8 Mar – Melbourne

After a great stay in Pokhara we travelled to Kathmandu through mountain valleys which were really beautiful. Unfortunately for us, mist remained and we could not see the mountain tops. Kathmandu was a city of contrasts – great poverty and wealth with clear demarquation between the areas. We were whisked off for a tour of the centre of the city as soon as we arrived and just before the heavens opened. We got quite wet and the rain and dusk certainly took away the grandness of the many old temples and buildings. After a very spicy meal!!!!!! and a couple of beers and a good night’s sleep we were restored and ready for a full days sightseeing of several of the old citied that now form part of greater Kathmandu. The weather was good and we really enjoyed the different sites although towards the end we were a litttle over templed!!

And so our trip to India and Nepal came to an end. We had a wonderful time and saw so many amazing sites, – we will get some photos on the blog as soon as we can. So we left for Bangkok and an overnight in a hotel close to the airport, It was OK and we had a pleasant evening chatting to a brit who had just vsited Vietnam and Cambodia, Very early the next morning we left for the airport to find that we had to pay airport taxes as we were not supposed to leave the airport as we were transit passengers! However, everyone was very reasonable and helpful and there were no repercussions. After a 9 hour flight we arrived in Melbourne and were greeted by our frineds from our South America trip – Nick and Suzanne.

Yesterday we had a lazy day visitng Melbourne. Whar a lovely clean city with wide roads and a very efficient and resonably priced public transport system. Certainly worth another visit. Once Nick and Suzanne had finished work we went out for dinner and the first wine for 3 weeks!

Today we have an Aussie BBQ with Nick’s parents. Really looking forward to it. The weather is hot (30+ C) but it is really pleasant.

Off to Tasmania on Monday.