2nd February 2017

As expected, we received a knock on the door at 6:30 am to ensure we were awake in time to witness the sunrise over Everest. I managed to shower before Sue, and we opened our balcony door to watch the much-anticipated event, scheduled for 6:50 am.

Disappointingly, the hotel was shrouded in mist. I did manage to capture a photo of the sun briefly peeking over the edge of a black, craggy slope before it disappeared. Unfortunately, we didn’t catch sight of the Everest range at all throughout the day.

We had breakfast with a few members of our group and a small gathering of Chinese tourists before returning to our room to pack once again, ready for our return journey to Kathmandu.

As we weren’t leaving until midday, we decided to take a walk through the village about a kilometre away. The day had warmed up considerably and was turning out to be rather pleasant, a lovely way to pass the time. The views, as the mist gradually lifted, were spectacular, but Everest remained elusive. We took photos of village life as the locals prepared for their day’s work, pausing at the bus stop where people gathered, waiting for the stationary bus driver to start his engine.

As the horn sounded and the engine roared to life, people emerged from dark little huts that doubled as morning cafés. There was a brief flurry of activity, but the driver patiently waited until the bus was packed to the gunwales with brightly dressed Nepalis. Once they departed, we continued to the top of a small hillock to take more photos.

Before long, we were joined by two others from our group. After a brief chat, we made our way back to the hotel, stopping only to speak with a couple from Shanghai, exchanging horror stories about the traffic in their vast city.

The whole group gathered around the minibus at midday.  Due to different flight schedules, only four of us were to be transported back to Kathmandu today, while the others would follow tomorrow. After exchanging goodbyes, we set off down the mountain.

We stopped in Bhaktapur, one of the oldest cities in the Kathmandu Valley, and visited the old Royal Palace. Tragically, some of the buildings had been destroyed by the 2015 earthquake, but UNESCO had already initiated a comprehensive restoration programme. Many structures had been strengthened, and those that had collapsed were under reconstruction.

Several of the buildings date back to the 13th century and feature stunning architectural details. It was a shame we hadn’t seen it before the quake or after the restoration had been completed. Nevertheless, it was a beautiful day, and Bhaktapur proved to be a wonderfully opulent place to explore.

We joined the city traffic and made our way to the Rama Inn in Kathmandu. After checking in, we had a coffee before venturing through the choking traffic fumes into the shopping district. Nothing had changed from the week before; the sheer volume of traffic continued to suffocate the city and its people. The many who wore masks seemed, to me, to be merely delaying the inevitable.

Something drastic needs to be done, but I’m not sure their unpopular government has the courage or the moral resolve to take action.

We shuffled our way down the narrow streets, popping into various dimly lit buildings, trying to avoid smoking mopeds and struggling rickshaws. I bought a T-shirt, and Sue tried on a coat. We then found a rooftop bar, where we enjoyed some much-needed refreshments while gazing at the moon and Venus, brightly sailing across the dark void above.

It was chilly, and though there were a few patrons enjoying drinks when we arrived, we were soon alone, huddling and wrapping our coats tightly around us. At this height, the temperature shift from warm to cold is remarkably swift.

Once again, we navigated our way through the traffic and toxic haze back to the hotel. At two junctions, we were assisted by the traffic police, standing in the midst of the lung cancer zone. Thankfully, they recognised us as foreigners and frantically blew their whistles to slow the traffic. It worked, presumably, the fines here are pretty steep if they heed a shrill whistle but ignore the blaring horns of juggernauts!

Back at the hotel, we enjoyed an excellent final Nepalese meal before catching up on BBC24 news and settling in for the night.