Kathmandu, Nepal

Kathmandu is as I expected: full of life, good food and friendly locals, but poor infrastructure and dusty and very dirty. My trekking group had a trip to the main Hindu temple, with cremations proceeding and crowds of devoted praying and making offerings. We also visited a Buddhist stupa, which was in contrast to the rest of the city: peaceful and clean. It is surrounded by a Tibettan community, with several reasonable looking hotels and lots of restaurants, and appeals to me as an area to stay when I return.