An early start today as we have a long bus journey ahead. A take away breakfast was provided by our homestay as we left there before 6 o'clock. We walked about 30 mins to the bus station where we quickly found the bus. It was a while before we set off and when we did the bus turned around in the middle of the busy road, before heading out of town. This seemed a very strange manoeuvre but it appears the other 10 buses do it too!
Shortly after setting off we stopped for a breakfast break, then a toilet stop, then a lunch stop. We were starting to wonder if the bus would ever arrive with all the stops. However this made for a very relaxed journey. The road was rather bumpy but that meant the driver had to go slowly, which we liked.
The views of the snow capped mountains, tiny villages and rice terraces were so beautiful. It was hard to capture photos of the scenery; firstly because the window wouldn't open, secondly because the window was dusty and finally because we couldn't hold the camera still due to the potholes.
Eventually we made it to the bus station in Pokhara, which just happened to be really close to the trekking permit office. This was our first stop. Here we needed to arrange an Annapurna conservation permit and TIMS card for our time in the mountains. It was very straight forward. We filled out a few forms, had our photos taken and paid up!
Next we walked through the centre of Pokhara, along the lake and out towards our homestay. A warm welcome awaited us and straight away we were offered tea and biscuits! We enjoyed our tea on the roof terrace over looking the lake. It was so quiet and relaxing.
We spent the evening at a pleasant restaurant and listened to live music before retiring to bed. Welcome to Pokhara!
Shortly after setting off we stopped for a breakfast break, then a toilet stop, then a lunch stop. We were starting to wonder if the bus would ever arrive with all the stops. However this made for a very relaxed journey. The road was rather bumpy but that meant the driver had to go slowly, which we liked.
The views of the snow capped mountains, tiny villages and rice terraces were so beautiful. It was hard to capture photos of the scenery; firstly because the window wouldn't open, secondly because the window was dusty and finally because we couldn't hold the camera still due to the potholes.
Eventually we made it to the bus station in Pokhara, which just happened to be really close to the trekking permit office. This was our first stop. Here we needed to arrange an Annapurna conservation permit and TIMS card for our time in the mountains. It was very straight forward. We filled out a few forms, had our photos taken and paid up!
Next we walked through the centre of Pokhara, along the lake and out towards our homestay. A warm welcome awaited us and straight away we were offered tea and biscuits! We enjoyed our tea on the roof terrace over looking the lake. It was so quiet and relaxing.
We spent the evening at a pleasant restaurant and listened to live music before retiring to bed. Welcome to Pokhara!