Things to do in Kathmandu, Nepal: One day three ways

PENNY PINCH 

Pair milk masala tea (75¢),  served in a pretty teacup and garnished with saffron threads, with a honey pancake ($1.50)  from Chikusa in touristy Thamel. Wander the chaotic streets to reach World Heritage-listed Kathmandu Durbar Square (entry $9.50)  showcasing spectacular centuries-old architecture. Find a shaded temple step from which to people-watch. Lunch on momos (steamed dumplings) at the rooftop Festive Fare restaurant ($4.50)  and soak up views over the part of the square where royal elephants were once stabled. Return to Thamel via Freak Street and shop up a storm at the fixed-price Amrita Craft . Bed down at the landmark Kathmandu Guest House: room types include an "ultra-basic" double . Cross the road to soak up the serenity of Garden of Dreams, a neo-classical 1920s garden and pavilions that were recently restored with goat kebab ($3.75), chicken biryani  ($4) and Everest beer ($3.75).

Total: $101.45

SPLASH OUT 

Enjoy total serenity at Gokarna Forest Resort on Kathmandu's outskirts. Sitting on former royal hunting grounds, it's surrounded by forests said to be inhabited by leopards. You're more likely to see cheeky monkeys swinging from rooftops and spotted deer grazing the golf course. The best room in the house is the Gokarna Suite, complete with attic  ($890 a night, gokarna.com). Treat yourself to a 2.5-hour session at the Hyatt Regency Kathmandu's Club Oasis spa: the Forest Path package includes an Indian head massage, Ayurvedic Abhyanga oil massage and herbal salt scrub  ($175 a person, kathmandu.regency.hyatt.com). Dwarika's Hotel, in the east near the airport, is famed for the Newari cuisine served at its elegant fine-diner Krishnarpan. Go on an empty stomach for the epic 22-course feast that includes 14 starters, soup, fish, a "farmer's meal" of polenta and much more  ($80 a person, dwarikas.com). Total: $1145

The writer travelled as a guest of Aurora Expeditions and China Southern Airlines.