Pokhara
We boarded the Golden Travel coach for the long journey to Pokhara. After a predictably slow start we made good progress until an accident brought the traffic to a complete standstill for over an hour.
We finally reached the relaxed town of Pokhara soon after 16:00. The touts were nowhere near as aggressive as we had feared. Without any difficulties we took a taxi to our pre-booked accommodation, Hotel Nirvana.
We headed out to explore Pokhara’s lakeside which was every bit as touristy as Thamel but with a more pleasant, relaxed vibe and the added bonus of a beautiful backdrop.
After finally deciding we should undertake the Ghorepani – Ghandruk trek we spent the next day trying to get ourselves organised. The task of obtaining our ACAP (Annapurna Conservation Area Project) and TIMS (Trekkers Informations Management System) passes was far time consuming that anticipated mostly due to the lack of electrical power and the incompetence of the man at the TIMS desk. The rest of the day was spent buying and hiring the necessary equipment for our expedition.
We became slightly concerned when Pam began to look unwell and develop symptoms of the inevitable stomach trouble which plagues most visitors to Nepal. By the next morning, the proposed start day of our trek, it was clear that we were going nowhere for the time being. Matthew and I spent the day doing a bit more shopping and walking up to the World Peace Pagoda. Pam spent the day recovering in bed and reading on the balcony.
By the next day she was looking much better. We met our friendly taxi driver who drove us to the village of Nayapul where we were to begin our trek.