We took a local bus from the border of Tibet to Kathmandu, which was an interesting experience to say the least. The bus continually stopped in order to try and get more people on board or let people off. Often people leaving the bus had their bags deep within the pile of luggage on the roof so the whole roof had to be unpacked and repacked. We were also often stopped by police who went through random bags without consulting the owners, checked passports and visas and generally just looked around the bus taking up time.

At one point, a man standing in the aisle chose to support himself by putting one hand on the luggage compartment above our heads and leaning his other arm across the backs of the chairs in front of us so that he was right up in our face. He then proceeded to stare at us with a sleazy grin. We tried to question his motives but he would just respond in Nepalese and then continue his staring. As the bus was not packed at this point Jansen finally pointed from his hands to the hand rail behind him succeeding in getting him to back off a little.

After travelling through China, Kathmandu feels so western and we have to admit, we've really enjoyed it.

• There are practically no issues with communication

• Good food at a good price is everywhere which is such a nice change for breakfasts as we've now had our first muesli, mixed fruit and yoghurt. The staple dish in Tibet, for all meals, was yak and noodle soup.

• There are other tourists around to chat to

These positive points are only applicable to the tourist area of the city, called Thamel. As for the rest of the city, we can't see any reason you would ever want to travel there. It's just a means to an end in order to go somewhere else in Nepal.

• The streets were muddy, partially sealed, covered in rubbish and general filthy,

• The cars and pedestrians just do what ever they like,

• Sick looking animals are everywhere,

• The main roads are total chaos, and

• The sites are surrounded by beggars.