So here we are in Nepal.
We bought a bus ticket in India which included an overnight stay at the border and our onward bus to Pokara, Nepal. After nine hours on a very uncomfortable bus full of Israelis smoking those herbal cigarettes mother warned us about, we were glad to have a quick border crossing and a hotel for the night. Unfortunately the hotel was easily the worst we've ever stayed in, absolutely filthy and very noisy. Despite sleeping in our clothes and our sheet sleeping bags I was still covered in bed bug bites and we couldn't even bring ourselves to use the shower. And then we found out that there were strikes, that the road onward had been closed for several days and no-one was sure whether it would be open the following day. The thought of an extended stay at the border was not appealing.
Early next morning we were on a local bus, not sure whether it would actually go anywhere. But happily it soon started moving in a forwards direction. I quickly fell asleep and when I woke up an hour later the landscape had completely changed! Suddenly it was cool, green and mountainous, and there were no roadside rubbish heaps, which was wonderful after India. 8 or so hours later we arrived in Lakeside, Pokara, which is very touristy but nice.
It should be possible to see the Annapurna mountain range from Pokara but it was quite overcast the whole time we were there. Early one morning we hiked up to a village called Sarangkot to watch the sun rise, and caught a very misty glimpse of the mountains with the morning sun reflecting off the snow. After a few days we caught a bus on to Kathmandu with the intention of doing a few day hikes, maybe some rafting or canyoning. However, Nepal is very relaxing, and so far we've spent the time wandering around a few temples, reading in cafes and generally chilling out before we have to go back to England next week. The power is only on for a few hours every day and no-one is ever quite sure which hours it will be, but most places have solar power or generator backup so we're never completely in the dark. It's actually pretty chilly in Nepal at the moment, feels like a British autumn which is very nice after being in the heat for a few months. It is a good excuse to drink hot chocolate and eat cake.
Early next morning we were on a local bus, not sure whether it would actually go anywhere. But happily it soon started moving in a forwards direction. I quickly fell asleep and when I woke up an hour later the landscape had completely changed! Suddenly it was cool, green and mountainous, and there were no roadside rubbish heaps, which was wonderful after India. 8 or so hours later we arrived in Lakeside, Pokara, which is very touristy but nice.
It should be possible to see the Annapurna mountain range from Pokara but it was quite overcast the whole time we were there. Early one morning we hiked up to a village called Sarangkot to watch the sun rise, and caught a very misty glimpse of the mountains with the morning sun reflecting off the snow. After a few days we caught a bus on to Kathmandu with the intention of doing a few day hikes, maybe some rafting or canyoning. However, Nepal is very relaxing, and so far we've spent the time wandering around a few temples, reading in cafes and generally chilling out before we have to go back to England next week. The power is only on for a few hours every day and no-one is ever quite sure which hours it will be, but most places have solar power or generator backup so we're never completely in the dark. It's actually pretty chilly in Nepal at the moment, feels like a British autumn which is very nice after being in the heat for a few months. It is a good excuse to drink hot chocolate and eat cake.
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