Travelogue Nepal

Towards Pokhara

June 26, 2022

Last night I entered Nepal, I’m tired but confident, the first signs are positive.
In the morning, the beautiful garden of the hostel and the sun are a good omen. I go out on foot, the ATM works and I withdraw some money, I go to a phone shop and in 10 minutes I have the SIM with 20 GB for only € 4, there is no confusion on the street, a helmet is mandatory on a motorbike (only for the driver) …, in short, everything is taking on a more normal aspect.
I decide to leave for Pokhara, it’s only 180 km, even if Google Maps tells me it takes 5 hours, who knows why. After less than 10 kilometers they are already in the middle of the mountains, the road is winding and especially for long stretches not asphalted. Now I remember the words of the customs officer, the night before “landslides …, landslides” … That’s right, the road is continuously interrupted by landslides that are created due to the monsoon rains.
The obstacle course begins, with my Vespa, 1st, 2nd, 1st and so on for kilometers and kilometers. Trucks, off-road vehicles and buses are all forced to move almost at walking pace through the holes and often due to the mud that generates huge traffic jams. The good thing is that the road is very beautiful from a panoramic point of view, with new and very different views at every curve from those seen in Iran, Pakistan and India.
Hours go by, I don’t know how many and I don’t know how many of the 180 km I’ve covered, I’m a bit afraid to look at the navigator, I don’t want to be disappointed. But there is a lot of curiosity and so I give in to temptation …, 90 km, I was hoping for more.
At this point it is best to stop for a while to rest and eat something. I stop at the first place I find, simple but welcoming, with a window overlooking the mountains. The managers are friendly, Nepalese, they sit at the table with me and we chat, they let me try their typical dishes. Unfortunately I can’t stop long, the road is still long and I can’t get there in the dark.
It is 17.00 and I finally arrive in Pokhara, I feel that my face is full of earth and my jacket has the beige color of the sand I head to the Lakeside of Fewa Lake, I like it, the right tourist, nice atmosphere …, It is perceived which is the departure and arrival base for Himalayan treks.
I stop for a coffee before looking for the hostel and park behind a colorful taxi. While I’m sitting outside a bar, enjoying a muffin I haven’t eaten for a long time, people begin to approach the Vespa and browse. They take pictures, they see me and ask me to take pictures with me, even a policeman, they are all affected by the gears on the handlebars … I always struggle to convince them not to touch. I feel a feeling of satisfaction with the many efforts made and the difficulties overcome.
The hostel is close by, great indoor parking and good accommodation, with a very pleasant roof terrace.
I decide to stop for three days to recharge the batteries, allowing myself long walks along the lake and in the streets of the center. In the evening, at sunset, I am captivated by the colors of the pagodas that are reflected in the lake, I get lost immersed in taking pictures, trying different frames and contrasts.
The next morning, while I am walking, I meet two runners, I hook them up and we start talking, he and Michael, German, she is Kenyan Meggy. They have lived together for 7 years in Dubai and are in Pokhara on vacation; a few jokes, a few laughs and we say goodbye. In the afternoon, through my website vespup.com, they contact me and so we also pleasantly spend the evening together in a club in the center.
Like every night it rains, but luckily in the morning it stops, I decided to leave for Kathmandu, 210 km with the fear of “landslides”.
I leave early, at 7.30 am I am already on the move. Same situation as a few days before, slightly better road, but much more traffic … Result: 25 km / h on average and 9 hours to reach the destination.
I find a spectacular hostel, the Flock, pointed out to me by a girl I met in Pokhara. I book one night first, then three more and now I block 5 more, it is my base for visiting the city and its surroundings.
From here I am studying the different possibilities of continuing my journey which unfortunately all present difficulties due to the closure of the Myamar which cannot be crossed by land in any way and is an obligatory passage for South East Asia. But I will talk about this as soon as I have a clearer idea of ​​the possible options.