The Road To Pokhara

7:55 am

Stuck in traffic on the bus from Kathmandu to Pokhara. I'm 1 of 4 Westerners (all notably in the back seats except one old large white guy). Local music playing at a low background volume. We have not gone far. Dirt, rock, and trash line road. I feel like I could be on TV or in a movie. I truly feel like I'm at the start of an expedition. It is exciting. Except for the traffic which sucks. Nirvana's “Unplugged” is now playing with the bus driver occasionally singing along. Probably driven 100 meters in past 45 minutes.

9:50 am

Stopped again, though outside Kathmandu at least. Steep mountain pass, descending into valley. Traffic stops are passenger times to take pisses off cliffs. A ** STRIKE** has stopped traffic on this occasion. Just talking with two couples in back of bus – English/Columbian and English. We don't know when we'll move again. I already took my turn pissing off a cliff. Drinking Coke and eating biscuits.

2:50 pm

Hot on bus – 1 hour to go. Hot…sweaty…tired.

5:31 pm

The bus arrived at 4:45pm (9 hours) and I shared a cab with kayakers Rob (Ireland) and Rosie (Whales) to the Snowland Hotel. Single room with private bath, TV, phone for $10/night – very nice. Resting.

_______________________

Despite the long, dusty drive I wrote about in my journal, the scenery was fantastic as we drove along a river and through terraced valleys. The buses and trucks were all decorated with hand-painted designs, stickers, and ornaments. Communication was heavily dependent on the use of horns, and they often had a really funny tone to them. I got quite a kick out of them.

Dave Lee

Dave is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Go Backpacking and Feastio. He's been to 66 countries and lived in Colombia and Peru. Read the full story of how he became a travel blogger.

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Sarah

Wednesday 29th of July 2009

Wow. Thanks for the idea, and the pictures. There aren't too many words that can describe a view like that.

Dave

Tuesday 28th of July 2009

Ok, not a lot of time, but one of my favorite quick activities was to wake up one morning (after my trek) and hire a rowboat to cross the lake, and then hike up to the World Peace Pagoda (can't miss it - a white pagoda atop a mountain across the lake).

Actually, at first I wanted to hire someone to paddle me across, but the guy probably figured I could do it myself, or was being lazy. I'm glad I did it myself. It was very peaceful, and I got some great photos because the snowy peaks were visible, even as a reflection in the lake.

One across, it is a fairly easy hike up to the pagoda. Take some pictures, and then find a small little restaurant/cafe to grab some breakfast. One of the most beautiful places I'll ever have eaten - with some of the world's tallest peaks on display before me.

Here's a post with some photos if you're not sold yet:

https://gobackpacking.com/2008/04/30/morning-hike-to-the-world-peace-pagoda/

I'm heading to Pokhara in September for a few short days at the end of a trip. Thanks so much for the description. I'm sad to spend what seems like it will be a full day at each end traveling to and from Kathmandu, which will cut my time in Pokhara to a mere 2 days. Any advice on hidden gems to see while I'm there?

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