Day 66 Tues 7 November, Kathmandu, Nepal

It’s easy to do nothing in this place except chill, the weather is warm, food delicious, hotel comfortable. Breakfast lasts till midday but eventually we take a toy taxi to Patan, the city across the river which once was a separate kingdom but is now just part of the sprawl. It's about 20mins away and we alight at its Durbar (palace) Square, similar but larger than that in KTM and crammed with more C16 and C17 buildings. The fantastic collection of palaces, temples and shrines has placed it on the Unesco world heritage list (like Luang Prebang, Angkor Wat and Lijiang – maybe we should change the purpose of the journey from the Asian Highway Project to a tour of World Heritage sites).

Politely declining numerous offers from would be guides and trinket sellers, we head for a roof top restaurant overlooking the square from which to absorb the atmosphere aided by a margarita or two. Then via the market stalls where we succumb to trinket collecting we visit the splendid Patan Museum occupying one of the palace courtyards, with a very well displayed interpretation of Nepali traditions, workmanship and religion.

Its getting dark so we abandon an attempt to find the Golden Temple through narrow alleyways, returning to the bustle of Durbar Square which has been transformed from a handicrafts and souvenirs market to a market for vegetables and household paraphernalia. It’s become very crowded and we take a taxi back to Kathmandu where, after stocking up on Aus wine at Sydney prices, we find a great little Italian restaurant.

Weather 23C Sunny
Distance today 0km
Distance from start 14,051km