Geo: 28.2636, 83.9724Slept in, got a nice Nepalese breakfast, chatted with the hotel staff, got my hiking boot repaired and strolled through Old Town Pokhara (or what is left of it) and the big colorful market place (today is another holiday, so was yesterday as well as tomorrow or the next 3 weeks...)Schlief aus, bestellte ein leckeres nepalesisches Fruehstueck, quatschte mit den Hotelangestellten, liess meinen Wanderschuh reparieren, spazierte durch die Altstadt von Pokhara (oder das was noch uebrig ist) und schaute mir den farbenpraechtigen Marktplatz an (heute ist wieder mal Feiertag, so wie gestern und morgen oder die naechsten 3 Wochen...)... read more

Geo: 27.7029, 85.31828 AM the night is over. The never ending honking down on the street increases dramatically around that time. You wouldn't even hear your alarm clock ;)Got up, had breakfast at Helen's Cafe on the 8th floor patio and started my search for some options for Trekking in the Himalayas. After some time I found a tour operator I liked (TrekNepal) and booked a 10-Day Trek to the Annapurna base camp, starting from Pokhara.Right away me and the sales manager got along pretty well since we both used to work as tourguides. And he invited me to go with him to a concert in Old Town Kathmandu later in the evening. Good thing my parents were not around because we took his motorcycle and drove without helmets through the crazy nightly rush hour traffic, ... read more

Geo: 27.7029, 85.3182Unfortunately my seven days in Bhutan are over :( My guide Kensang and driver Rinzy took me to the airport and we said goodbye. I was very lucky that they were assigned to my trip. Then followed the fastest check-in of my life. Got through security, check in, immigration in 2:15 Min!!! And broke my old record from Darwin Airport :)The flight from Paro to Kathmandu was like being in an IMAX movie. Under blue skies we flew along the Himalaya mountain range with magnifiscent views from our TurboProp plane. Arrived in Kathmandu and was told by the hotel shuttle driver that they screwed up my reservation and the hotel is booked out. So he offered as alternative the Pilgrim Hotel in Thamel. Checked in and explored the neighborhood. The stinky, loud and crowded ... read more

Geo: 27.5156, 89.36In the morning unfortunately we had to head back to Paro. But we stopped in Timphu one more time to visit the art school in which Bhutanese students are taught the country's unique style in painting, sculpting and clothing. After that we went to see a paper factory, where workers create beautiful pieces of paper with ancient techniques. Pretty cool!In the afternoon we reached my hotel in Paro, the Metta Resort Hotel. After checking in we drove to the edge of the town to see the supposedly haunted ruins of Drukgyel Dzong, built in the 7th Century. For dinner Rinzy and Kesang took me to a traditional farmhouse where they served authentic über-spicy Bhutanese food while sitting on thick carpets around the cast-iron oven and drinking butter tea.Am Morgen mussten wir uns leider auf ... read more

Geo: 27.78, 89.9After sleeping in we went up the mountains to the idyllic Talo village where we walked around and got invited to see a traditional farmhouse. The village is situated in the steep hills where also all of the farming takes place on cascaded fields. After lunch we hiked to the Chimi Lhakhang temple before we went back to town. By the way, like any other country Bhutan is not short on quirky things. For instance they do not use surnames or family names. Instead everyone has several first names. Also, they love spicy food! Literally every house dries Chili on its roof and unlike anywhere else Bhutanese eat Chili like we eat vegetables. In fact it's many dishes' main ingredient! (Bhutan has the worldwide highest Chili consumption) Also, smoking cigarettes is illegal here but ... read more