Himalayas Our Himalayan walking group was a typical bunch, the sort you would expect to find on these organised trips all around the world. Four Aussies, three Brits, two from greater Europe and of course, the only two sane ones amongst them, two Kiwis. Our guide Dawa, woke us early on the morning of our departure. At 5.00am we were sitting at Kathmandu airport, hoping a gap in the weather would allow us to fly to the remote Himalayan airport of Lukla. Ori...

Kathmandu Arriving at Kathmandu International Airport, it felt as though we had travelled interplanetally rather than internationally. The terminal was a far cry from the modern and sophisticated port that we had left behind in Dubai. Entering the immigration hall we noticed signs exclaiming that we would need to purchase a $40USD visa in order to enter Kathmandu. The visa fee could be paid in US dollars, Euro, British Pounds or Australian dollars. This wou...