Pokhara

Pokhara is a million miles away from Kathmandu, well clearly it’s not actually a million miles away but more like a 7 hour very scenic bus ride, but it terms of feel, vibe and general atmosphere it is! There is no way near as many people, it is set by the side of a gorgeous lake with a mountain backdrop all around, the main touristy street is very chilled out: so all in all it is a much nicer place to relax for a few days – even the drug pushers aren’t quite as pushy!! It almost felt like being on holiday and before you say it, no travelling is not one big holiday it’s bloody hard work at times, he said expecting no sympathy! Other than being in town to start or having just finished trekking in the Annapurna region the main things to do, aside from just chilling in bars, is to check out the world peace stupa atop the hill next to the lake or take in the views of the mountains from another nearby hill – both of which you do while trying to avoid or shake off hoardes of local kids who when not asking for sweets or pens want to be your own personal guide up the hill for a small fee!! There are a few other things in town to investigate, like kayaking, motorbike lessons, paragliding but these can all wait until we return from trekking and are very fund dependent!
The main other point of amusement, for Shona at least, was me trying to get a haircut in town! Having shaved off the facial mask gained whilst trekking Everest I thought it was time to go the whole shabang and get a haircut. So I jumped in the local guys barbers and sat in the chair nervously waiting. Now this was no ‘Dead Swanky’ or ‘Tony and his mate guy’, think more ‘Changes’ in Hoddesdon but a lot less classy – although 18 long lost cousins, uncles and friends did all pop in to say hello (and to probably laugh at the foreigner getting a haircut) just like they do in all good barbers back home – just without the ‘we all sound like we are all arguing’ in Italian speak! Anyway, so I was sitting all ready to go when he pulled out the scissors! Now if he was about to cut a carpet then I would agree that they looked good for the job, but for my fair hair I was unsure! But he didn’t hold back and it was all too late – to be fair he did an alright job but what followed was just plain unnecessary. It started with a head lock then lots of proding of my eyes plus a rather bizarre head ruffle! Think I was looking slightly traumatised so he stopped and asked if I wanted a back massage – errrmmmm no ta! How about a shave??? Let’s think, having seen the scissors the thought of a rusty old stanley knife being pulled up my face was all too Resevoir Dogs for my liking so again I declined the offer, paid him the £1.20 I owed and ran off back to the safety of our hostel room and Shona’s mocking!