I woke up at 5:30am and the first thing I did was flex my muscles - still soar. It had to get okay by tomorrow, because if not, I'd be in trouble. After a quick wash up we went upstairs to the fifth floor terrace for breakfast. Omelet, bread & butter and a sweet cup of Cinnamon & Cardamom tea.
We left for the bus stop at 6:40am, bags packed and all set, and reached by 6:45am. I wish distances were like this in the city. After loading the luggage into the trunk we got in and made ourselves comfortable. It was supposedly a "luxury" bus (Debit Bus, it was called) because it was a toilet at the rear which I was promptly given a seat next to (I think those were the only seats left by the time we'd booked yesterday). The bus started at 7:00am sharp, very impressive. I suppose it has to cater to the foreigners who believe that punctuality is a virtue! It took us an hour to get our of Kathmandu due to traffic and terrible roads (probably affected by the heavy rains last night too). At one point, I looked out the window and saw a fruit vendor setting up stall for the day. He was plucking the tips off the apples and placing them in a basket beautifully, stacking then in a neat pile. I'm sure if I tried to do that, they'd all come tumbling down.
As we got onto the narrow highway, I noticed how dusty all the bushed and plans and leaves of the trees were, just off the roadside, sad results of the heavy traffic flow day in and day out - we were only contributing to it. The countryside got cleaner and a lot more beautiful as we got out of Kathmandu. We could see the mist between the mountain ridges from our wide, large windows rising, sometimes obscuring our view. This of course was only in the beginning, early in the morning. After the sun rose the sky became bright and clear and the mist dispersed.
The journey as such was comfortable and quite uneventful. Mama and Dada shared a Puri Aloo while Varun and I shared a plate of very salty noodles. This was for breakfast. For lunch, we stopped at a roadside inn for a Nepali Thali - A Thakali, it is called - and extremely wholesome meal. Rice with beans, dal, wonderfully fresh stir fried greens (nothing beats greens in the mountains) and a delicious Checken curry. Not to mention the Papad and chutney too. We polished out plates. Just before getting into the bus Varun and I bought a Mocha, a bad idea in hindsight. It was piping hot and filled to the brim, and the journey was bumpy, so the next fifteen minutes were spent in Varun and I trying to keep the Mocha from spilling. After it cooled down a bit though, it was really good!
The cute little Nepali boy sitting behind us with his mother kept us entertained for quite a while, singing (what I think were) folk songs in a high pitched, baby voice. Whenever the bus stopped he'd bun us and down the aisle. He gave his mother enough to worry about, I think. The foreigner sitting next to us was quite enchanted by the little boy I think!
We reached Pokhara at 2:45pm and the driver from the hotel was waiting for us, holding a sign. He took us straight the ACAP (Annapurna Conservation Area Permit) office to get out permits. The office seemed to have only foreigners - trekking is so popular amongst them. We filled up forms giving our Passport details, etc and in fifteen minutes had our ACAP permits in our hands. Very efficient. We counted ourselves as lucky as everyone in Kathmandu had told us that the permit offices would be closed of Saturday. Apparently, Saturday is a holiday in Nepal. Unfortunately we were informed that ACAP wasn't the only permit required - the TIMS permit was needed too.
We checked in to Hotel Orchid, had a quick bath and set out to the TIMS office. But we can't get lucky twice. The TIMS office was closed so we had to resign ourselves to a late start tomorrow morning.
Anyways we took the opportunity to explore the town. Pokhara is so pretty. Beautiful cafes line the streets and colourful shops selling colourful goods are abound. As we were walking, I glanced about and saw a towering snowy peak peeping through the clouds. I called everyone and pointed it out excitedly (while also commenting - "See! Chaitanya told me to be observant" - which he really did).
