Peaceful Pokhara

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Today we arrived in Pokhara after a long journey from Jomsom via Beni! It's difficult to describe just how weary and dusty and tired we felt after spending so long in one of the local buses. To be fair they are entirely comfortable, have plenty of fresh air in and out of the windows and there is a lot going on to be entertained by. The general slow speed of progress with the seemingly fast speed on precipitous turns in the highlands do make for a long journey though despite the entertainment from the bus driver, conductor and various radio stations. Beni is a sort of transport hub in rural Nepal. We stopped there briefly for lunch in a cafe about which, I must admit, I had suspicions regarding hygiene. The flies were persistent they were having a first taste of my order and someone even ordered a milkshake, surely the highest risk behaviour in any part of the rural Nepal! Nevertheless, hungry as we were, we scoffed down what we could and repacked ourselves into our van/bus. We arrived in Pokhara just as the light was fading and were dropped outside what now to us felt like five star grandeur! As if this was a trick we approached with trepidation but no, this was actually a hotel, not a tearoom.... and seemed a really nice one at that! We knew this must be the case as we met some Americans in the lobby. Later we found more in the 'western'-style restaurants in town and found American students eating Tex-Mex in bulk.
Pokhara is fundamentally not real Nepal. We might have though this rural Nepal had we not been round the circuit villages as it feels very different again from Kathmandu, more relaxed certainly, but also quite 'fixed-up' for the tourist. Pretty much all the shops are teeming with climbing books and souveniers and as mentioned the food is a mixture of a number of different cultural influences, none of them really indiginous. That is not said as a criticism though, on the contrary, we found this was a great relief from the sustained boredom of dhal bhatt and at this stage in the trip we were perfectly happy to down some enchiladas and diet coke! We went to a great little restaurant for dinner and took a long stroll by the lake in the twilight. It felt so odd later to get ready for bed and not have to wrap up in thermals, fleeces or down bags. Just usual bed sheets and we were still quite warm! Bliss!
We woke early with sunlight pouring through the curtains of our warm room. So strange to, to wake up and not have a day of walking ahead of us. I certainly felt a sadness that the trek was over but was excited too to get back to Kathmandu. We took full advantage of the breakfast provided at the hotel and set out on a mission to spend some serious Nepali rupee. We went to a local shop which sold goods made by the WSDPP, the proceeds of which go to directly benefit local women. This place does some quality stuff and I was able to grab some great last minute presents.
The lake is quite relaxing to be around, there is a flatilla of boats on it all vying for your custom offering trips but we found by far the most relaxing way of enjoying the lake is to find a shady tree, grab a cool drink from one of the tiny lake-side bars and just chill. We had arranged to meet up with Gansa and Sonam in the afternoon to say goodbye and sort tips etc. It was emotional as you imagine and Sonam decided to tell us all his trekking philosophies together with explanations for his apparent vagueness on details like where we're going etc!! They brought us silk scarves to commemorate the occasion and we presented them with their well-earned, well-deserved tips which I understand make up a large part of their payment. Concern about Gansa's feet and his general non-complaining nature led us to tip him far more than we probably should have but he is a lovely man with such grit, strength and patience that we were in total awe. Oh, I forgot to mention the night in Muktinath when after literally one drink he had to be escorted by Sonam to bed! Apparently the relief of seeing us both over the high pass was enough for him to celebrate a little! Bless him! We had a great guide and an amazing porter, could not have asked for better. I would be very happy to recommend these guys via private message if anyone is interested. We fly back to Kathmandu this afternoon from Pokhara. I, for one, am glad as I do prefer Kathmandu over Pokhara a lot, so much more character and more going on. Bye Annapurnas, till next time........

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