Pokhara, Nepal – Up this morning and headed straight to the German Bakery down on the corner. We had discovered this place the previous morning and it was a God send. They served tea and coffee and served the best pastries, plus we could sit there admiring the mountains as we ate. After breakfast, it was off to the immigration office to sort out our trekking permits.
One and a half hours and 500 rupees later, we left only to return at 4 p.m. to pick up our passports. Rich got a three-week permit while I only got a two week. He was going to do the 19-day Annapurna circuit all the way around, while I was going to do an 8-day trip up into the Himalayas and fly back. That way I could get into the Kathmandu Valley faster in order to see more of the country in our 30-day period. We cleaned up and finally headed into town at 1:30 checking out all the camping rental shops for we both needed to rent down jackets and backpacks for our respective treks.
As we were walking along, I walked down to the lakeside where I met this Nepalese dude standing there. I started talking to him and he asked me if I was going trekking and whether I needed a guide. I had been towing with the idea of taking a guide/porter because I really did not feel like carrying my own pack up the tallest mountains in the world when I could afford to have someone do it for me. I asked for a price and told Ram, the Nepalese guy, I think about it and talked to him the next day. The price I negotiated was 280 rupees per day, $4 and 60 cents, plus another 300 rupees for him to climb down the mountain after I had flown home.
Rich and I wandered through the shops all day again and Rich rented the pack and coat he needed for his departure the next day. Back to immigration at 4 o’clock to get the passports, then back into town again for dinner, I went and talked to Ram again to confirm we would be leaving on the 18th, but then there was a power outage and I managed to lose Rich when it got dark. Grabbed the dinner at a lakeside restaurant, then headed back to the hotel to talk to Rich while he packed.