Entry point: Kathmandu

The flight from Jakarta to Kathmandu went through Bangkok. And even in Bangkok the mystery remain: so how cold is Kathmandu? Then we got suspicious, “why are those people wearing short sleeves?” And the answer is: because it is damned hot. Well, not damned hot. Excuse my french (no offence to the French) But it was hot. Even for tropical people like us. The other thing I remember about the airport was the long slow queue at the immigration. Let’s not talk about that shall we?

From the first time that I laid eyes on Kathmandu, the city was like any other major cities in developing countries: crowded, busy and buzzing with people wanted to get where they want ASAP. It’s an entry point and to me, let’s just leave it at that: an entry point then off to other places. And an exit point.

Wherever you go in Kathmandu, traffic is always packed, drivers impatiently honking yet people were not distracted (I was), and people are, excuse me, um, doing their 'business' on the side of the road.

Try fitting five people in a Kathmandu taxi (equivalent of an old Honda Live). We did once or twice. We even came up with a new advertisement slogan for the taxi: no more distance between us. Get the picture?

But Kathmandu does have what we call oases – places where we can chill and sip a cup of cappuccino (or black coffee) with ease. When you are on those oases, you too will forget about the bustling town around you. And it also has some very interesting shops including for travel, camping and trekking gears - but I especially love the pashmina, cashmere and those ethnic accessories, god give me strength!

I could not believe myself when I found such a lovely museum, Patan Museum, in the middle of the city. The Museum was amazing, the wooden classical design, the layout, the information provided. If only museums in Indonesia are like that.

Travel tips: If you have enough time, then travel light to Kathmandu, spend several days to do some shopping for your travel gears. Thamel market is a good place to get new or second-hand travel and trekking gears.