After completing the trek we spent another six days in Pokhara just chilling out and enjoying a bit of pampering - cheap as chips haircuts, head massage and a relaxing full body massage. Just what the doctor ordered after two weeks of trekking. But we couldn't completely end the adventures, so after convincing Joyce to join us, the four of us went paragliding. Pokhara valley is one of the best places in the world to go tandem paragliding for several reasons: stable thermals (necessary for lift), convenient take-off and landing sites, but mostly because of the stunning views of the lake as well as the Annapurna and Himalayan mountains. We really didn't need any more reasons to do it. There are heaps of paragliding companies in the lakeside area and they all offer tandem flights for the same price of US$75 for a 30 minute flight. Not cheap, but a hell of a lot cheaper than at home, so why the hell not? We asked around a few but we ended up going with Frontiers Paragliding, which was conveniently located right next door to our hotel. Once we all booked in and paid, we just had to hope for good weather the following day.
We'd opted for the midday flight, as this is supposed to be the best time of day due to prime conditions for thermals, which creates the best lift. The take-off site is about a 15min drive up in the hills to Sarangkot, which is at an altitude of 1,500m. There were people and parachutes all over the hill-side launch area, so after being assigned to a pilot each, we joined the throng of people to wait our turn. The actual take-off is a little unnerving, but much easier and smoother than expected. Once strapped into the harness in front of the pilot, he tells you to run downhill and keep running off the edge, until there's nothing but air under your feet. You then relax back into the harness and are quite comfortably seated for the rest of the flight. The next 30 minutes were spent flying over the local countryside in the valley, experiencing the unique thermal lift which can take you quickly rising up high above everything within seconds. It was a bit cool, but not uncomfortable, so we were all able to enjoy the breathtaking views of the lake below and three of the tallest mountains in the world, all over 8,000m. To finish off we did some acrobatic flying (descending in a spiral) before landing smoothly beside the lake. What an experience, and an unforgettable way to see the stunning views around Pokhara valley.
We decided it was time to head back to Kathmandu to apply for our Indian tourist visas, which was our next stop. Cliff and Joyce were heading there too, so the four of us took the long, bumpy bus ride back to the capital. From everything we'd read online, the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu was no longer issuing 6 month tourist visas, but we figured we'd just apply anyway and take 3 months if that's all they gave us. But first we had to fill in the ridiculous online application form. Because we'd also heard that they were really anal and would reject application forms for no apparent reason, we all stressed over what to put in various sections of the form. Kurt and I even went so far as to print out two versions and decide which was best on the day. The whole process was made even more frustrating by the intermittent internet access, so we were pretty over it in the end. On a Monday morning we all arrived bright and early (7:45am) to be the first in line outside the Embassy, waiting for it to open at 9:30am. Once in, Cliff and Joyce were first to submit their applications with no apparent problems, so Kurt and I were next up. After an anxious wait as the woman scanned our applications, we were relieved when they were both accepted. It cost us $55 each, but poor Cliff and Joyce got screwed because they're British - they had to pay a whopping $150 each. Fuck that. Even more reason to hope theirs were processed! We had to wait until that Friday to go back and find out if we'd all been approved, which, thankfully we had. Kurt and I had applied for 6 month visas, just in case, and for some strange reason only Kurt was issued with this - I got a 3 month visa instead which we had been expecting for both of us. Maybe Australia had just been extra nice to India recently. Due to yet another annoying quirk in the issuing process, we wouldn't actually receive our passports back until the following Monday, meaning we had to spend another weekend in Kathmandu. Very bloody annoying.
We couldn't be fucked doing anything touristy in Kathmandu, so we just waited it out until we could get our passports back and leave for India. So with them safely back in our possession on the Monday, we made plans to cross the border early the next day. India, here we come.
We'd opted for the midday flight, as this is supposed to be the best time of day due to prime conditions for thermals, which creates the best lift. The take-off site is about a 15min drive up in the hills to Sarangkot, which is at an altitude of 1,500m. There were people and parachutes all over the hill-side launch area, so after being assigned to a pilot each, we joined the throng of people to wait our turn. The actual take-off is a little unnerving, but much easier and smoother than expected. Once strapped into the harness in front of the pilot, he tells you to run downhill and keep running off the edge, until there's nothing but air under your feet. You then relax back into the harness and are quite comfortably seated for the rest of the flight. The next 30 minutes were spent flying over the local countryside in the valley, experiencing the unique thermal lift which can take you quickly rising up high above everything within seconds. It was a bit cool, but not uncomfortable, so we were all able to enjoy the breathtaking views of the lake below and three of the tallest mountains in the world, all over 8,000m. To finish off we did some acrobatic flying (descending in a spiral) before landing smoothly beside the lake. What an experience, and an unforgettable way to see the stunning views around Pokhara valley.
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| The take-off site |
We decided it was time to head back to Kathmandu to apply for our Indian tourist visas, which was our next stop. Cliff and Joyce were heading there too, so the four of us took the long, bumpy bus ride back to the capital. From everything we'd read online, the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu was no longer issuing 6 month tourist visas, but we figured we'd just apply anyway and take 3 months if that's all they gave us. But first we had to fill in the ridiculous online application form. Because we'd also heard that they were really anal and would reject application forms for no apparent reason, we all stressed over what to put in various sections of the form. Kurt and I even went so far as to print out two versions and decide which was best on the day. The whole process was made even more frustrating by the intermittent internet access, so we were pretty over it in the end. On a Monday morning we all arrived bright and early (7:45am) to be the first in line outside the Embassy, waiting for it to open at 9:30am. Once in, Cliff and Joyce were first to submit their applications with no apparent problems, so Kurt and I were next up. After an anxious wait as the woman scanned our applications, we were relieved when they were both accepted. It cost us $55 each, but poor Cliff and Joyce got screwed because they're British - they had to pay a whopping $150 each. Fuck that. Even more reason to hope theirs were processed! We had to wait until that Friday to go back and find out if we'd all been approved, which, thankfully we had. Kurt and I had applied for 6 month visas, just in case, and for some strange reason only Kurt was issued with this - I got a 3 month visa instead which we had been expecting for both of us. Maybe Australia had just been extra nice to India recently. Due to yet another annoying quirk in the issuing process, we wouldn't actually receive our passports back until the following Monday, meaning we had to spend another weekend in Kathmandu. Very bloody annoying.
We couldn't be fucked doing anything touristy in Kathmandu, so we just waited it out until we could get our passports back and leave for India. So with them safely back in our possession on the Monday, we made plans to cross the border early the next day. India, here we come.
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