The dictionary defines the word 'contrast' as 'to compare in order to show unlikeness or differences'.

There is no better word to describe the aftermath of making the 100m walk across no mans land from China into Nepal! Within a few metres Nepal literally punches you in the face and it is evident you are now in a different world- the until now mythical 3rd world!

The Tibetan border town of Zhangmu is a hub of activity. With the border only open limited hours and the road a crucial trade route the narrow steep mountain streets are in constant chaos with heavily laden trucks trying to pass each way. From Zhangmu the road winds for 20mins down to the border checkpoint which is clearly defined as a bridge at the bottom of a very deep gorge. There can't be many more picturesque borders in the world!

On one side the bureaucratic, officious and generally scary Chinese and on the other...laid back isn't the word! Getting in to Nepal wasn't a concern but given our permit situation getting out of China may be a whole different story.

Colourful Nepalese lorries were parked bumper to bumper the final 1/2 mile so it was finally time to do some real back-packing! We have never crossed a border by foot before so it was going to be an interesting experience....

Although we had valid Chinese Visas a separate Permit is required to enter Tibet. The tour company had sorted that out for us but mistakenly listed our departure date as Oct 26th when our tour actually finished Oct 27th. We were not aware of this until we saw our permit the night before leaving for Everest hence why we had to get to the border earlier and couldn't spend so much time at Base camp. Our guide had been faxed a copy of a new correct permit which we believe had been ok'd by Chinese immigration. We were told it would be fine but there was more than an element of doubt....

The random bag checker only had a quick rifle through Sally's so Alex managed to keep hold of her Tibet Lonely Planet book. This would have been confiscated if found by Chinese authorities even if leaving the country which seems a little odd. Nobu, our guide, nervously clutched the faxed copy of our permit as we waited in line at Passport control! The supervisor came over and asked to see the original copy. This of course was in Lhasa so we had to step aside and wait. Fortunately we didn't have to wait for the original, it was simply a show of power and intent to make our Tibetan guide lose face in front of his customers. Alex, having lived and worked in China for the last couple of years had seen this game before so we all sympathised with Nobu and after a 15 minute wait we were then allowed to leave China. Nobu winked at us and breathed a huge sigh of relief such was his position being Tibetan in his occupied homeland! We then waved goodbye to Nobu and walked across the bridge from China to Nepal. With armed soldiers on both sides watching closely we felt like central characters in a prisoner exchange taking place in a war film!

We stepped off the bridge and were in Nepal or were we? There was no sign of passport control or immigration, just the usual chap approaching us 'Sir, where you going?' There was nothing stopping us walking down the road- we had to ask where we could get a visa for fear of problems when leaving Nepal and it appeared a voluntary action?

In stark 'contrast' to the Chinese immigration, the Nepalese side was a bit of fun- we joked with the immigration officers whilst filing out the form and even managed to gain some tourist information from them at the sametime. After completing the visa forms and paying our $25 there was another sigh of relief that the money we had exchanged with the money 'tout' that morning whilst we ate breakfast was indeed genuine! The final action was to ask the immigration officer in the next room to sign the visa. This he did without even a cursory glance at us whilst momentarily taking a break from reading the morning paper. We assumed we were now in Nepal?

The usual debacle with taxi jeep drivers followed where we knew the price should be £30 for the 110km trip to Kathmandu...it took a bit of mildly entertaining negotiation and we agreed on a price; bald tyres, no seat belts but a decent price! This was certainly better than the old beat up Cortina we were offered for a couple of quid less.

The guide book stated the taxi ride was 110km and would take 4-5 hrs. An average speed of 17mph (the same as my brothers fastest training ride) How could that be right?... This question was answered within the first mile as we bumped and shook our way towards the capital. The road to Everest Base Camp a few days earlier was bumpy and could be understood but this was the main trade route between Nepal and Tibet used by hundreds of lorries on a daily basis!

