Nepal - Kathmandu

Result! Free upgrade for both of us to Kathmandu!

So we thought Istanbul was crazy, but nothing prepares you for Kathmandu! 
Madness on the roads--so many people in such a small space--noisy, dusty, smelly and in a generally dilapidated state or a work in progress. 
Again shop after shop selling the same things as the next one. 
The people are very friendly and welcoming and go out of their way to help you. 

No robins here but plenty of black kites which are fantastic. 
Visited a few sites, including Monkey Temple and Durbar Square, where the local dance school were putting on a show in traditional Nepalese style, although a beauty pageant was included, which was nice?! 
Three days was enough. Next up, Pokhara, to do some trekking.

Turkey - Istanbul

So off we went on our journey, first stop Istanbul--and we were treated to a rough landing as we arrived in stormy conditions, which was exciting... 
Eventually found our room after fun and games with taxi drivers and restaurant owner’s help. 
Its a crazy city with alley ways of shop after shop after shop all selling the same thing in one particular street--you wonder how they make any money. If you need Tupperware or an axe or a gun then this is the place. This doesn’t even include the Spice Bazaar and Grand Bazaar. 
Fascinating place to walk around and also to visit the inside of the mosques and the splendid architecture at the Topkapi Palace.
Two days isn't quite enough but hey this wasn't on the plan originally anyway, so it's a bonus.

About

Hello, we're Rapha and Wendy, and this blog is dedicated to our travels.

We've been blogging about our long term experiences outside of the UK, since we decided to go to Asia in 2014 for what turned out to be an 18 months tour.

You may wonder why the blog is called Ludwig's Odyssey, simply, it's in honour of our mascot—everybody needs a mascot, right! 

Ludwig is our Tyrolean bear, he adopted us in Innsbruck in 2011 and is never far from our side.