Kathmandu is not just a place. It is also a word that encapsulates a legend and an era. Holiday magazine has followed up on its Paris issue by delving into this iconic destination. Sharif Gemie recounts the travels of the hippie-trail idealists, Samrat Upadhyay describes their arrival from a Nepali perspective, the novelist François-Henri Désérable shares his witty impressions after a unusual trip to the country's heights, Valérie Steele deciphers the aesthetic influence of the region on Western fashion, Willy Van Rooy recalls a trip she took there in 1964, Ed Douglas asks several Sherpas for their view of the history of Himalayan mountaineering, Chanira Bajracharya talks about her life as a living goddess, and Sonia Awale gives us a few tips on the best treks to take to reach Kathmandu on foot. In other words, it is the destination to which all the pieces in this issue lead.