Finally we have reached our destination of Kathmandu, 52 days on the Dragoman truck have now come to an end. I have had the most wonderful time on the truck, full of ups and downs but that I think that is India summed up. I certainly don't think that I would have been able to travel India independently, I enjoyed having the safety of the group and it is always nice to have some company.

Kathmandu is not what I had expected, I had thought it would be more like Darjeeling or Gangtok up in the mountains with the mountain people, but instead it is more like the rest of India except filled with lovely Nepalese people. To end the tour we stay in the lovely Hotel Tibet, just on the outskirts of Thamel the backpacker area. The hotel is amazing and a perfect end to the trip. For the next 3 nights me and Sarah are staying a bit closer to Thamel and in not quite such a nice hotel. Its funny here we walked in and thought this place is nice, but only here would you think that. Normally there is no way you would walk into a room that smelt of damp, had mouldy bits on the walls, stained sheets and then think, this is ok. Backpacking is certainly not like holidaying.

Thamel is a lovely area of Kathmandu, it is filled with tourist shops, restaurants and cafes. Nepal being one of the best trekking areas in the world; the streets are full of hiking shops, all selling fake North Face and other branded gear. These are interspersed with the Nepalese/Tibetan gift shops selling the most wonderful things. I do not know how I have managed to restrain myself from buying everything.

We spend one of our days here on a walk around the streets following the route in the lonely planet. It was amazing at how easy the book was to follow and without it I would never have gone down some of these streets and certainly wouldn't have known what the sights were. The back streets are full of people and markets and you can just sit and watch the world go by, seeing everyone getting with their busy lives.

I think I like it here in Thamel, Kathmandu, which is a good thing really as I plan to be in the area for a long time.