After an awful nights sleep, I woke up at 6am to get ready, pack and catch the bus to Pokhara from Kathmandu. The staff at the Thamel Grand Hotel were brilliant and escorted myself and two other tourists to the bus stop 5 minutes away where we could catch the bus. I chose to travel on a Super Deluxe coach as this is what was recommended to me and it did not disappoint. Air Con, water supplied and 3 stops were a god send seeing as the coach took over 9 hours to reach Pokhara instead of 7. We got stuck in traffic for over 45 minutes which set us back as well as the roads being, well not roads. They’re basically mud tracks with pot holes every two feet. I wouldn’t recommend taking the bus if you’re prone to travel sickness!

Eventually after 9 hours of travelling I arrived into Pokhara during a torrential downpour and myself and another Swiss tourist were forced to take a taxi to our hotels rather than drown during the 20 minute walk to Lakeside.

Pokhara is situated on the Phewa Lake, which is surrounded by bustling bars, restaurants and a hotel every few metres. On the way into Pokhara, there was a bizarre mixture of run down houses and brand new builds, which varied with every house. Most of the buildings on lakeside are new builds and the streets are a lot cleaner and less polluted than Kathmandu.

I am currently staying at Hotel Crown which is a family run hotel at Lakeside, with its own resident pug. I’ll be meeting the GVI team here tomorrow at 10am and I’ve noticed a few of the team are staying here tonight also. Apparently I also have a big breakfast set for tomorrow morning, can’t be bad!

I ventured out to grab some dinner as I hadn’t had anything but a packet of crisps and coke since I woke up. I found an all vegetarian restaurant that served me an Indian Thali and drink for 450 rupees (£3).

After that I was about to head back to the hotel after scouting some of the local shops when I saw a road that led down to Phewa Lake and was filled with people. I was not disappointed.

Phewa Lake is overwhelmingly beautiful with little boats sat on the shore every few feet and the heavy clouds drape across the mountains like I’ve never seen before. I’ve seen pictures of this lake on the internet but pictures do not do this place justice.

I’m really looking forward to seeing what else Pokhara has in store, and I may check out the bars tomorrow night as I feel I have deserved a drink after travelling on a coach for so long!

For now it’s a nice cool shower and bed to put my feet up and rest before a busy two weeks.

Bye for now!

Jovi

* Trip sponsored by RTC Medical Solutions & Bangor University*