Friday, November 25, 2022

Temperature in Kathmandu 9-24 C ( 48-74 F ) and sunny

Temperature in Pokhara 11-26 C ( 52-78 F ) and sunny

Maurice and Karen left at 5:30 in the morning to take the optional flight to see Everest Base Camp, which is southwest of Kathmandu. Prat, Bijaya and I opted to sleep in and have a leisurely breakfast at 8 am, shortly before Maurice and Karen returned from their flight. Maurice, Karen and Shail joined us for breakfast and we said our goodbyes before getting ready to leave.

This ended our tour with Gate1. Shail did a fantastic job of taking care of us and I would highly recommend him as a tour guide for India. As well as working as a tour guide for Gate1 Travel, he freelances, so if someone wants to organize a tour I would suggest contacting him directly ( I have his contact information ) to give advice or organize the tour.

Our flight to Pokhara was scheduled to leave at 12:55 pm so we left the hotel shortly before 11 am and reached the airport before 11:30 am. On the way to the airport I got a quick picture of the golf course in Kathmandu. It was originally built in 1917 by General Kieran Shumsher after observing the sport in Scotland. It is near the airport and it has been renovated several times. The club has 9 challenging holes and it organizes 26 golf tournaments annually.

When we reached the airport we were searched prior to entering the terminal and then we proceeded to the Yeti counter to pick up our boarding passes.

We had originally planned on driving to Pokhara but the roads are all being repaired and a trip that would normally have taken approximately 4 hours would take a minimum of 6.5 hours of driving. So we opted to fly there which only took 30 minutes.

From the air in our small prop plane we could see the mountains and valleys below. As we neared Pokhara, I took a picture of the valley with its many farms and houses.

At the Pokhara airport we walked from the plane to the building where they brought the luggage and waited for Prat & Bijaya’s checked luggage before leaving the airport.

Prat got a taxi for us but the driver was a little reluctant to take us. We found out later why. While driving through the extremely bumpy roads, the driver told us that the construction workers had ripped up the road and taken the money to do it but they hadn’t finished the job. He said that contractors in Pokhara should be hanged.

The Pavillion Hotel was approximately 8 km ( 5 mi ) from the airport, but it was mostly rocky and rough roads to get there so it took us 20 minutes to get there. We were greeted at the entrance and were checked into our rooms. This is a unique hotel in the middle of a secluded area surrounded by lush vegetation.

The view of the mountains overlooking the swimming pool was beautiful and the cottages are very spacious and comfortable.

August, September and October is the high season for the hotel. There are 2 resorts, 1 with 8 cottages and the one where we are staying that has 14 cottages available for rent. Currently there is a 50% vacancy at our resort, where we are staying.

The Pavillions is an eco-sensitive luxury resort that gives back to the local community. It is set on and organic farm that powers the entire resort and its villas with renewable energy. They use solar energy, recycle their grey water and the organic farm is the source of their fresh produce.

After settling into our rooms, we went to the restaurant and sat by a nice fire while we ate our dinner. Prat and Bijaya had more traditional dinners while I had a superb fish dinner which was very tender and flavourful.

Tomorrow will be a day of relaxation and touring the countryside before heading home.