We are on a treking tour. It is a very small group, only 5 of us; Amy from Orgegon and two journalists from London; Simon and Tamara.

The first day we visited the big Hindu temple in Kathmandu, as it was to be Shiva's birthday the next day (an important hindu god) many people had travelled for extra blessings the next day. The place was heaving with Sadhu (holy men); some were genuine, some were high and some were 'professional' and wanted to bless us for money. The temple is on a holy river that runs into the ganges. There were funeral pyres along the banks. The river did not look too holy to us, it was very shallow and full of rubbish.

We packed small rucksacks for three nights and a minibus took us out of Kathmandu (1300m) and then we climbed through the typical Nepali villages that you imagine with stone steps up to a maximum of 2500m. It was Shiva's birthday as mentioned previously. The local children hold a rope across the trails and roads and demand money to pass, a bit like their equivalent of our 'trick or treat'. After a while we ran out of small change and it became more difficult to get past them! It is a shame for the children living further up the mountain, as they probably get the least money.

The first night was spent in a tea house. Imagine the most basic youth hostel, and then remove some luxury. Our room had two beds that looked as if they had been made from pallets, with a rectangle of thick sponge on top, covered by a piece of flowery fabric , a candle and some hooks on the wall, nothing else. We were not staying there for the accommodation, it became clear, when we were able to roll over in bed, move the curtain and see the sun beginning to rise over the Himalayas the next morning.

Our second days walking was more gently undulating, but very long. The trail wound through forests. We stopped for lunch and had dhal bhat, the Nepalise national dish; rice, greens and lentil 'soup'. We were rewarded by a nights stay in a much more comfortable hotel, set into a hillside.

On the third day we walked back down into the valley into Bhaktapur the ancient capital of Nepal, enjoying spectacular scenery.