Chilled out in Pokhara

Pokhara is one of those laid back destinations which gives you a sense of relief after departing a tourist trap like Thamel, certainly leaving no desire to return to the hustle and bustle of the over polluted, dull streets of Kathmandu. Word from the boys was that they had made it safely back from success on the mountain, opting for a chopper from Lukla due to the weather conditions restricting planes.

Here life is at a much slower pace with the main area of town etched along the side of a large man made lake. Theres not a whole lot to do other than eating and drinking or maybe renting a small boat for the day. For  the more adventure inclined there is one of the fastest ziplines in the world and also a nearby mountain thats popular with the paragliders.

I decided on spending the morning of my only whole day in Pokhara renting a small paddle boat and going fishing. The small area on the other side of the lake where I was recommended to try, was very popular with local fisherman sending out their numerous long lines with kayaks making it too difficult to flick lures. The morning ended with no fish, maybe because I had the wrong lures or maybe I should have taken the advice of going before 8am more seriously than when I set out at 10. The whole sky was littered with brightly coloured paragliders sailing over head, 58 was the most counted at one time.

The rest of the time I spent kicking back with a Tuborg (local beer) trying various
dishes at the restaurants including Buffalo Burgers and a Sizzling Medium Rare Steak, which can all be had for no more than a few Aussie dollars. I did have to repress the memory of what the local butchers back in Kathmandu looked like..