Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Namaste from Nepal!
Scrap the last paragraph of my previous blog, good riddance t'India! Really was at the end of my tether with it in the end. Got to bus depot at crack of dawn, only person there, thought where are all the other travellers?! Half dozen turned up later but apparently not enough to take the tourist bus to Kathmandu.. Bus cancelled and had to take a local bus instead which was miles cheaper but we didn't get any of our money back. The boss offered to give us 25 rupees each, told him where to shove it. The German geeza and myself told him in no uncertain terms what we thought of him and his business. The bus journey as expected was hellish. Felt nauseus throughout further enhanced by people around me eating bananas.. We were right at the front and the driver was constantly beeping his bloody horn, the noise was so loud it not only pierced your ears but your bloody body also! The bus driver dropped us off near to the border at 11pm but we had to walk the rest of it through a ghost town which felt like out of a scene in a dark western movie, no streetlights whatsover. The Indian Immigration was closed, had to wake the guy up.. was a grumpy mofo but main thing got visa stamp outta there! Walked across border punching fists in delight only to find Nepalese immigration closed but the dude there said come back in morning, lazy arse. The hotel we stayed at was ironically called Paradise because it was far from it, what an absolute hell hole never seen a shower so bad in my life. Got our Nepal visas easily in the morning, I changed my mind from going to Kathmandu and went with fellow travellers to Pokhara instead. Thought after the last 2 days travelling wanted to get somewhere can relax & unwind. The bus was even worse than the previous one however, I'm sure it was designed for midgets no leg room whatsoever!! The German guy was keeping me amused whining about the loud Nepalese music on the bus, he reminds me of an alcoholic Michael Barrymore. The journey to Pokhara was around 8/9 hours and although was cramped conditions the lush landscapes and stunning scenic views really refreshed us. Nepal is a complete contrast to India.. clean, fresh air, quieter, less people, less beeping.. Paradise!
Nepal is like Switzerland on steroids, loving life in Pokhara, just what the doctor ordered after the last couple of days. Peaceful, tranquil and invigorating, we walked around the lake in the sunshine and just took it easy all day with zee crazy German. Went fer a pizza at night which was a disgrace to pizzas.. Parmesan instead of mozzarella wtf?! Watched the Nepal v Afghanistan match live which was good to see locals really get into it, apparently it was their first televised match!? Sunday league footie is better than that stuff but we called it funny football as the standard was that bad made us chuckle. Changed hotels next day as had enough of the one been in no electricity or hot water.. thought had downgraded but new one just up the road got to was half the price and better quality, result! Really weird as all the people travelled from India to Nepal with are staying in guesthouses within 50 metres of each other! Bumped into someone met in India in the streets which was random. Saw the full moon then lunar eclipse until it was totally covered which was an absolute spectacle to see and there were lots of people stopping in the streets completely mesmerized by it, shame didn't have an SLR with powerful lens however to properly capture the event.
Loving the laid back lifestyle here in Pokhara, there's no rush to anything whatsoever. Plenty of coffee shops too so managed to get a good espresso for the first time in over a month, e vai! In the morning made some enquiries about trekking and managed to book a 3 day/2 night one starting tomorrow, its outside the conservation area but means we save a lot of money on permits & additional costs and will still see (hopefully) some awesome views of the Annapurna range (including 2 8000m+ mountains) and sunrises at the viewpoints. Apparently will be traversing a suspension bridge so that will be tres interesting fer the good ole vertigo.. Went fer a bike ride in the afternoon which was refreshing to the top end of the lake, covered probably between 15-20 miles but as soon as left the main bit of Pokhara it was beautiful being in the countryside and seeing the locals go about doing their daily work. Its funny how things get lost in translation.. German geeza says nice pupu as in good arse whereas fer Italianos pupu is shoite hehe! I've nicknamed him Pupumeister and if anyone thought I was a pervert this geeza is the real mccoy, a master at work!! Hada really good day/night.. until I went to the pub to watch t'Rovers.. Kean out!!
Auf wiedersehen!
- comments