By Richelle
Tuesday 28th of March 2017
We woke at the break of dawn, packed and ready. Our body clocks seem to have reset to rise and fall with the sun, so waking up at 5am doesn't come with the dreaded resentment of the 9-5 humdrum. We said our last goodbyes to Tapa at the front desk and set out for our final walk through the dusty streets of Kathmandu.
The bus area at Ratna park is probably my least favourite place in Kathmandu - dustier than anywhere else, hot, crowded and chaotic with no reprieve. It was here that we searched the row of tourist buses for our big yellow people mover. We stocked up on giant apples and chocolate croissants and jumped on the bus that would be our home for the next 8 hours. I am actually surprised we came out of that bus trip with any brain cells - we rattled and bounced along a seemingly never ending 'highway', teeth chattering, brain shaking inside our skulls. It was uncomfortable to say the least, and the incessant bouncing ensured we couldn't read, write, draw or hold a conversation - this was going to be a long day.
Luckily for us, the views were out of this world. We wound up and out of Kathmandu valley, and further north west passing small mountain villages and eventually finding the river, which we followed for about 4 hours. Ear phones in, we passed the time in a sort of meditative state, until the bus coordinator, a 14yr old Nepalese boy, yelled 'tourist break' or 'lunch stop' from the front cabin. We jumped on and off, chatting to our fellow bus travellers - not one of them is doing the Annapurna circuit!
After our lunch stop, we settled in for the last haul, and it was at about this point that Daniel managed to fall asleep and I had to keep grabbing his arm to make sure he didn't end up in the aisle way. The road honestly makes the M4 look like a dream. We finally arrived at 3.30pm, hot and headachey.
Pokhara is a peaceful lake side town, shadowed by the majesty of the Annapurna mountain range. There are some places you just click with straight away, and this was one of them. We immediately felt good - despite the headaches. Bars, restaurants, friendly locals - everything you need to recover from a hellish bus ride. And those mountains! Wow. They are present in nearly every view of the lakeside town, and force their way into your camera frame. And they couldn't possibly intimidate us! ...
I still can't believe that in only 2 short days, we will be roaming around up there.
A speedy 200rs taxi ride dropped us in the centre of town, and a short walk up a side street delivered us to the Unique Mountain Guesthouse, a neat and tidy hostel, with blue walls and marble surfaces. It was refreshing to see sunlight pouring into our room, and a little terrace to soakit all in. In the distance we spotted a white pagoda on the mountain ridge that settled our plans for tomorrow (and sacrificed a sleep-in). We had a bit of a rest here before setting out in search of a meal. Busy bee cafe it was - a huge, multi floored pub, with an overpowering water feature, glimpse views of the lake, lanterns and live music. We indulged in free-poured mojitos, lasagne and burgers, all served by a friendly face and a big smile.
The next morning we woke at 6am, to be out on the calm waters of Phewa lake as the sun was rising. We hired a red and blue row boat for 1000rs and set out while the fog was still low and lingering. We were hoping to catch a peak of the Annapurnas, but they refused, choosing to remain hidden behind their cloudy veil. Daniel did all the work (I offered to have a go, but got turned down), while I sat on the front watching the local fisherman, a wedge of geese, other boats and the forested cliffs surrounding us.
We pulled up on the western shore of the lake and started to make our way up the 300m ascent to the World Peace Pagoda (which is actually a stupa). There were a lot of stairs, and beautiful views at every turn - it was just so nice to be out in nature, no voices to be heard, no beeping cars, no traffic. We had read a few reviews of this little trek - reports of muggings and robberies in the thick of the forest, so we tried to stay on guard. The cobbled walkway started to get steep in some parts, but our main concern was a man holding an axe who appeared to be following us. Daniel put the pressure on to move a little quicker - meaning we did the 45min trek in a little under 30min. On arriving at the top, we were treated to impossibly perfect views of the layered mountains and valleys that make up this part of the world. We shared black tea, toast and eggs at the top, before wandering around the stark white homage to world peace, built just after WW2.
As we wandered around, the sun began to break through the early morning cloud, and the veil dropped before our eyes. Machapuchare's toothy peak pushed towards the sky and the Annapurna range looked like a super imposed backdrop, snow capped peaks piercing the sky. The sunlight hit the town below, making the glass twinkle like urban stars. It was truly breathtaking - we watched for an hour, taking it all in.
We headed back down the way we had come, stopping to take photos and let the groups go past (definitely worth going early - we were the only ones on the trail!). We boarded our trusty boat, and were out on the lake in no time at all. The wind carried the scent of incense from Tal Barahi temple as we gently rowed our way across to Lakeside. The sun was shining, the breeze was gentle and I could have fallen asleep in an instant. We arrived on the other side and squeezed our boat between two others before disembarking.
By this stage, we were both hungry again, but a little Tibetan woman set up on the path side, managed to get us sitting down on cushions and started chatting away. We bought a bracelet each in trade for a portrait and a lesson on Tibetan language. After a quick stop off to pick up our hired sleeping bags, it was lunch time!
Just down the road from our hostel is a quaint little place called 'Hot sandwich corner and cheese shop'. It's well renowned in Pokhara, and it's easy to see why. People like it here. We liked it here. Fresh bread, Salad! It's everything those tasty little momos have been lacking. And all for under $2 a roll! You can also buy bus tickets to Besi Sahar! Is there anything this place can't do?!
We headed back to the hostel and through broken English/Nepalese, somehow managed to arrange storage for our bags for the duration of the trek and a check out time with the lovely man at reception. The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing / preparing for the next big chapter of our time here in Nepal, the Annapurna circuit.
