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Billed as the highest bar around Kathmandu, Bar 2520 soars - as its name implies - more than 2,500 metres above sea level, with a view that more than merits the cable car ride up to Chandragiri Hill. Snack here on Nepalese tidbits and sip on the local cocktail, the Hot Rum Punch, blended with house-made spicy dark rum, honey and hot water.

Among the street drinks widely available across Nepal's capital, the two most popular are cold lassi (deliciously refreshing, drizzled with almonds and raisins) and hot lemon (refreshingly tangy, made somewhat sulfurous though with Himalayan salt).

South of Kathmandu, the Bhaleshwar Mahadev temple of Lord Shiva is perched more than 2,500 metres above sea level, offering an astonishing perspective over the landscape that stretches to the mountains beyond. For Hindu festivals, devotees throng the temple and are fed by volunteers with simple meals, like warm carrot halwa, to sustain them amid their prayers.