Four sleep-deprived friends amongst the throngs of anxious travellers, sharing the time honoured ritual of willing the conveyor belt to move. We have spent most of the night between flights in Delhi airport, and the flight from London still weighing heavily on our eyelids. Whilst there is a thrill of arrival in Kathmandu, we know there are still two more days of airports (and progressively smaller aircraft) before we reach Dolpo's Rara Lake and the start of our expedition.

The bags take hours to deplane, but Norbu Lama waits patiently in the arrivals hall outside. He has arranged transfers and an excellent hotel, a tiny fraction of the logistics chain he has coordinated to support 56 trekking days in some of Nepal's most remote regions.

The comfort of a nice hotel revives us somewhat. Kathmandu will be our last major town for about a month, and so we resist the lure of soft white sheets and venture out in the relentless rain to see the UNESCO World Heritage listed Buddha Stupa. We buy last minute supplies, check line after line off endless lists, pack and re-pack our porter's bag.

When we depart for Nepalgunj the following day a huge weight seems to lift. There is still the jetlag, but the rain has eased, the laptop and other vestiges of civilisation have been left behind at the hotel, and I have eyes only for the mountains ahead.