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Kathmandu
We flew into Nepal's capital city and spent a couple of days adjusting to the pace of life and preparing for our trek. Kathmandu is blessed with a stunning location in a broad and fertile valley amongst snowcapped peaks. We visited some of the city's sights, namely the largest Buddhist and Hindu temples which are all located on the outskirts of the city.

On our first afternoon in Kathmandu, we had walked for no more than 10 minutes from the lively tourist 'ghetto' of Thamel before chancing across this colourful Buddhist stupa in an old part of the city. Stupa in old Kathmandu
The old city is a labyrinth of narrow twisting streets - there are no pavements so taking a walk means dodging the rickshaws, taxis, cyclists and scooters. The buildings and Hindu shrines, some several centuries old, are crumbling but characterful. Old city square
The largest Hindu temple in Nepal is Pashupatinath on the outskirts of Kathmandu. The holy Bagmati river runs through the centre of the site, a muddy grey trickle that eventually drains into the Ganges. Along the river bank are the ghats where open-air cremations take place - the trick is not to stand downwind. The temple of Pashupatinath
Pashupatinath also attracts sadhus, Hindu men who have dedicated their lives to ascetic meditation. This seems to involve lots of fasting, pot smoking and extracting money from Western tourists (usually by adopting a photogenic pose as they see you approaching). A sadhu posing
A short walk from Pashupatinath is the Buddhist stupa of Boudnath. Buddhist monks, pilgrims and tourists alike all process clockwise around the base of the temple spinning prayer flags. The temple of Boudnath
At Boudnath, we witnessed a large gathering of trainee monks, many of them young boys, filing into the site. They walked round the stupa, climbed the steps to one of the upper levels and sat very quiety and patiently. As the numbers grew into the hundreds, we watched curiously from above. Buddhist monks and novices
After the monks were assembled, a small group of gaudily-dressed musicians led out this frail chap, presumably an important lama. He led the masses in a chant accompanied by tinny backing music, which may sound very kitsch but was actually quite moving. I could have stayed and listened to them all afternoon... The lama's procession
An afternoon rainstorm in Kathmandu cleared the haze somewhat, and we finally glimpsed the distant Himalaya across the rooftops of the city from the terrace of our hotel. Kathmandu lies in a broad upland valley and polluted air can get trapped in the bowl, obscuring the mountains. The mountains from Kathmandu
On a ridge overlooking the city, the Swayambhunath temple is the second great Buddhist stupa of Kathmandu. It is a holy site for both Buddhists and Hindus. The temple of Swayambhunath
A woman at Swayambhunath temple surveys the scene from the window of one of the ancient buildings in the surrounding square. The intricate patterns are carved in wood and are found all over Nepal, but they are typical of the Newari architecture which originated in the Kahmandu valley. Woman at a Newari window
Swayambhunath is also known as the Monkey Temple due to the resident population of macaques. The Hindu monkey god Hanuman is a symbol of wisdom, righteousness and strength and thus the monkeys are granted the run of the temple. Kings of the Monkey Temple

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