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I updated Oreo’s page and added a page about Info. Check it out!

Happy 2010!
My new resolutions are…
1. See some positive movement in my bank account
2. Travel lighter
3. Keep this website up to date
4. Read more

Currently doing some housekeeping to get an updated version of wordpress and upload my posts.

Pokhara was a brief break but my one month visa is just about up. We head back to Kathmandu via the tops of buses and enjoy the beautiful scenery from up top one last time. Kathmandu is noisy, smoggy and congested with traffic. It really feels like a terrible place to be after sending so much time in the pristine outdoors. We are only here for one night and decide to find the cheapest place possible. My first room turned out to be a roach motel and after switching we finally found a descent room. The next morning I catch a taxi over to the airport and say good bye to Nepal. Here is a pic of the Himalaya Mountains from the cabin window as I fly from Kathmandu to Lasa, China to Chengdu, China and finally to Shanghai, China.

The hangover from my 2066 New Year Celebration is incredible. I felt like I got shot but managed to get up before noon. I talked our group into renting Motorcycles and exploring the surroundings. Joe and I end up getting 180cc Pulsars which are actually the largest sportiest bikes we are able to rent. Christine and Nate opt for a scooter since neither can really ride a motorcycle with a clutch. Needless to say Joe and I quickly outpaced the scooter group and ended up doing most of the exploring on our own.

At the heart of Pokhara (touristy district) is the lake surrounded back shops, restaurants, cafes and drinking venues. The beauty of Pokhara lies in its surrounds; up the mountains and around the more village like surroundings. The only real way to check it out is on motorcycles or bicycles, but who wants to pedal after hiking for such a long time.

During the start the roads leading out of Pokhara twist and turn up mountains. They are extremely fun on sporty bikes. It is kind of dangerous too since Nepalese people often times than not, don’t stay within their lanes. Joe and I tear it on the twisties, and since Nate and Christine’s scooter can’t even make it up a hill we are free to do some faster paced riding. Man I miss my gixxer!

When we return we come to find that Christine had let Nate drive. Apparently he’s not very good at driving and ran into a ditch and laid the bike over. Luckily neither of them are injured and neither are put off by the idea of riding. The next day we have another go, this time I grab a Yamaha 150cc Cruiser as to avoid killing myself racing Joe on the twisties.

This time around we visit some of the more natural looking areas. Farmlands, hills and lakes are all available within a few minutes of Pokhara. There are nice rest stops on top of the hill overlooking the entire town and lake. It’s a beautiful view, too bad I didn’t bring my SLR camera. Our second day of exploring is cut short by rain and we all end up fast tracking it back to the hotel.

Remember that time when you’ve just gotten done playing outside in the snow. You’re hungry, cold, wet, and you can barely feel your toes, ears and nose. It is during this moment when the simple pleasures like an ordinary bowl of chicken noodle soup tastes like the best most satisfying feast in the word. Well after this multi-day hike up the Himalaya Mountains, daily lunch/dinner meals of Dal Baht, cold rooms, and aching muscles, the relaxing town of Pokhara is that warm satisfying bowl of chicken noodle soup that I’ve been craving.

The weather is nice and warm. Tshirt and shorts suffice.  Our accommodations are as close to the ranks of a western hotel as I’ve seen since Dubai. It feels like paradise. After a morning of sleeping in I pull myself out of bed for a nice warm shower. I wonder around the touristy part of town and realize what a change it has been since coming down from the rustic mountains villages of the Annapurna Circuit. I visit coffee shops and gorge myself in western cuisine. I have discovered that the Italian restaurant around the corner has awesome clay oven baked thin crust pizza. Who would have thought I’d be able to get a good Italian pizza in Nepal!

In addition to the Italian restaurants there are other dining venues from all over the world. Due to the popularity of the Annapurna Circuit in the international community and the fact that trek ends in the town of Pokhara there is an abundant amount of western conveniences. They range from budget minded backpacker to high end dinning so there is quite a variety to choose from. It is only here that I would actually trust the meat dishes.

The town is decorated in bright red banners. Happy 2066! Huh? How long have I been gone? It appears that the Nepalese still celebrate New Years or “Navavarsha” during this time. Everyone is outdoors in groups and there’s quite the hustle bustle in Pokhara. That night we decide to visit a Nepalese night club to celebrate. Shots of Nepalese Whiskey and dancing to western music are a nice welcome from our regular nights of relaxing after a grueling day’s walk.

Annapurna Circuit Day 13

Muktinath is the best accommodating village we’ve stayed in.  It is much larger and one of the first towns that actually has vehicular transportation. We are staying in a guesthouse called Bob Marley guesthouse. It feels more like a lodge. Here fresh hot water showers are more than adequate compared to our lukewarm bucket showers in the village guesthouses. The chef is from Italy so there’s even some international reputation in the lodge.

We take some time to chill and enjoy some western food. Each of the tables has a coal burning heating stove under it making the place extremely comfortable. So far we have been avoiding the meat on this trek heeding the advice I’ve read online about how it can ruin your trek with bad stomach problems.

And thus far we have all been a okay. To be honest this is probably one of the first places I’d feel comfortable about eating meat. None the less I have stuck to an all veggie diet so I continue my vegetarian eating habits.

Joe on the other hand has decided to eat some chicken for dinner. We all jokingly caution him about it and he brags about it as his plate comes in. After dinner everything is all good. We end up kicking it with other trekkers until fairly late and then crash for the evening. The next morning Joe walks into our room looking green. Apparently he woke up in the middle of night with the worse case of the runs.

That morning, Joe, Nate, and Christine all want to take a bus the rest of the way down to Pokhara. I really wanted to finish the rest of the trek on foot but really didn’t want to do it myself. So I cave and follow them to the jeep station. On the way down I see a bunch of chickens out foraging around. Upon second inspection I see that they are grazing on donkey shit. “Chickens eat donkey shit” I thought, “Joe eats Chicken”. And by the transitive property of eating, “Joe eats Donkey Shit”. Well no wonder he got sick. Lesson learned, do not eat chicken, aka donkey shit, in Nepal.

The jeep ride was far from comfortable but I was able to get the local discount so I can’t complain. We switch vehicles a few times and then end up in a Landrover Discovery type vehicle for the rest of the trip. At one point we make a pit stop near some hot springs and run into the big group of Irish people and their guide. A lot of the trekkers take a much needed dip in the hot springs after walking for so long. There are quite a lot of trekking groups here. At this point I really wish I would have finished the trek. I guess I’ll have to come back next time do it in its entirety with the Annapurna Basecamp trek included. We took a few moments to catch up before heading back down the rocky slopes. Soon Pokhara comes into view which is a welcome sight to all the places we’ve been staying at.