My time in Russia finally ran out, and it is time for me to head to my next destination. Nepal has been in my head for the past days, and I’m very impatient. But before I can really delve into that new world, A long fly awaits me, with a lovely 20-hour transit in Osaka. 

Sadly, I won’t have much time to discover Japan on my first stay on these lands. I just roam around the airport, enjoy some overpriced sushi, and wait patiently. Tomorrow I fly to Katmandu.

Finally, the planes land, and after filling in the administrative visa details, I am welcomed by a persistent taxi drivers group, from which emerges my new Friend Lena! Their flights got delayed, so we actually arrived almost at the same time! A lucky start 😁we aim to our respective hotels through the animated streets of Katmandu, avoiding the dense chaos of the traffic as much as we can. My first impressions here are intense, noisy, dusty and chaotic. 

I’m not really stoked by this city for now, but we will see in the future. We take some time to know each other around a beer, and decide to head directly to Pokhara the next day. That city is considered as the best start city for the Annapurna, while being a bit more agreeable than the capital. I’m also a bit sick, which doesn’t help. Thank you over-conditioned places in Osaka 😅

There it is! I’m officially 30 years old! Well, not much of a party today for us, as we transit to Pokhara. We head towards the bus terminal, buy some tickets, and hop on the public bus towards Pokhara. We have decided to avoid the tourist bus to save some money and travel like the locals.

It turned out to be a very good idea when the almost empty bus filled up with lively persons, full of smiles and curiosity. The kids in the bus quickly made of us the center of their attention and helped us enjoy the long way to Pokhara. Surprisingly, they have a really perfect English and had no problems whatsoever understanding us. The way is bumpy, earthy, and filled with various buses and trucks. Honks fill the air around us, as the metal monsters rush down the earth roads, avoiding the oncoming traffic magically, often getting very close but never actually enough to cause problems.

We make a nice pit stop on the way, to enjoy some local food, and experience our first Nepalese mo:mo:, the first of a long series. The dumplings discovery adventure continues! Some time after, we enter Pokhara, and feel instantly more at ease. The roads are broader, the buildings smaller, the traffic less dense and the air clearer. That’s the kind of city I can imagine myself staying in. 

Today is our preparation day. We book our bus to Besisahar for next morning, get our trekking permits, and buy the gear needed to complete our expedition kit. Also, it is time to split my gear into the trekking one and the useless one, to lighten my load as much as possible. The rest of my stuff will stay in the hostel until I’m back. I end up with a backpack weighting 11.5kg with snacks and without water, which is on the heavy side of things. But I can’t reduce my gear more, and decide to go with it. It’s a good exercise and challenge!

In the early morning, we make our way to the bus station, geared up and ready to begin our Annapurna circuit adventure. We are so impatient, worried, happy at the same time! This mix of emotions will accompany our 5 hours ride up to the town of Besisahar. Here the adventure begins!

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