Hi Sue, I've just caught sight of the Netjetters page and had a quick glance at all three travel plans; yours appealed most because it includes many of the places I've been to and would like to visit! I've never been to India, but Nepal was the first place I visited outside of the west; I can still remember the shock of the drive from the airport to our guest house in Thamel. The shock lasted one night and then I loved both Kathmandu and Nepal.

I imagine that Kathmandu is busier and more touristy than it was 10 years ago (hopefully it retains the same laid-back, friendly atmosphere), but also that the villages away from the city aren't any different from how they were 50 years ago or more. Hire a mountain bike for the day and cycle out of Kathmandu - the first part will be uphill, but in a couple of hours you'll be in villages where the people make the trip to Kathmandu maybe once a year. When I did that I lost my friends (they ended up being invited to a schoolteacher's house for tea) and spent the afternoon chatting to a class of school kids and practising Nepali with them while they took it in turns to take my bike for a spin.

Advice: take lots of water, but also stop to have tea in some of the villages. Oh - and mind out for the dogs. Enjoy Nepal, and if you get the chance, travel in the mountains. The Sherpa people are great - funny and down to earth. Hope you like dal bat, eggs and potatoes!