Kathmandu's Raison d'Être

We always try to respect local customs, culture and (most importantly) laws wherever we travel, because, let's be honest, we most certainly would not do well in prison. Not. At. All.

So just to make sure we don't run afoul of Nepal's legal requirement that all tourists who stay more than 96 hours in Kathmandu must post to social media about the city's most famed attribute, its raison d'être, its proverbial bread and butter, here's a final shot of some of those glorious, gravity-defying mystery* cables.

They not only add some breathtaking photogenic scenery to nearly every photo you take in the city (whether you want them to or not), but also provide shady relief from that intense Himalayan sun!

*FYI, word on the street is that the vast majority of these cables were strung up by start-up internet providers, who then went out of business and never took them down, but 'mystery cables' sounded better than trying to explain all of that above.

NB: We never take photos of homeless people (or most people for that matter), but this shot was taken on a bridge in the middle of the afternoon a few metres away from where a homeless chap was sleeping curled up next to a stray dog ('spooning' would be an accurate description), with two other stray dogs curled up at their feet. It was both adorable and heartbreaking, but probably more of the latter after some reflection....