Nepal: Kathmandu & Pokara

07.11.2013

• Gwen and I woke up at the preset time and prepared ourselves before heading down a flight of stairs to knock on another hotel room door. It opened and I laid eyes on Alessandro, the sexy Italian (you're welcome) who is dating my friend Megan who quickly appeared from the bathroom with a towel on her head to greet me. I was so delighted to see her, a friend for nearly a decade and the first familiar face from home that I have seen since I left. Megan is, in fact, the reason I am in Nepal. She had been living in Italy on and off for the past couple of years (thus the Italian bello) and we crossed paths in Bellingham in the spring to catch up and to share information about my time in SE Asia in 2012 to help her planning her trip there this year. While chatting over tapas she told me that her trip was actually going to start in Nepal during a time when I was planning to be in India. I casually mentioned that I should maybe join her. Fast forward to wild hugging in a hotel room in Kathmandu. Never underestimate the power of last minute life decisions made over cocktails. 
• The newly formed foursome set out on a full, one-day shopping extravaganza to purchase all the items we would need (and didn't bring) for our forthcoming hiking adventure. Before our first stop to purchase bus tickets to our next destination we, of course, started with some coffee for the Italian and Italian-at-heart with a ginger/lemon with honey for me. Most of our trekking purchases came from a store called Shona's, named for the Nepali woman who runs the store with her husband, whom I believe is Brit-born and has some fantastic trekking stories and the accompanying scars. Along with thermals, water bottles, hiking poles, socks, gloves, and some other basics, we also bought sleeping bags and down coats from Shona's because they are manufactured in Kathmandu under diligent supervision from the owners. The entire staff was helpful and informative and we were pleased with both the quality and cost of the bounty of new items we took out of the store. 
• Shopping makes one hungry. Even my still-unsteady-post-flu-in-India tummy was ready for lunch. We stopped at a great Tibetan restaurant across the street on recommendation from Shona, and had our first plate of dal baht, a lentil dish with sides of rice, curry, and other accoutrement. We lingered over tea before heading to other stores for miscellaneous items still on our shopping lists and met back at the hotel late in the afternoon. 
• After a short rest we were ready to head for dinner at the Kaiser Cafe located in the Garden of Dreams, a beautifully restored private garden originally designed in 1920. It was even more beautiful in the waning hours of sunlight sifting through the many trees and across the reflecting pond. We wandered the grounds for a bit before settling into an outdoor table where we delighted in our meals including one of the best veggie burgers I have ever tasted. Dinner came with a sense of relief for the many to-do's we accomplished in the day and with mounting excitement for the beginning of an amazing journey ahead of us. We lingered a while after our meal, riding the giant swing, perusing the refurbished buildings and statues as soft lighting brought the garden to life in the dark. I considered a stop at a spa on the way home but decided that groceries and packing and sleep was a better option before an early morning bus ride. 

08.11.2013

• 6am always comes too early for me. Our team was out the door with all of our new and old gear heading for a bus on the other side of Thamel, the touristy part of Kathmandu where we had stayed at the Potala Guest House. My poor tummy was still unhappy, adjusting back to solid (sometimes rich) foods and I found it most desirable to sleep almost the entire seven hour bus ride. I came to attention when at rest stops and noticed that we had been traversing one of the most beautiful mountain passes I have ever seen with high, lush hills in every direction. Beauty appreciated - back to sleep. 
• We arrived in Pokhara, Nepal in the early afternoon and negotiated a taxi ride to the Butterfly Lodge, which felt like posh hotel by my backpacking standards. Megan had picked the spot for its location, price, good reviews, great photos, and the fact the hotel supports a foundation which funds a daycare center and other services in low-income areas of Pokhara. We quickly dropped off our bags and quickly caught another cab out to the ACAP (Annapurna Conservation Area Project) permit office before they closed (and wouldn't reopen for a couple of days in recognition of a holiday). 
• With permits in hand we got a cab back into town and the wandered the small downtown core of Pokhara. We stopped at a restaurant along the strip where we had "real" salads. We looked for last minute shopping items. We booked a taxi for yet another long drive tomorrow to the first point of our trek. I bought a plane ticket for my return to Kathmandu at the end of our trip - mostly for convenience before another long flying day out of Nepal and because it promised views of the Himalayas on the 25 minute flight. We stopped at an internet cafe where I sent Kevin a message and got to chat with Mom, Papa, Sister Kelly, and Nephew Kyler one last time before I went offline for a few weeks. I enjoyed a terrific plate of curried momos at Double View Restaurant along the lake that abuts town and we laughed about how "free-range" the chickens in Nepal are (free to range into your home if you leave the door open). We finished the evening back at the Butterfly lodge where we worked on final packing into two piles: that which comes up the mountain and that which stays in storage in Pokhara. All of us tired and anxious about what tomorrow would bring we took comfort in scalding hot showers with the pressure of a fire hose. Trekking preparation officially done.