Pokhara

A great place to stay while in Pokhara

"Aside from the odd explorer, the first Westerners to reach Pokhara were hippies in the 1970's.  With its lake shore setting, laid back pace and plentiful supply of marijuana Pokhara made a perfect endpoint for the south Asian overland trail." (Marijuana is illegal in Nepal and comes with heavy fines and jail,but not back in those days I guess)   By the 1980's it had transformed into a modern mountain resort, with hundreds of hotels , shops, bars and restaurants.  Lakeside is an area in Pokhara that provides a sanctuary for many a weary traveler.  Whether you've just returned from a three-week trek or endured a bus trip from hell, this is the place to be to relax and rest your aching muscles.

At last after four weeks in India I can now
 eat STEAK

We stayed in this great guest house right in the heart of Lakeside for 4 days, parked the bike in the garden and just relaxed after being in the hell of driving in India.  Met up with some bikers we met in Goa earlier in our trip who were also there, which was fun and met some new travellers too, had coffee and brownies at a coffee shop across the road owned by an Italian who has set up restaurant training for Nepalanese girls to learn a trade, which was fab also, it was just like being in Mickies on SSI.

Joy the intrepid traveler from Aus with the staff of
The Little Tibetan Guest House

If you dont have your own bike you can rent one here

The air and quiet are refreshing here, the shopping is so cheap, Trev bought a new jacket North Face for $40. hard not to buy but alas no room on the bike, fortunately, Nepal is very different to India and we both said we would come here again as there is so much to see and do. Trev booked to go paragliding, something I would normally have done but unfortunately my back is still bothering me and I dont feel like pushing it any further..

Fish tail mountain in the Himalayans
Part of the Annapurna range

A lot of travelers go on a 2 week trek on the Annapurna range, Trev spoke to some who had just finished it and they said they were in snow, waist deep, and a couple even got frostbite in their toes, hmmm.