Before travelling to Nepal my friends and I made mere efforts to look into or research anything about Nepal. Perhaps we didn't want a set of expectations to pollute our preconceptions of the place. In a way going into the country completely blind and unknowing appeared to be the best strategy at the time.
So we land in Kathmandu, Nepal's capital city, early in the morning with 2 of my friends beside me. Having not booked anything prior we go to an information desk to book a hotel for the next 2 days. They take us to a taxi, which looked as if it had just come back after coming 3rd in an all or nothing drag race. The poorly maintained road and lack of suspension allowed our heads to bounce off the roof of the car, creating sometimes quite intricate and complex beats and rhythms - somewhat soothing the physical trauma caused by the actual contact. We peered out of the taxi window taking in the new nasal stimulus (I love smelling new places) - fluctuating between incense and sewage and cows. After about 30 minutes on the rugg-ed road we arrived at the hotel took some sleeping pills and fell like conkers.