Pokhara
Letter #30: Recovering from one grand adventure before I embark on another. Trying to reset myself physically, mentally, and emotionally. The only way to do that is through food.
4/8/23
It’s funny, it feels I’m stuck in slow motion back in Pokhara. As though I am still in limbo after completing the Annapurna Base Camp trek, and now in anticipation of the 10 day silent meditation course ahead. I’m allowing myself to be lazy and yet I sense the newsletter piling up. I know I need to catch up with everyone back home. The time difference here is oddly in the middle, about 10-11 hours difference, so it is not ideal for phone calls. I have unanswered emails to attend to and I STILL haven’t been able to change the address for registered agent for my LLC since the State of New York is 8 months behind on their snail mail. Maybe I should get a job working for the government when I get back—sounds like they’d have plenty of openings.
One of the most beautiful parts of this journey is the unexpected generosity I’ve been experiencing. On the last day of the trek, my mom’s good friend sent me a Venmo out of the blue. It was so thoughtful and I resolved to use her gift to treat myself to the 2-hour trekker’s massage at Tranquility Spa that I’d been drooling over for the past few days of the trek. I scheduled the appointment for Friday, the day after I got back to Pokhara—hopefully I wouldn’t be too sore to hobble my way over there.
The last 4 hours of the trek were the most painful. Day 6, coming down from ABC, we trekked 13.7 miles. We were cruising, made such good time that we shaved an entire day off the trek. That brought me one day closer to a warm hotel bed. The following day, Day 7, we completed another 11.5 miles of trekking and that’s when the pain showed up. It wasn’t because of my muscles, but I had blisters on the bottom of my toes, even between my toes! My hiking boots had been amazing the entire time, but our speedy day after ABC, coupled with wet conditions gave me blisters that left me hobbling down the mountain like an old woman with her cane.
We all rejoiced when we saw the taxi at the top of the a hill on a VERY rough mountain road. We had to walk down a valley and back up a steep trail to find this taxi. Abinta estimated we’d make it to the top of this hill in 30 minutes—we made it in 15. We was basically running to find this taxi, so excited to have a break from trekking.
The driver had gone as far as he could on these landslide laden roads—I told him he was my hero and he understood my English enough to laugh. The car felt like it would fall apart as he took us down the mountain roads. I felt at any second we could hit a loose rock and go toppling over the edge of the cliff. (I’m not even exaggerating, I have video footage if you’d like to see it). We were so close to getting back to civilization! But I couldn’t relax just yet while we crept along the mountain edge.
When we reached Pokhara about 90 minutes later, around 4:30pm, I asked the taxi to stop by an ATM so I could take out cash to leave a tip for Abinta and Nabrajs’ services. I could barely walk away from the car, I couldn’t believe how seized up my legs were! They were laughing at me as they watched me try to lower myself back into the tiny taxi so we could head to my hotel. 😑
I resolved to take a hot shower, order pizza, and spend the rest of the day in my beautiful, cozy, spacious hotel bed.
Abinta, Nabaraj, and I shared a teary goodbye. Our 9 days together felt so much longer than they actually were—I learned a lot about myself during those days of trekking and the guide and porter were there to help me along the way.
Abinta and I agreed to meet for breakfast the next morning at her favorite restaurant, Vegan Way. She’d be heading back to Kathmandu the following day, and I’d be staying on, spending 6 days in Pokhara.
After breakfast I treated myself to the 2 hour trekker’s massage, compliments of Laurie, and…well the rest of the day was a wash! I spent the remainder of my days in Pokhara eating REALLY good food, strolling along the lakefront, indulged in a couple spa days, got my first mani/pedi since December, and did some shopping. I even found a gym to sneak in a couple workouts before the meditation course begins (where I won’t have opportunity for any exercise outside of some walking).
After the trek it took me a few days to feel back to normal. Physically and emotionally I had accomplished something very challenging, and I felt nervous about going into this 10 day course with no form of communication or entertainment to rely on, and shortened hours of sleep (9:30pm-4:00am 😳). I had been feeling a little homesick, so my phone has been my saving grace, my way of connecting with my closest friends and family every morning and evening.
I knew I would have to prepare myself mentally for the course—if 7 days of trekking felt like an eternity, what would 10 days of silence feel like?! I needed to regain some strength to enter the coming week with a positive attitude, ready to embrace its challenges, and remain flexible enough to allow myself to change.
Over the days I was in Pokhara I continued to mull this over. I like routine, so if anything I could surrender to the appreciation of a strict schedule.
Although I don’t spend too much time on screens now, it would be nice not to be so dependent on my phone. It would feel good to put away any “work”, any obligation, and just focus on myself. How often do we get the chance to do that as adults?!
I began to look forward to how deep I could potentially go into my mind. What would I find? Things from my past that had long ago been buried, never to be accessed? Or a total sense of calm existing purely in my own mind, that could only be entered when I was cut off from the outside world? I honestly am not sure what to expect, but I do know that I will struggle, maybe even go a little crazy, so I want to focus on all the potential beneficial outcomes I may foresee.
If anything, it was empowering to live so simply in the mountains. It made me that much more grateful for the luxuries I would have once I was back in the city. And so, if anything, these 10 days of quiet solitude will also allow me to appreciate the simplicity of living that way. And then I get to celebrate by flying to Tel Aviv to welcome in all the warm hugs and lively conversations with my extended family, the Abu Saads.
