Day 85 Saturday 25 November, Kathmandu, Nepal

We pile into the hotel van after breakfast and let someone else do battle with the Kathmandu traffic which is surprisingly light (Saturday is the main holiday) on the drive to Bhaktapur, the third city of the Kathmandu valley and a former kingdom in its own right. Its another world heritage site, I think we’re at 15 so far, with many of the buildings and squares dating back to 14C and little changed. We acquire a guide who turns out to be very informative and much easier than trying to read the LP and walk at the same time. The city is a maze of alleys, brick paved streets, squares and courtyards with temples and palaces on every corner. Many of the buildings are timber and brick with elaborately carved windows, lintels and roof beams with figures, gods and erotica (they got up to some amazing things designed to encourage the 14C populace to go forth and multiply, something they appear to still be doing). As well as temples and palaces, we visit the pottery square where pots and jars of every description are being fired and contend with innumerable vendors trying with mixed success to sell us everything from gurkha knives and Sherpa hats to puppets, handmade paper and carved elephants.

We eat at K-Too which has good steaks but despite the owner’s self aggrandisement about his desert creation abilities has a very mediocre Irish coffee crème brulee – definitely not a contender, cold thick and gluggy.

Weather 24C Sunny
Distance today: 0 km
Distance from start: 15,974km
Creme Brulee: 1/10