So Thursday was mostly spent on the bus to Pokhara, where I met some lovely people but unfortunately they were all there for only short stays so I didn't intend to see any of them again. I had booked into Kiwi Backpackers hostel which is pretty basic but for a bed in a dorm and breakfast for £3.50 a night what more could you want? It is quite a social place, everyone seems to be travelling on their own, some are trekking and some not so its a good mix of people that may hopefully be around for a while. However the ones I got close to when I arrived are now all leaving slowly by Monday so I'll have to hope for some nice new people!
Sudan has also come up to Pokhara for a bit, he is doing the ABC trek (Annapurna Base Camp), so will be away for a few days from today (Saturday) but I have my paragliding booked for either Tuesday or Wednesday which gives the weather a bit more time to clear up, and thankfully it looks like those are the best days next week so finger crossed! As it's quite monsoonal at the moment and the magnificent views of the Himalayas are shrouded in cloud at the moment. I've also been bitten alive by mosquitos - even with repellent on, and during the day as well! I've also been sunburnt, even with suncream on and cloudy skies...sigh.
I haven't done much so far, it's just been getting used to the place really, walking down the main strip on lakeside. We are staying east side (south), then half hour walk is central, and then a further 15mins is North side. It's great because it means to get anywhere I have to do a good amount of walking. It's such a chilled place, I can liken it to Rishikesh, India and Pai, Thailand. It's got a super hippy vibe, lots of yoga, meditation and trekking. I am not sure yet but maybe I will do a shorter trek like Poon hill in my second week just to view the Himalayas and to do some trekking in the worlds most beautiful stretch of mountains. We will see though! lol
Our first evening we all went for a meal at a turkish place as one of the english girls is half turkish and had been craving it. There was Becci (English), Asger (Danish), Lutje (English/Turkish), Natalie (Netherlands), and a Germand guy. Most have now all left for trekking or to other places in Nepal. Then we went up to the open air cinema called Moon lounge where they show regular nightly movies, with a bar, popcorn and pizza for sale. Its super lush and chilled, up a hill with a good view of the mountains on a clear night. As it turned out it wasn't a clear night it was a torrential rain night but it was under a thatched roof so we didn't get wet thankfully! The guy that owns it is English and is tourism has taken such a hit its not doing so well and he's actually having to sleep in a store cupboard as he couldn't afford his rent - eak. So we were determined to promote his business. We watched the Big Lobowski which was cool, and took the long walk back to the hostel.
The next day Natalie, Asger and I all went on a 3 hour walk to old Pokhara which was nice - see the less touristy area. And then met with Sudan for a walk along the lake up to the view point - even shrouded in cloud and mist it's such a beautiful place! I can't wait to see it with the Himalaya backdrop behind it on a clear day. We then went for food at another turkish place, which wasn't as good as the night before, but it was great spending some time with and good conversation, with good people.
Today has just been chilled, as basically most of the group have now left. Natalie and Josh an australian have gone to the Annapurna sanctuary trek for a good two weeks, Becci has gone to Chitwan. So me and Lutje just went for lunch together and hopefully have something planned with Asger tomorrow morning/afternoon. I went to confirm my Paragliding trip (which I am SO excited about) and yea, blogged the rest of the day to catch up! Hope this satisfies you all until I get around to blogging next time! :-)
Sudan has also come up to Pokhara for a bit, he is doing the ABC trek (Annapurna Base Camp), so will be away for a few days from today (Saturday) but I have my paragliding booked for either Tuesday or Wednesday which gives the weather a bit more time to clear up, and thankfully it looks like those are the best days next week so finger crossed! As it's quite monsoonal at the moment and the magnificent views of the Himalayas are shrouded in cloud at the moment. I've also been bitten alive by mosquitos - even with repellent on, and during the day as well! I've also been sunburnt, even with suncream on and cloudy skies...sigh.
I haven't done much so far, it's just been getting used to the place really, walking down the main strip on lakeside. We are staying east side (south), then half hour walk is central, and then a further 15mins is North side. It's great because it means to get anywhere I have to do a good amount of walking. It's such a chilled place, I can liken it to Rishikesh, India and Pai, Thailand. It's got a super hippy vibe, lots of yoga, meditation and trekking. I am not sure yet but maybe I will do a shorter trek like Poon hill in my second week just to view the Himalayas and to do some trekking in the worlds most beautiful stretch of mountains. We will see though! lol
Our first evening we all went for a meal at a turkish place as one of the english girls is half turkish and had been craving it. There was Becci (English), Asger (Danish), Lutje (English/Turkish), Natalie (Netherlands), and a Germand guy. Most have now all left for trekking or to other places in Nepal. Then we went up to the open air cinema called Moon lounge where they show regular nightly movies, with a bar, popcorn and pizza for sale. Its super lush and chilled, up a hill with a good view of the mountains on a clear night. As it turned out it wasn't a clear night it was a torrential rain night but it was under a thatched roof so we didn't get wet thankfully! The guy that owns it is English and is tourism has taken such a hit its not doing so well and he's actually having to sleep in a store cupboard as he couldn't afford his rent - eak. So we were determined to promote his business. We watched the Big Lobowski which was cool, and took the long walk back to the hostel.
The next day Natalie, Asger and I all went on a 3 hour walk to old Pokhara which was nice - see the less touristy area. And then met with Sudan for a walk along the lake up to the view point - even shrouded in cloud and mist it's such a beautiful place! I can't wait to see it with the Himalaya backdrop behind it on a clear day. We then went for food at another turkish place, which wasn't as good as the night before, but it was great spending some time with and good conversation, with good people.
Today has just been chilled, as basically most of the group have now left. Natalie and Josh an australian have gone to the Annapurna sanctuary trek for a good two weeks, Becci has gone to Chitwan. So me and Lutje just went for lunch together and hopefully have something planned with Asger tomorrow morning/afternoon. I went to confirm my Paragliding trip (which I am SO excited about) and yea, blogged the rest of the day to catch up! Hope this satisfies you all until I get around to blogging next time! :-)
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