This extraordinary lump of wood from which the district takes its name (bangemudha means twisted wood) is a splendid example of what makes Nepal so fascinating. For reasons which I have never been able to discover, it has long been believed that hammering a coin into this log will cure tooth-ache. A small image of Vaisha Dev is mounted into the front to expedite matters. For those who choose not to 'transcend dental medication' (to quote the punchline of a very bad old joke), the surrounding area is dominated by dentists shops. You get ample time to stop and admire the log because the junction at Bangemudha routinely grinds to a halt around six o'clock when everyone is rushing home for tea and the roads are blocked by a tangle of rickshaws, cows, goats, people and the occasional asshole in a Toyota Landcruiser. Rush-hour in Kathmandu is not for the faint-hearted.