We started trekking about 7:15 AM and it was a good thing we started early because we decided to go all the way to Pokhara. It was quite a bit of uphill and very hot today. We stopped for lunch just after noon in Dhampus and it took over an hour to get our food so we didn't get going down to Phedi until after 1:30. Just in time for the rain! Luckily it didn't really start pouring until we were all the way down (lots and lots of stone steps down to Phedi).
Nar was able to get us on a bus to Pohkara (with our bags inside) for 200 Rupees for the 5 of us (which I thought was a pretty good price) and at first we were the only people on the bus. It started to fill up as we went along and when the driver put on the music, I knew I was on Nepali bus. We had a nice ride in the rain. We then got a taxi from the end of Pokhara to our hotel (it was a pretty small car so Nar, Shari and I went first and then Nar went back for the boys).
Danesh and Natasa had given us a card with the name of the hotel where they planned to stay and after numerous stops to ask directions to the Hotel Horizon, the taxi dropped us at the hotel about 4 PM. We asked if the "Bombay Man" (Danesh) was here and the woman said yes. When we asked the price of the room she said "300 Rupees," and we said "Bombay Man told us it was 250 Rupees," so she said okay. Shari and I have a nice double room and Nar and the boys have the room next to us.
We hooked up with Natasa and Danesh and they showed us what they bought in Pokhara. They will take us shopping tomorrow and Danesh will be our "bargaineer." He knows how to bargain very well, coming from India, and I'm sure we will save money by shopping with him. They were going to see a movie and we were going to take Nar and the boys out to dinner, so we made plans to meet Danesh and Natasa tomorrow at noon.
Nar, Singa, Pratik, Shari and I went out about 6 PM to wander around Pokhara before we went to dinner. It's nice here. We are near the lake and there are a "zillion" stores selling everything at incredibly cheap prices. They have lots of clothing and trekking gear that are all knock-offs of the brand names back home (e.g.; North Face, Patagonia). They make stuff here and then stick on a brand name label and sell it very cheap, and the stuff is good.
After our walk we went to a restuarant that Danesh and Natasa recommended. The boys and Nar got chicken curry and Shari and I got steak. Oh boy, meat! It was very good. Tomorrow we are planning to get a cheeseburger and ice cream! After dinner Shari and I looked at emails for a while and then went back to the hotel about 10 :00 PM. We have quite a busy day tomorrow. We need to try to change the dates of our flight to Kathmandu and then the Kathmandu-Lukla round trip so we will go out to the Buddha Air ticket office with Nar, then shopping with Natasa and Danesh, and I know we will need lots more time on the internet. It's great to be in civilization again after 25 days of trekking. It was certainly the longest period of time I've ever been out of contact with people.
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