The Guide

Wanderlust

While working in Abu Dhabi, during the hot and humid July of 2016, I got an enticing call to go off-base to tranquility. Searching for the nearest serene and adventure destination, Nepal popped up in my thoughts and I decided to pursue it. The mighty Himalayas and the green valleys are much of a temptation. It was July 6th and I had one week of Eid holidays ahead to do the trip.

Next ….’ solo or invite a friend’ ?. Yes !. Going with a buddy is as good as a solo.We decided to catch next available flight to Nepal. Hilarious..that was the only plan as we kept our options open. Sometimes having no plan makes the best plan and leaves remarkable experience. Our trip turned to a very exhilarating adventure .A flight booking for 6th evening and a night hotel stay in Kathmandu was all the preparations, ,the rest of the plans on the go..

Take off

This awesome trip introduced us a unique Nepali travel guide whose name is Khem. On 6th July at 16:30 we took off from Sharjah airport by Air Arabia flight to Kathmandu. Khem is a handsome Nepali guy sitting next to us, pleasant with good looks and became curious about our trip.He started rhetoric about Nepal. After convincing us of his familiarity about Kathmandu he offered support. We do not needed any but still  felt comfortable to have a local support being first timers to Nepal. Also we found Khem very friendly and there was nothing odd.We were told that he is going on vacation from his work in Dubai.

After almost four hours we touched Kathmandu. It was 22:00 hours at Kathmandu. The immigration was speedier as we did not require a visa-Indian passport holders do not require visa to Nepal. Three of us moved to baggage claim. Khem had no baggage to claim which give me bit of a surprise as migrated workers in Dubai usually carried a chunk of  gifts to their family back home.Well not my botheration..after claiming the bags we moved to exit and pick a cab to “Thamel” the bustling tourist friendly place in Kathmandu.

Thamel

We checked in our hotel in Thamel which was a budget accommodation. Khem told us that he has a friend’s place for himself to put up.We had our local sim cards ready and visited a Nepali cuisine restaurant. I had “Dal Bhat” one of Nepal’s traditional food. Thamel is the most vibrant place in Kathmandu with live music, the most vintage chai shops, trekking gear shops and lots of other kinds of shopping. Whether in Nepal for a trek or just for hanging out, Thamel is a must visit. During dinner we chose “Pokhara” the non-polluted lake side city known for its adrenaline adventure activities as our destination by preserving the attractions of Kathmandu for later.

Pokhara is 200 km away , 7-8 hours by road and 25 minutes by flight from Kathmandu. Many flights operate from Kathmandu domestic to Pokhara daily.But during seasons Sep-Nov and Apr-May they runs fully booked as this is a season for trekking and hiking in Nepal. Because of its proximity to Himalayas the winter runs till March here. We chose to fly as we decided to spend more time in Pokahra and explore. In addition the flight trip come up with breathtaking views of mighty Himalayas including Everest and flight itself is an adventure.The flights are very much weather dependent hence there are often cancellations and re-scheduling for safety on adverse weather conditions.

The Plan

As we were not planned there was no ticket available for next day flight.The travel agent advised us to visit them in the morning to find any slots available. Leaving that excitement for next morning we moved to our hotel to catch a good night sleep. To my surprise, received a call from Khem requesting a place to sleep. Having no idea what is going on with him we arranged a room for him in the same hotel. By this time we understood that Khem is not familiar with Kathmandu !.Well we will find out in the morning.

It was a fine morning, I felt very energetic with a good sleep. We had Nepali tea with Mo-mos as breakfast and quiet satisfying. Going back to Khem, what will be his agony?. He has to finally reveal the truth. He was returning from Dubai after a desperate search for job on tourist visa and had no means to reach his village which is far from Kathmandu. My  chuckles made him regret. His plan was to assist us and get some aid for his travel. Since we decided to go to Pokhara we do not needed any assistance from now on in Kathmandu. We took his cause reasonable and arranged his journey back to home village. We bid farewell to Khem our guide, what a satisfying morning.

Race..

By then it was already 10 in the morning. We rushed to the travel agent to see how he can help us to board to Pokhara. After some search he found us one ticket for a flight at 11 AM and the other at 3 PM flight. Considering the time frame we had to choose this and left without no options for the day. It was risky to try a flight which will depart after 30 minutes from an airport which is 20 minutes away. I asked for some assurance of boarding upon reaching the airport. The travel agent made few calls to airport and they agreed to wait 10 minutes over boarding time and board me. My friend agreed to travel on the second flight at 3 PM and meet in Pokhara. In no time my cab raced to airport through the bumps and gutters..and finally made it to the domestic terminal 10 minutes before departure and I was boarded. I was so happy that i made it.

_{I will be back with what happened after I board to Pokahra….}