We stopped at a café for a coffee and warm cinnamon rolls. Varun noticed there were tiny black ants crawling on the rolls. I was a bit irked. When I asked the waiter about it he said, in a very matter of fact way "Of course there are ants, the rolls are made with sugar!" Okay. So maybe ants crawling on rolls are okay here. I ate the rolls and found it just fine - in fact I liked the slightly tough bread. I think the others felt otherwise, but anyways.
We got into a few shops where I bought a fake North Face full sleeve Dri-fit shirt and we also bought a Dry Pack, a special bag that is totally rain proof and protects delicate objects like cameras from impact. We also saw a shop selling clothes made form hemp (marijuana) and banana leaf. I found that fascinating! Clothes made entirely from plants? Wow! The garments were really beautiful. The only colours available were crème and off white, the natural colour of the cloth, and the rugged appearance of the cloth gave it a very earthy feel. Since we couldn't do unnecessary shopping today, I made a mental note to come back after the trek. The restaurants, cafes and bakeries pave Pokhara the look of a European town that I so loved. The only things were the cobble-stone paths... The restaurants has lovely paper lights, triangular menu boards outside cafes wit the specials written in chalk... Mama and I couldn't help peeping into every second shop and making sure we'd come back there after the trek. I jokingly said 'Let's rush through the trek and get back to Pokhara soon!' to which Mama replied 'Dada'll get mad if he hears that!'
A lot of the cafes were showing the Leicester vs Manchester United EPL match. We stopped at one called Javista when there was a big screen. Already, a few foreigners were gathered around, intently watching. I was more interested in the food though. We ate some really goof Pork Chili, some lousy Fish 'n' Chips and some decent Vegetable Curry. Disappointingly, not a very satisfying meal, but our stomachs were full.
As we walked back we picked up some snicker bars for the trek and lost our way hone a little bit. Varun very confidently and stupidly forged ahead until we realized we'd come way too far and missed the left turn we had to take. We found our way back after asking a couple of people. Never follow Varun for directions. He'll take you in circles. The same exact thing happened when he tried to take us to Chinnana's house.
I'm going to sleep now because I'm exhausted and also partly because my legs need more rest than I do. As I write, Varun is jumping in bed. Arsenal has scored 3 goals against Chelsea within half-time I think...
We left for the bus stop at 6:40am, bags packed and all set, and reached by 6:45am. I wish distances were like this in the city. After loading the luggage into the trunk we got in and made ourselves comfortable. It was supposedly a "luxury" bus (Debit Bus, it was called) because it was a toilet at the rear which I was promptly given a seat next to (I think those were the only seats left by the time we'd booked yesterday). The bus started at 7:00am sharp, very impressive. I suppose it has to cater to the foreigners who believe that punctuality is a virtue! It took us an hour to get our of Kathmandu due to traffic and terrible roads (probably affected by the heavy rains last night too). At one point, I looked out the window and saw a fruit vendor setting up stall for the day. He was plucking the tips off the apples and placing them in a basket beautifully, stacking then in a neat pile. I'm sure if I tried to do that, they'd all come tumbling down.
As we got onto the narrow highway, I noticed how dusty all the bushed and plans and leaves of the trees were, just off the roadside, sad results of the heavy traffic flow day in and day out - we were only contributing to it. The countryside got cleaner and a lot more beautiful as we got out of Kathmandu. We could see the mist between the mountain ridges from our wide, large windows rising, sometimes obscuring our view. This of course was only in the beginning, early in the morning. After the sun rose the sky became bright and clear and the mist dispersed.
The journey as such was comfortable and quite uneventful. Mama and Dada shared a Puri Aloo while Varun and I shared a plate of very salty noodles. This was for breakfast. For lunch, we stopped at a roadside inn for a Nepali Thali - A Thakali, it is called - and extremely wholesome meal. Rice with beans, dal, wonderfully fresh stir fried greens (nothing beats greens in the mountains) and a delicious Checken curry. Not to mention the Papad and chutney too. We polished out plates. Just before getting into the bus Varun and I bought a Mocha, a bad idea in hindsight. It was piping hot and filled to the brim, and the journey was bumpy, so the next fifteen minutes were spent in Varun and I trying to keep the Mocha from spilling. After it cooled down a bit though, it was really good!
