We exited the plane via stairs and straight into a crowded bus which drove us to the terminal. Ryan described the terminal well when he said it looked like an abandoned army barracks in disrepair. For all that, it was teh picture of efficiency. Clear signs showed us where to go and friendly officials were everywhere to help us where required. A passport photo and US$40 later, we had our temporary visa sorted and headed into Kathmandu. Exiting the airport was a complete culture shock. Inside it was quite and organized. Outside tehre was hundreds of people and before we’d really left the building we had 3 guys offer us taxis to accomodation. There as Army guys walking around with canes and whistles ready to enforce whatever needed enforcing. We were looking around for someone holding a sign, but our host was so effective that he found us almost instantly. We were driven to the hotel through the dirt roads and the seemingly lawless traffic. The roadsides were littered with rubbish where what I assume were stray dogs were happily eating what they could find. Cows walked the roads and fed on the rubbish too. I saw only one traffic light, which the driver promptly ignored. It’s definitely a third world country. Here and there was police directing traffic, or Army with canes and/or machine guns standing watch. Motorbikes cruised past us, coming out of nowhere with only a honk of the horn. There were few helmets (none on passengers) and no safety gear at all. That said, there were no seatbelts in the car either. Finally we arrived at Hotel Thamel. Compared to the surroundings it’s probably the finest establishment in the area. Compared to home it’s barely a Motel. Power cuts are scheduled three times a day, and there is no airconditioning. For all that I was aleady acclimatizing a bit.