Pokhara

Arriving on the bus was an experience all in itself. As soon as we stepped off we were surrounded by touts trying to get you to stay at their hotel. All of them talking at once and shoving business cards in your face. Bryan decided he wanted none of that and excused himself to help get the bags off the roof of the bus, leaving poor Jody to deal with the dozen or so men. Actually it was quite funny and in time we will get the video up onto you tube so you can see what it was like. So we picked the least pushy chap and set off to his father’s hotel. Well it wasn’t quite as we had been told it was so Jody left Bryan to have a coffee while she walked into town to find somewhere else. When she got back it had all been too confusing & expensive. The streets were dark because of yet another power cut and as it was so late and we were tired, we decided to stay put for one night and try again in the morning. To be honest it wasn’t that bad and the family were really lovely - it’s just that we just knew we could get better and a bit nearer to the main area. Jody was going to have to go out on her own at night while Bryan was trekking so we wanted somewhere a bit closer to the bars and restaurants. However, any doubts that may have been forming about moving quickly evaporated in the night when we had a visitor come in under the door. Bryan heard it rummaging around in our food bag and managed to trap it in the bathroom. He wasn’t completely sure but thought it was a small rat or a local rat-like looking creature! So off we went again and as we expected, a bit further up the road we found a really lovely guesthouse for 550rp a night which is about £5. It had the smartest, most modern bathroom we have had in the last.... well since raffles really! A lovely bright, clean, airy room with a lovely view of the mountains. Jody was well happy! To describe Pokhara to you, it is a small town by the lake with the Himalayan mountain backdrop. It is quite a lazy town at this time of year. They are still gearing up for the tourist season when they get besieged by walkers from all over the world to trek the mountain range of Annapurna. The part of town we are staying in is right by the lake which is beautiful. The main street itself looks a lot like Thamel where we stayed in Kathmandu. Except the roads are wider, the buildings are smaller, and it’s less busy. So actually nothing like Thamel! Well the shops are similar. A walk by the lake didn’t reveal too much other than beautiful scenery. It really feels more like a place for the locals than the tourists; people having a wash or washing their hair in the lake, people fishing and mending their boats, and others walking their water buffalo. Although it’s beautiful they haven’t made much of the lake front for tourists except a couple of scruffy bars otherwise there’s not much there - unless of course you want a boat, go for a swim or just sit and admire the views. Its still the tail end of their rainy season here and some days we get very heavy showers in the afternoon which means you don’t want to stray too far from the town. Mostly though, it waits until it’s dark before the real rain comes. So our main purpose for coming here, is because it is the real trekking capital of Nepal. Everyone comes here as a starting point to their walks to Poon Hill and Annapurna National Park. Everyone except Jody of course. She will spend a few days here relaxing and catching up on the internet (something she doesn’t get much chance to do when Bryan hogs the computer all the time! ha ha) while Bryan goes trekking with the guide that has joined him from Kathmandu. Then we had an earthquake? Bryan had just got back from his trek and got out the shower, then we felt the building shaking (not violently) but enough to make him throw some clothes on and we ran out of the hotel just in case. We could hear some people screaming (tourists probably) and lots of other people had left their rooms in our guest-house too, but none of the Nepalese people batted an eyelid. Oh it happens all the time they said. Well no-one told us! We stayed outside for a bit as it started to get dark. We didn’t know how long we should stay outside for as we don't know about these things and we thought about after shocks. Anyway after half an hour nothing else had happened and Bryan needed to get dressed properly so we went back in. It appears that the epicentre was roughly about where we cross the border into India in a week's time but it was felt across Nepal.So that's the 2nd one we have been in (the first was a tiny rumble in San Francisco) and one big one we have missed - Christchurch. Let’s hope that’s our last experience! Pushpa Guesthouse Room rating: 8/10 bed comfy, lovely view, bathroom lovely Location: 10/10 - right in the centre but off main road Staff: 8/10 - really helpful and friendly Value for Money: 10/10 - £4 per night for both of us Other comments: lovely quiet and relaxing place. Good TV film channels too Stay again? yes definitely Overall area experience: 8/10 not quite enough to do unless you drink, eat, hike & shop