The first thing we saw in the morning when we opened the curtains in our apartment were seven monkeys sitting on the roof of the building next to us, all facing us in a row and staring at us!!! By the time I got my phone, they had shifted from their perfect portrait position.
Almost all our clothes needed to be washed, so Thursday was laundry day. Prior to checking in, I told the Airbnb owner that we wanted to wash clothes and confirmed with her that there was a washing machine available. When we arrived on Wednesday night, I asked her to show us where the washer was located. She took us outside behind the apartment building and proceeded to give us a lesson. We have used a lot of different washers during our travels; however, this model is a new one for us! I was already feeling overwhelmed – moving day, getting unpacked, assessing supplies, finding a grocery store and buying food and necessities takes a lot of my energy. My brain wasn’t ready to absorb a washing machine lesson (plus I was in a bit of shock…this wasn’t the type of washing machine I was expecting…when will I learn to stop expecting things to be a certain way???) – thank goodness Mike was able to retain the information. These are the steps for using the washing machine:
- Make sure the drain is closed.
- Turn on the water faucet above the machine to fill the wash drum.
- Put in your soap and clothes. Turn off the water when your clothes are wet.
- Turn the wash knob to 15 minutes.
- When the washer stops swishing, drain the water.
- Move the wet clothes from the wash drum into the separate spin bin. Turn the spin knob to 2 minutes.
- Rinse the wash drum. Close the drain. Turn on the faucet and fill the wash drum with water.
- When the spin cycle ends, move the clothes to the wash drum and turn the wash knob to 6 minutes to rinse the clothes.
- When the washer stops swishing, drain the water. Move the clothes into the separate spin bin. Turn the spin knob to 6 minutes.
- When the clothes are done spinning take them to the roof and hang them on the line to dry.
We bought a laundry basket, clothespins, hangers, and rope (which we tied to our kitchen chairs to create an indoor clothesline as we couldn’t find a clothes drying rack to buy at the store). Two hours later, we had three loads of laundry hanging on the clotheslines.
We hiked up the trail next to our apartment into the jungle to see great views of the city and lake. We ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on our balcony. We walked to Chilly’s by the lake area and had non-alcoholic drinks while we made our plan for our remaining time in Nepal. Sunset View restaurant was our pick for dinner. After having dessert crepes at the French Creperie, we made the 20-minute walk home.
On Friday, we worked on the blog and Mike packed for his trek. We met Dikesh (our favorite tour guide from Kathmandu and now a dear family member) and his friend, Bidhan, for dinner at Roadhouse.
The alarm went off at 7 am on Saturday. After ensuring Mike ate a nourishing breakfast for his first day of hiking, we walked to meet Dikesh and Narayan at 8:30. The three of them left in a taxi to start their adventure together (see Mike’s separate blog entry).
Like many places, fruit and vegetables are not sold in supermarkets. I read that Pokhara had a nice vegetable/fruit market, and I wanted to buy fresh produce. Since I’m usually with Mike or have access to WIFI, I don’t get a local SIM card (I connect to his hot spot, if I need to use my phone). I downloaded the offline Google map for the area. Mike is my navigator, so I was excited to see how I would do on my own. I stopped at a few shops along the way to the market. I had a clear view of the Himalayan mountains, breathtaking! The market was interesting, and I found everything I wanted to buy.
I was in the mood to explore. After dropping off the groceries, I walked to Phewa Lake. For lunch, I enjoyed a Greek salad and smoothie at The Juicery. I walked until the trail ended along both sides of the lake and walked the majority of the main street area in Lake Side. On my way home I got an ice cream cone. I walked 12 miles (which I found out later was more than Mike – although he certainly increased more elevation than I did). I ended my day researching and reserving lodging for our remaining time in Nepal.
I watched the sunrise from our balcony on Sunday morning. Finished my book (it was so fun to read, especially after meeting the author, Linda, and her husband) – A Field Guide to Happiness: What I Learned in Bhutan about Living, Loving, and Waking Up by Linda Leaming. I walked to the lake and enjoyed a pot of house chai tea during ‘Sandy Starbuck’s time’ at The Juicery, followed by a 4-mile walk. It’s fun to see the pop-up restaurants in the park where women bring a table, chairs, an umbrella and their pre-made foods to sell throughout the day.
I have learned over the past couple of years how important it is for me to have solitude and quiet to fully calm my central nervous system. Monday and Tuesday were exactly what I needed to recharge my batteries. I went for a 4-mile run along the lake. I worked on the blog. I took a nap while the power was out (which happens daily, typically ranging from 5 minutes to an hour). And I started my next book – Married to Bhutan: How One Woman Got Lost, Said I Do, and Found Bliss by Linda Leaming. Mike got back from his trek around 4:00. We went to The Juicery (they have really healthy and yummy food!) at the lake for dinner and went to bed early.
A few observations about Pokhara: it is the 2nd most populated city in Nepal with approximately 600,000 people. Other than our taxi ride from the airport to our apartment, which reminded us of Kathmandu, we have been in the Lake Side area. Phewa Lake is a tourist destination in Nepal and the area is filled with tourists, tourist shops, and good restaurants. The traffic is lighter, which makes it easier to cross the street. There are sidewalks and it’s easy to walk everywhere. The views of the Himalayan foothills surrounding the lake are beautiful.
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