Kathmandu to hotel

Arriving in Kathmandu, from the Airport, being greeted by our driver from the International Guest House and being whisked off to the hotel we were in a non-deluxe, non-air-conditioned cab, with two young men, the driver on the left,talking away in Nepalese. No seat belts required. It was in the afternoon and we were experiencing quite a temperature change from home, i.e., approximately 29 degrees C. The 20-minute ride to the hotel was filled with cars, motorcycles, bicycles, rickshaws everyone going
their way, supposedly on the side of the street they should have been on, but it was difficult to tell, as everyone seemed to be in their 'own lane'. Everyone beeping their horn to let you know that they are coming through. It was quite an introduction to Kathmandu.

Arriving at our hotel in the Thamel District, we were pleased to see this beautiful hotel in the midst of this sensory chaos. The most interesting part of Kathmandu is the crowded back street of the rectangular-shaped old town. This is bordered to the north by the main tourist and backpacker district of Thamel. In the centre of the old town is the historic Durbar Sq. and Hanuman Dhoka (the old royal palace). Freak Street, the focus of Kathmandu's overland scene during the hippier era, runs south from here.