First day in Kathmandu. I had planned to just check the place out and find a travel agent to book a tour and a flight. Julie and I headed down towards Thamel and found a reasonable little place to eat and had breakie. Toast, omlet and coffee for $1.40 Aus sweeeeet. We then went into Thamel proper to find the travel agent. Thamel is an area about 1km X 2km and has a few 'toles' in the middle. A tole is like the old town square in this case there is a temple or shrine in the middle and about 6 lanes or roads radiating from this. The place is like a rabbit warren. We hade no idea where we were going but were enjoying the walk around the place. In every tole was a vegetable market where the women spread out their vege's on the pavement. I saw lots of butchers as well which surprised me cos you dont usually see them. I got a few pics of them but one I was a bit slow to realise what they were doing. Most were just choping up the goats with an axe or machete but one was a clasic. I had to point it out to Julie and tell her what was happening and why. The butcher picked up a lung with the wind pipe still attached and blew it up. He did this for 2 sets of lungs. The reason.... The buyer would fill the lungs with a kind of batter (through the wind pipe) then they boil it then slice it and pan fry it its a delicacy here. MMMMMMM Any way we were just walking along and I looked up and we were in front of the travel agent we were looking for. Nurmal the owner was recomended on another travel blog and he was most helpful. He sorted a tour to Chitwan for both of us and a flight for me from Delhi to KTM so I can get home. We were sitting around talking and he offered a good deal on a tour to Dakshinkahli next Sat so we booked that as well and he also helped Julie sort her volunteering for the next few weeks, so it looks like we will part company next Sunday. We got lost trying to find our way back to the hotel so we caught a rickshaw. I bartered the little old bloke down from $3 to $1.60 for the ride. On the way he had to get off twice and push cos he couldn't pedal out of the pot holes ( something about the fat ******* in the back) When we got back I gave him his $3. Had lunch at the same place we had breakie. Buff curry, Momo's, naan bread and fried rice for $3.40. We had to go back to the travel agent in the arvo for Julie to sort some stuff and we got lost again. Eventually found it and got sorted and had to go back to hotel to meet Julies contact and u guessed it we got lost again and got a rickshaw again. All the getting lost was not all bad cos it meant we got to se ALL of Thamel even if it wasnt by choice. On the way back we thought we would knock the froth off a couple of foaming frosties (have a beer) so we went to the local deli and got a couple of king browns (large bottles) for $2.20 each. Everest beer tastes OK but I woke up with a killer hang over this morn. Julies contact, Kul, showed up so we chatted for a while and I left them to it and went to shower and go to bed cos we had 6.30 start tomorrow. In my new hotel room, I got moved from delux to standard, i stripped off and went to get in shower and no hot water. It was so cold my whole body was shaking so I chucked on a t shirt and went to bed. Tomorrow going to Chitwan for 3 days then back to KTM on friday so prob update u then. I'll add pics when I can.. this puter is soooo *******m slow.