Most people come to Nepal for the trekking in the Himalayas, and we pretend to do a bit of that over the next few days. But since that's quite a different trip, I'll just sum up the Kathmandu Valley experience here before we jet off. Actually, I just wanted to use this photo of the smoking lion, but while I'm at it, I'd also like to say that this area is a must visit for any traveler. It's a mindblowing collection of incredible architecture, grinding poverty, devout spirituality and unbridled commercialism. It looks like it's getting safe to explore further afield, and I'd love to return, since there are dozens of smaller, lost in time cities and ancient temples to visit. But we must move on, so the next day we boarded our Buddha Air flight (seriously, and their rival is called Cosmic Air!) to Pokhara.