Pokhara

We reached Pohkara Sunday afternoon by local bus. After eating lunch, we checked into the Yeti Guest House, a charming but cheap place with bar and restaurant set back from the strip amidst a green garden. The proprietor is not terribly friendly, but the rest of the staff is cool.

This lakeside town has lovely scenery and a relaxed atmosphere. While this is the starting or ending point for many of the treks in the Annapurna region, there are plenty of other things to do: rafting, kayaking, paragliding, ultra-light aircrafts*, horseback riding, etc. After the madness of Thamel in KTM, Pokhara feels quiet and practically empty. There's a surprising number of Chinese here (both mainland and Taiwanese, possibly Singaporean as well, I can't tell.) East Asian tourists surely account for half of the total, which is not at all the case most places I've been.

So far V and I have been busy gathering information and supplies for our trek. We intend to leave tomorrow morning to do the Jomsom Trek, which will take us anywhere from 8-12 days depending on which route we follow and whether or not we get the plane back from Jomsom on the return. We've decided against hiring a porter or guide as we'll try to travel as light as possible. We'll just have to see how it goes. I'm both excited and a bit nervous as I am not in the best shape aerobically after six months in India.

I should have something interesting to write when I return!

*V did a 30 minute ride over the mountains this morning, said it was amazing.