Saturday, 29 May 2010
Once I completed the trek, I realised that everything which I wanted to do was pretty much done! Amazing, it was relaxing time for a couple of days. I offered my guide either an air-ticket to return to Pokhara with me or take the 16hr jeep and keep the money. He chose the latter hence we split up and eventually met up again in KTM.
The strike was annoying because I planned to trip whole Annapurna Circuit Trek. The one week delay meant I would run out of time. Since I needed two more days at the school to finish everything. Maybe next time I will finish the other half. Although the other half is a bit dustier with the road which is a big turn off for trekking.
Pokhara was a really chillaxing place. Personally, I think it was much better than Thamel. I would recommend potential nepal tourist to head to Pokhara sooner and get the trek done because the duration of the trek can change with the conditions in the mountains. Then work your way back to KTM.
I relaxed arrived at the View point lodge by the lake. The view was magnificent. There I had buff chilly and beer for breakfast. That pretty much set the theme going. At the evening, I had the steak at the lodge. The chef was so enthusiastic about cooking that smoke was pouring out of the kitchen and with a shout of ‘wahoooo’, my steak was ready. Their interpretation of a pepper steak had a thick layer of pepper powder. I thought he fell to the the common pepper lid loose prank in the kitchen, but I was in Nepal, that was how they do pepper steaks!
The New Everest Steak house was amazing. It is ironic for a steak house in a country that bans killing cows. Maybe the beef was imported. I didn’t care. The trekkers special had 3 fillets and it was epically fulfilling. I had to top up my protein after the trek. I think I did a good job there. After the meat sweat, I returned to the hotel and prepared for my bus trip tomorrow.
I was stuck somewhere between Pokhara and Kathmandu for 8 hours of my life. I read ‘Into Thin Air’ during this time. My hopes were briefly raised when 2 minibus of army people with big guns moved in. It turns out that they were there to make sure everyone was well behaved in during the Bandh.
At 5:00 pm, the strikers needed to go home for their dinner hence they let the traffic through once more. And my day bus became a night bus which I was not particularly excited about. It was a good move that I invested in tourist bus. Traffic accidents for night buses did not occur everyday, maybe every two days because the cars were poorly maintained and drunks were drivers.
I arrived in Thamel at 10pm. I knew one of the Brit on the bus from the trek
so we shared a room at 300 Rupees hence 150 each. £1.50!!!! We quickly ventured out for food. There were lots of touts for girls and hash but we wanted food more. Eventually we found reasonably well known restaurant. It was there, I spent my last 500 Rupees. I had 200 left.
Back in the hotel, the water was yellow and two dead cockroaches welcomed us. Charming. I DEETED myself and went to sleep. I left the next morning to take a bus to my host family. Going home Part 1 done.
Adventures of Delboy 