What’s Hot in Pokhara:
Vegan Way: So if you picture where all the crunchy granola hippies from the West hang out in Nepal, that’s the vibe at Vegan Way. Some of these crunchies don’t wear shoes either. BUT…this place has a BEAUTIFUL garden overlooking the lake. There is floor and cushion seating at low tables—which makes for such a relaxing brunch—as well as some regular tables and chairs. There were at least 20 things on the menu that I was having trouble deciding between, which is always a good sign. I went with a smoothie bowl and a cold brew. They have homemade desserts, too, and the prices are incredibly reasonable. Anyways, this place is very popular with foreigners, yes, but the popularity is warranted.
Moondance Restaurant & Bar: Looking for a tourist trap restaurant for some Western dishes? You’ve come to the right place. Except that their food is REALLY good. And great ambience, too! I think they had a Bruce Springsteen song playing when I passed by on the street, so I stopped to look at the menu and decided to give it a shot. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality and the taste of the food. I ordered a grilled chicken breast with red wine sauce, mashed potatoes, and sautéed veggies. Doesn’t get more Midwestern than that. The portions were small but I was so happy to have Western food that tasted the way I expected, I went back for dinner again a couple nights later.
Frituur No. 1: Ohhhh bless-ed burger! I knew I was going into a strictly vegetarian diet at the meditation course, so I needed to get all my naughty meals out of the way. I googled “best burger in Pokhara” and was directed to a Belgian hole in the wall restaurant a couple blocks away from my hotel. Actually…this was one of the best burgers I’ve had in a long time. Not as good as Hilary Hubanks’ smash burger, but still, like, REALLY REALLY good. Even the fries were perfect! There was an American family sitting next to me and after we had our first bites we looked at each other like “WHOA…Nepal knows what’s up.” 🤣 I also asked for a Coke and got an old school bottle of Coke, like the Mexican ones Americans love. And what’s nice is they save the bottles, a truck picks them up, and they’re refilled! Nepal, sadly, does not have a sophisticated recycling and waste program, but it was nice to see that sodas were refilled this way. This place was also inexpensive (shocker). A burger and fries cost 550 NPR ($4.21 USD). I think that’s cheaper than McDonald’s!
The Office Bar: There are tons of bars and restaurants boasting nightly live music. So how to go about even finding the best one? Luckily I met up with a friend that had already sampled many of the bars’ music scenes, and claimed The Office was the best. The music was sort of a psychedelic, jammy-bluesy rock vibe, right up HK’s alley. The crowd was small, only a handful of people, but most of the people in the crowd were also musicians who took turns going up onto the little stage to play. That’s how you know a place is the real deal—if that’s where the musicians actually want to hang out to hear good music and practice their own talents. It has a dive bar vibe (also right up HK’s alley), some food options, and mostly beer. I ordered a Lemon Ginger Tea because I’m still, miraculously, off the sauce.
Vyayamshala Gym & Fitness Center: This place had tons of equipment and plenty of open space for calisthenics and stretching. They had platforms for power-lifting, too. The place was pretty quiet, not too busy, but there were some serious fitness junkies in there. I saw a couple foreigners that were very serious gym-goers and I couldn’t help but wonder “Do they live here?! What do they do for work in Pokhara that they maintain their Western routine of a morning workout sesh? Or are they traveling like me and will be gone in a couple days?” I don’t know why it’s important to highlight those thoughts, but it is interesting when you’re in a totally foreign country and enter a familiar place like a gym, you feel like you’re right back at home. The daily entrance fees weren’t too expensive—I bought 2 consecutive days for 1000 NPR ($7.66 USD). I’m also 98% sure I saw a baby cheetah or leopard or something sunning on the roof while I was on the treadmill. So that was wild.
Movie Garden: I went all the way up the hill to the bar at Movie Garden to buy tickets, but the show was already sold out. So while I did not have the full MG experience, I’ve read that it’s amazing. The pizza is allegedly very good, and you get to sit outside in the beautiful Pokhara weather and watch a movie. You can even order alcohol during the film if you’re so inclined! They have good taste in films, too—the week I was there I would’ve gladly seen any of the options they had chosen. And the tickets are cheap—only 300 NPR ($2.30 USD).
This is dumb but…
On the first day of my trek, we were walking in the rain for about 2 hours. When we reached the lodge, thankfully they had a wood-burning stove in the dining hall. So I took off all my wet stuff and let it dry by the fire. My boots though…well they caught an escaped ember from the fire and the nylon began melting away. I felt so foolish as another trekker called out “whose boot is on fire?!” 😑 It was only the first day and my boots were now further compromised for the wet conditions. When we reached Chhomrong I borrowed some duct tape from the local shop and covered up the hole, but I knew it was only a temporary solution. But when I got back toPokhara, I noticed there were these guys that sit on the sidewalk with all their shoeshine and repair equipment spread out around them. I stopped by one of the guys, showed him an image of my boot, and he said he’d place a new piece of leather over the hole, ready in 2 hours. I brought my boot back the next day, paid him 600 NPR ($4.59 USD), and my boot is as good as new!
Hey! Would you like to connect over creativity, self-growth, and problem-solving? Or just to have a virtual glass of wine or mocktail? Please book a time on my Calendly for us to chat! I can’t wait to see you. XOXO.
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I had to smile at your boot story! You know I would have had my boots next to yours if I was with you - burning rubber together! 😂 Pretty awesome how you got them fixed!
Amazing stories and pictures and food, and reflections. And yes I want to see the videos of the drive!