After an uncomfortable and sleepless overnight layover in Delhi International Airport, we arrived bright and early in Kathmandu. Because the capital city of Nepal is at an altitude of 1,400m and is also in a bowl-shaped valley, flights often have to circle a while before landing, and others are often delayed or cancelled due to low clouds and bad weather. Thankfully we had no such problems and were able to land without a hitch.
Kathmandu is kind of like a little version of India - hectic, dusty, noisy, with all sorts of sights and smells assailing the senses - just all on a smaller scale. We headed into Thamel which is the main tourist area where most accommodation, bars, restaurants and shops are located. Nepal has become a massive tourist destination over the years so Kathmandu was pretty busy, despite the fact it was the middle of winter. This doesn't mean it was freezing cold in the city though - it was actually quite warm during the day but pretty chilly at night. We only stayed a few days in Kathmandu, including New Year's Eve which was a very well-behaved night. We didn't want to spend too long in the capital though, so a couple of days later we got a bus to Pokhara.
Despite being only 200kms from Kathmandu, the bus journey to Pokhara takes a good 7 hours. This should give you an indication of how appalling the roads are, which meant we could travel at a maximum speed of about 50km/h. Thankfully there were a few stops to stretch the legs and ease the discomfort from the bumpy ride, but we were glad to finally arrive in Pokhara.
The tourist area of this city is all concentrated in the lakeside area, which stretches along one side of Lake Phewa. However, Pokhara itself is actually a pretty massive and densely populated city, but is mostly spread out beyond the lakeside area. Because it's so close to the Himalayas and the Annapurna mountain range, Pokhara is used as a base for anyone about to trek these areas and is therefore the most popular tourist destination in the country. There's plenty of other things to see and do in the area to take up several days, but it's also a great place to just chill out and enjoy the amazing scenery of the lake and the towering mountains all around. There was also some surprisingly good food to be found, and of course it didn't take us long to find the best place for breakfast which we went to every morning without fail. When a tasty feed of two eggs on toast, a pile of sauteed potatoes, capsicum, tomato, onion and garlic and a glass of deliciously spiced masala tea costs only $1.30, you can't go wrong.
We ended up spending nine days here while we waited for Cliff and Joyce to arrive, as the four of us were going to tackle the Annapurna Circuit trek. Of course we had very little appropriate gear for trekking in sub-zero temperatures, so we had to do the rounds of all the trekking stores (of which there are a bazillion) to get prices for renting equipment. When the others arrived we were able to arm ourselves with everything we needed: down sleeping bags and jackets (North Face knock-offs of course), trekking poles, gloves, full thermals, mufflers (vital to protect neck and face in snowstorms) and all other food and supplies we thought we'd need. Together we discussed whether to hire a guide or not, but after much consideration we decided we'd be able to manage ourselves and would get so much more satisfaction out of doing it solo. With that final decision made and with all the necessary permits, map and gear, we set off to conquer the Annapurna Circuit.
Kathmandu is kind of like a little version of India - hectic, dusty, noisy, with all sorts of sights and smells assailing the senses - just all on a smaller scale. We headed into Thamel which is the main tourist area where most accommodation, bars, restaurants and shops are located. Nepal has become a massive tourist destination over the years so Kathmandu was pretty busy, despite the fact it was the middle of winter. This doesn't mean it was freezing cold in the city though - it was actually quite warm during the day but pretty chilly at night. We only stayed a few days in Kathmandu, including New Year's Eve which was a very well-behaved night. We didn't want to spend too long in the capital though, so a couple of days later we got a bus to Pokhara.
Despite being only 200kms from Kathmandu, the bus journey to Pokhara takes a good 7 hours. This should give you an indication of how appalling the roads are, which meant we could travel at a maximum speed of about 50km/h. Thankfully there were a few stops to stretch the legs and ease the discomfort from the bumpy ride, but we were glad to finally arrive in Pokhara.
The tourist area of this city is all concentrated in the lakeside area, which stretches along one side of Lake Phewa. However, Pokhara itself is actually a pretty massive and densely populated city, but is mostly spread out beyond the lakeside area. Because it's so close to the Himalayas and the Annapurna mountain range, Pokhara is used as a base for anyone about to trek these areas and is therefore the most popular tourist destination in the country. There's plenty of other things to see and do in the area to take up several days, but it's also a great place to just chill out and enjoy the amazing scenery of the lake and the towering mountains all around. There was also some surprisingly good food to be found, and of course it didn't take us long to find the best place for breakfast which we went to every morning without fail. When a tasty feed of two eggs on toast, a pile of sauteed potatoes, capsicum, tomato, onion and garlic and a glass of deliciously spiced masala tea costs only $1.30, you can't go wrong.
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| The adorable but bitey puppy at our hotel |
We ended up spending nine days here while we waited for Cliff and Joyce to arrive, as the four of us were going to tackle the Annapurna Circuit trek. Of course we had very little appropriate gear for trekking in sub-zero temperatures, so we had to do the rounds of all the trekking stores (of which there are a bazillion) to get prices for renting equipment. When the others arrived we were able to arm ourselves with everything we needed: down sleeping bags and jackets (North Face knock-offs of course), trekking poles, gloves, full thermals, mufflers (vital to protect neck and face in snowstorms) and all other food and supplies we thought we'd need. Together we discussed whether to hire a guide or not, but after much consideration we decided we'd be able to manage ourselves and would get so much more satisfaction out of doing it solo. With that final decision made and with all the necessary permits, map and gear, we set off to conquer the Annapurna Circuit.
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