Pokhara, Nepal - R&R days
My first two days in Pokhara (Saturday, 11 November and Sunday, 12 November) I didn't do much besides sleep in, eat lots, and relax. Been hanging out with the group of people that I hiked with, although we are staying in different guesthouses. Its common to keep running into the same people on the street as the tourist district is centered along one may road along the lake. Pokhara is an awesome little city. Its right on a lake and is very laid back. I call it Thamel-light. (Thamel is the tourist district in Kathmandu). I keep seeing all these people that I saw while trekking.
Saturday (11 November) night we all went out to eat with our guides. It was quite a fine time and the Danish girls (Sina and Irene) treated the group to dinner to 'pay us back' for using our guides services during the trek. Good times. Last night (Sunday, 12 November) we all went out to eat again, without the guides who had left. Another fine night. Yesterday afternoon I finally met up with my friend Sui again. I met Sui on my Mongolian jeep trip and we have been trying to meet back up ever since we both left Beijing!
Today (Monday, 13 November) Sui and I rented a row boat and rowed across the lake to where a trail climbs up a small mountain to a pagoda. After about a 45 minute hike through sub-tropical 'jungle' we arrived on the top of the ridge at the World Peace Pagoda. Although it was still a little cloudy, we had awesome views of the mountains from the ridge top including Annapurna South, Machhapuchhare (Fish Tail Mountain), and Annapurna III, IV, and II. Unfortunately Dhaulagiri and Manaslu were buried in the clouds. We hung out there in the sun for a while enjoying the fine, warm weather and views. It was a fine vantange point and we hiked around up there for a bit before decending back to the lake shore and our row boat. Then we rowed a little further around the lake to a little restaurant for lunch before rowing back to town. It was a fine way to spend the day and get a little exercise after my recent stint of doing jack-shit.
I just booked my flight from Kathmandu to Lukla, Nepal where I will begin my Everest Base Camp trek. I fly from Kathmandu to Lukla on 18 November and then fly back from Lukla to Kathmandu on 3 December. So that will be another 15-day period without email access. I'm not really looking forward to the cold weather again but its just something I'm going to have to deal with since I want to see the 'big hill' from the Nepalese side. The high point will be ~5550 meters so I'm expecting to freeze my ass off (again). But it will be for the last time for a while.
I have 2 more days in Pokhara before I take the bus back to Kathmandu and will have a day and a half there before flying out to Lukla.
Saturday (11 November) night we all went out to eat with our guides. It was quite a fine time and the Danish girls (Sina and Irene) treated the group to dinner to 'pay us back' for using our guides services during the trek. Good times. Last night (Sunday, 12 November) we all went out to eat again, without the guides who had left. Another fine night. Yesterday afternoon I finally met up with my friend Sui again. I met Sui on my Mongolian jeep trip and we have been trying to meet back up ever since we both left Beijing!
Today (Monday, 13 November) Sui and I rented a row boat and rowed across the lake to where a trail climbs up a small mountain to a pagoda. After about a 45 minute hike through sub-tropical 'jungle' we arrived on the top of the ridge at the World Peace Pagoda. Although it was still a little cloudy, we had awesome views of the mountains from the ridge top including Annapurna South, Machhapuchhare (Fish Tail Mountain), and Annapurna III, IV, and II. Unfortunately Dhaulagiri and Manaslu were buried in the clouds. We hung out there in the sun for a while enjoying the fine, warm weather and views. It was a fine vantange point and we hiked around up there for a bit before decending back to the lake shore and our row boat. Then we rowed a little further around the lake to a little restaurant for lunch before rowing back to town. It was a fine way to spend the day and get a little exercise after my recent stint of doing jack-shit.
I just booked my flight from Kathmandu to Lukla, Nepal where I will begin my Everest Base Camp trek. I fly from Kathmandu to Lukla on 18 November and then fly back from Lukla to Kathmandu on 3 December. So that will be another 15-day period without email access. I'm not really looking forward to the cold weather again but its just something I'm going to have to deal with since I want to see the 'big hill' from the Nepalese side. The high point will be ~5550 meters so I'm expecting to freeze my ass off (again). But it will be for the last time for a while.
I have 2 more days in Pokhara before I take the bus back to Kathmandu and will have a day and a half there before flying out to Lukla.
posted by Dustin at 2:08 AM
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