We arrive in Pokhara after a beautiful bus journey along the river, the road running parallel to the Annapurna range for the most part.
When we arrive in Pokhara and check in to our hotel, we explore the sights, look around the shops and spend the days in preparatory for our trek to poon hill that we will endeavour to complete.
We pack all the necessities.
Museli- check
Trail mix- check
Rum- check
Snickers- check
Newly brought north face jacket to appear know even slightly what we're doing- check.
The bus to Ghandruk, the start of our trek leaves early in the morning so we make all the final preparations the night before and head off on our expedition.
In the 4 day trek we climbed up to 3200 metres. Passing a profusion of resplendent rhododendrons, rambling past waterfalls, trekking upstream through the snow and pine tree studded wood, we explored a fairy tale like forest draped in moss and alive with nature. We stayed in the cabins overlooking the Annapurna range, we snacked parsimoniously on what little we had, but the apple pie satisfied our hedonistic needs.
Apple pie- 350 rupees
A room with a view of the Himalayas- 200 rupees
Dal Bhat- 400 rupees
Lemon and ginger tea- 100 rupees
Sharing half a snickers with your mate when you reach past 3000 metres- priceless.
The penultimate part of the trip leads us to a hot spring where we dip our feet and soak up some well deserved sunshine and rest. We flag down a bus heading to Beni, full of college students returning from their own Himalayan adventure. We ride all the way back to Pokhara with spirits high and voices even higher.