Pokhara (827m)

The bus ride to Pokhara was a step back into reality. I think it was the first time I had to think about and realize just how gross I was! We were sticky and grimy and no doubt stinky. All our clothes were dirty. I couldn’t stop thinking about how clammy and damp my clothes felt against my body. Eric’s clothes were downright wet. The exhaust fumes, dust from the dirt outside, and the steep switchbacks, pins, and turns from the bus made me nauseous. We couldn’t wait to get off the bus.

We arrived at the hotel and we quickly disappeared into our rooms and prayed that there was hot water for a shower. There was. There was also a western toilet and a double bed and a tv. Holy shiza. The hot shower felt like heaven! We were once again rejuvenated and it didn’t even matter that we were back in unclean clothes! We spent the afternoon on an outside patio enjoying good food and cold drinks. It felt good to be clean and to not be walking! We had a nice relaxing afternoon.
Dinner that night was a complimentary Newari buffet hosted by the Himalayan Encounters tour office. It was fantastic! There was curried pumpkin, fried spinach, curried chicken, tomato curry, papadums, egg curry, aloo gobi, and curried vegetables. Some of us were hoping that we would all eat with our hands like the Nepalese normally do, but instead, they used cutlery. Oh well. After dinner, we gave our porters and guides their hard earned and well deserved tips and then had a dance party! There was great Nepali music and highly entertaining dancing. We danced until it was bedtime for the boarding school next door. It was a nice way to end an amazing trek through the mountains with some incredible Nepali folks.