The cute little Nepali boy sitting behind us with his mother kept us entertained for quite a while, singing (what I think were) folk songs in a high pitched, baby voice. Whenever the bus stopped he'd bun us and down the aisle. He gave his mother enough to worry about, I think. The foreigner sitting next to us was quite enchanted by the little boy I think!
We reached Pokhara at 2:45pm and the driver from the hotel was waiting for us, holding a sign. He took us straight the ACAP (Annapurna Conservation Area Permit) office to get out permits. The office seemed to have only foreigners - trekking is so popular amongst them. We filled up forms giving our Passport details, etc and in fifteen minutes had our ACAP permits in our hands. Very efficient. We counted ourselves as lucky as everyone in Kathmandu had told us that the permit offices would be closed of Saturday. Apparently, Saturday is a holiday in Nepal. Unfortunately we were informed that ACAP wasn't the only permit required - the TIMS permit was needed too.
We checked in to Hotel Orchid, had a quick bath and set out to the TIMS office. But we can't get lucky twice. The TIMS office was closed so we had to resign ourselves to a late start tomorrow morning.
Anyways we took the opportunity to explore the town. Pokhara is so pretty. Beautiful cafes line the streets and colourful shops selling colourful goods are abound. As we were walking, I glanced about and saw a towering snowy peak peeping through the clouds. I called everyone and pointed it out excitedly (while also commenting - "See! Chaitanya told me to be observant" - which he really did).
We stopped at a café for a coffee and warm cinnamon rolls. Varun noticed there were tiny black ants crawling on the rolls. I was a bit irked. When I asked the waiter about it he said, in a very matter of fact way "Of course there are ants, the rolls are made with sugar!" Okay. So maybe ants crawling on rolls are okay here. I ate the rolls and found it just fine - in fact I liked the slightly tough bread. I think the others felt otherwise, but anyways.
We got into a few shops where I bought a fake North Face full sleeve Dri-fit shirt and we also bought a Dry Pack, a special bag that is totally rain proof and protects delicate objects like cameras from impact. We also saw a shop selling clothes made form hemp (marijuana) and banana leaf. I found that fascinating! Clothes made entirely from plants? Wow! The garments were really beautiful. The only colours available were crème and off white, the natural colour of the cloth, and the rugged appearance of the cloth gave it a very earthy feel. Since we couldn't do unnecessary shopping today, I made a mental note to come back after the trek. The restaurants, cafes and bakeries pave Pokhara the look of a European town that I so loved. The only things were the cobble-stone paths... The restaurants has lovely paper lights, triangular menu boards outside cafes wit the specials written in chalk... Mama and I couldn't help peeping into every second shop and making sure we'd come back there after the trek. I jokingly said 'Let's rush through the trek and get back to Pokhara soon!' to which Mama replied 'Dada'll get mad if he hears that!'
A lot of the cafes were showing the Leicester vs Manchester United EPL match. We stopped at one called Javista when there was a big screen. Already, a few foreigners were gathered around, intently watching. I was more interested in the food though. We ate some really goof Pork Chili, some lousy Fish 'n' Chips and some decent Vegetable Curry. Disappointingly, not a very satisfying meal, but our stomachs were full.
As we walked back we picked up some snicker bars for the trek and lost our way hone a little bit. Varun very confidently and stupidly forged ahead until we realized we'd come way too far and missed the left turn we had to take. We found our way back after asking a couple of people. Never follow Varun for directions. He'll take you in circles. The same exact thing happened when he tried to take us to Chinnana's house.
I'm going to sleep now because I'm exhausted and also partly because my legs need more rest than I do. As I write, Varun is jumping in bed. Arsenal has scored 3 goals against Chelsea within half-time I think...
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