire Club which was packed with locals. Within 5mins of our group dancing the floor was jammed and it was a wicked night. We did get some looks from the local men but they were harmless really, they jsut wanted to dance with us all (even the guys).

Saturday morning the last of us had breakfast together in the hotel garden. I think we were all feeling the affects of the night before. It was really sad to say goodbye to Vicky as she is a really lovely girl (we miss you V!) We made our way to the legendary Kathmandu Guest House which is so cheap but excellent. Rates are from $2-$60 per night so have rooms for people with all budgets. At the front of the Hotel is a large seating area which has a couple of cafes and bars. We just sat under a tree for most of the afternoon, still recovering from the previous night! At 6 we met a few of the other guys for dinner and went to a few bars and played pool. Had an early night.

We are hoping to book some rafting and a trip to Pokhara in the next few days.