What the road lost in comfort and speed it more than made up for in scenery. We thought we had used up our monthly allocations of 'WOW!' but clearly not. By the time we had reached the river at the bottom of the gorge the vegetation had turned tropical, palm trees and waterfalls and a road cutting through the forest as if we were in the Caribbean. Children happily playing, people washing their hair or sleeping by the roadside in the shade from the warm sun. Breaks in the forest offering stunning views of the river, valley or occasionally Great Himalayan Range in the distance. Every 5-10km we encountered an Army checkpoint which appeared easier to cross than a road in Alaska. There were also constant reminders of landslides where half of the mountain appeared to have been cleared from the road. The weather must help but it is a very outdoors lifestyle with everyone content to sit outside their homes or shops and watch the world go by! The colour of Nepal, it's people and land at the other end of spectrum from the muted colour scheme of Tibet. With some booming Indian chanting music accompanying us we bounced down the road quickly dispelling any thoughts of sleeping as our eyes were transfixed on our introduction to Nepal.

Due to the erratic nature of his driving it took a few miles for us to realise we had now switched to the left hand side of the road- offering some comfort with the sheer drops to the river below being on our right hand side. Our driver did enjoy overtaking on blind bends...we didn't!

The public transport looked interesting with rickety old buses crawling along the road full of locals with 20 or 30 extra on the roof and a couple hanging on to the side. The road surface clearly causing regular problems as one bus was jacked up (with passengers still on the roof) whilst the wheel was being replaced and another had stopped with the bonnet open.

With 50kms still remaining we pulled in to a roadside shed that served food. Our driver told us it was lunch time and we would be stopping- I just can't imagine a black cabbie doing that on a Heathrow run! Still it was a nice break and chance to soak up yet more of the local action. It also reinforced my suspicions that we weren't yet going to escape the disgusting throat clearing and spitting that had been evident throughout China. I visited the toilet and had to listen to the most impressive of throat clearing sounds. After I had just about managed to hold back my need to throw up I emerged to find a seriously stunning Nepalese lady in full bright Indian dress appear from the adjacent toilet!

We were soon back on the road and a few miles later had our first glimpse of Kathmandu, sitting under a thick blanket of smog! The perfect mountain road turning to a dusty half built track leading towards the centre of the city, bumper to bumper with traffic, motorbikes tooting and weaving their way through the chaos providing another use the word 'contrast'.

Some 4 hrs after crossing the border we still hadn't arrived at out destination and enjoyment was turning too frustration as the noise and sheer madness of the city kicked in. Eventually our jeep pulled in to the narrow streets of Thamel (the touristy bit) and with Alex's clever lonely planet map reading skills we had found our guest house home for the next 3 nights. At £5 a night for the room it was basic but clean with it's own bathroom. The rooftop garden with views over the city and distance mountains and free wifi (so I can catch up on sports action) was the clincher!!

We were all ready for a few days break from monasteries and sights after the excitement of Tibet so 2 days later we haven't seen a lot more of Kathmandu other than a few bakeries, restaurants and bars. It is max £1 for a beer in Tibet, but here a big bottle of Everest was coming out at £2.80!!! We ensured we made it out for happy hour though as all drinks were 10p less!! Sandwiches and western food a plenty offering welcome relief from egg fried rice, noodles and dumplings!

Apologies to my mum who insisted we visited more monasteries and Nepalese rivers but after an intense week on the road, the rooftop beer gardens had more appeal. Maybe next week when we come back before taking our flight to India.... We are on 'holiday' after all!!

Next stop in the Dring + Harrod Tour is the more relaxed gateway to the Annapurna region called Pokhara. We are taking the scenic flight but the thought of another 30 mins in our company was enough to motivate Alex to take the 7hr white knuckle bus ride so we will be nicely settled in to our new guest house by the lake by the time she trudges in...:-)

Will our desire to see sights have returned....