Aug 10 – Kathmandu arrival
Sleep light, alarm set for 830. 930 walk to main st for food, spots still closed, get 2 buns for 50b, walk duck beside mkt 60b duck rice. Checkout at 1016am. Speed walk to DMK, departure always top floor, 7kg personal item limit - wear sweater and jacket, bag down to 8kg. Ez checkin Thai Lion Air, no line. Arrive 11am. Try to call ht visa for travel advisory fail. 1145am board flight takeoff around 1205. Sneak up to row 7. Land KTM 150pm Nepal time-a jarring 75-minute temporal shift. Another shuttle to terminal, use kiosk for VOA, pay 125usd at counter, get 15usd change for 140usd, no lines - quick sticker and stamp into Nepal. Exchange 10usd x 138 = 1380npr. Walk 6km to Thamel area. Stop for food chk dal bat 250r. Walk thru streets, bit chaotic, honking like Vietnam. Arrive hostel 4pm. Ez checkin 1075r (npr) for 2n, just enough cash luckily. Walk north for ATM, try 4, Nabil ATM withdraw 35k NPR w 850r fee cost 365cad total. Shwr, rest, phone giving strange warning about moisture in port. First time port charging not working. 830 try Om Restaurant per GPT rec 280r chk set, refillable veg ingredients. Rain on way back but stopped when reached hostel. Chill bit on terrace. Walk out again around 10pm, no rain, only Thamel area lively, random guys trying to get me in clubs to see girls - obvious trap.
Aug 11 – Rain and Lost Motivation
Sleep ok awhile, guys checkin loud at 6am, Indian guy talking in morning. Rise 930 local time. Make instafe on top terrace restaurant, temps way better than BKK. 11a rain, try local spot next door chk set 300r, nan 20r. Chill in hostel, more rain. 130p local time, rain stop, walk around Thamel, more chaotic during daytime, walk around, can't find bus station-decide to head to Pokhara tmr. Try local spot on quiet side st near hostel chk curry w butter nan 280r. Hostel book private room in Pokhara, only 4.2usd for tmr. Shwr, rest/nap lite, next bunk's phone keeps beeping. 7p chill on 6th fl, nothing productive. 730 try Lanzhou noodles near hostel, sign says 180r but menu all 500r, pick cumin beef 500r, staff only speaks Chinese. Chill in hostel, chat w GPT, lost motivation to work on site-the rain has trapped the drive.
Aug 12 – Long Jostle and The Hidden Guesthouse
Sleep ok after awhile. Rise 930. Make reg cafe on terrace. 1030 grab place next door again try chk momos w nan 220r. Checkout hostel 1120, decent hostel just needs better curtains and soap. Walk NW 3km to station. Buy tik to Pokhara 1000r, bus at 1220, leave 1230. Bumpy ride, lots of unpaved sections. 245 stop for lun momos 200r. More unpaved parts, got jostled sitting above axle- try to sit near middle. Arrive in Pokhara beside old bus park on hwy at 750. Start walking west, rain, duck into restaurant chk set 375r pretty good but no veg refill. Keep walkin twd lake to tourist area, lots of hotels but can't find Peace Guesthouse, use wifi at few places, rain, eventually run into owner guy led me to guesthouse, no signs, very hard to find hidden stairs. Pay 1200r cash for 2n pvt room, mattress bit saggy. Clean up and rest, rain outside. Mattress itchy and something moving in pillow- throw pillow outside-the 4usd room reveals its cost.
Aug 13 – Rain Lock-In and The Kuti Gym Deception
Owner guy talking at 9am woke me up. Hard rain still, sleepin til 1030. Walk out in rain for coffee, find instacafe 25g for 150r, local spot momos 150r cafe 60r, rain hard, get more momos n tea 380r total. Back to guesthouse in rain. Clean up and book Om Sweet Home 1n per Frenchman alex reccommenation. Rain stop, walk along lake, find few hostel 800 to 1000r for dorm, rain again. Find Kuti Gym, rain hard, duck back into gym, do leg WO sq up to 105kg x10x2. Calf raise, try to leave, short guy wants 500r so said I'm staying at Kuti Lodge- lied to escape the unexpected high fee. Grab local spot 250 chk w dry rice not good + nan 50r 300r tot, leave then old guy ran after me asking if I paid-poor first impression of Nepali efficiency. Chill in room, rain outside, stuck in. Call for visa card travel advisory, set Nepal notice. Rain persists outside, chill in room, quiet. 830 rain subside, walk down to lake area, try local spot beside morning place chk curry rice 250r, chk mostly bones. Walk north to Forest Lake Hostel dorm 600r, walk back along lake walkway, get beef momos again from morning spot 140r, tip 50. Rain back.
Aug 14 – New Stability and The Procurement
Can't sleep awhile, bed itchy af. Rise 1020. Checkout Peace GH 1140, dirty shithole but owner seems ok and has free water. Walk to Om Sweet Home, ez checkin 2nd fl room, chat w owner abit, pay 850r 1n. Walk out for food find local spot 100r items get momos and chk chowmein only 200r. Chill on balcony and terrace, saw owner and friend smoking, ask about procurement, get about 2g for 500r, not very strong. Smoke bit using small pipe. Walk around to park saw some soccer guys and runners, got energy for lite training, jog 3 laps easy. Definitely not built for long duration monotone pace, physically or mentally. Do drills on walkway about 10 short distance, adv kossack 2xx3. 4/10 speed WO, no explosive mvmts. Walk back to same place as brunch get 2pcs fried chk n momos, notice a lot of flies 300r. Chill bit more on hostel terrace, chat w GPT. Walk out for din main st try local chk set 350r not great. Chill on terrace, chat w GPT. Scrape teeth, cold shower only.
Aug 15 – Lost Drive and The Locked Door
Sleep better, clean sheet unlike last place, dog barking n rooster in morning. Wake 10am, book another night on phone, 10% cheaper. Make cold instacfe on terrace. Grab food same small spot w wifi 200r chowmein n momos. Drop laund 1 block over, weighed 4kg 400r for tmr. Walk around to park, look for pipe, grab piece of bamboo from boat park. Chill bit on terrace, bored, owner not here can't pay. Hike up to Methlang Peak, nice hotel at top surprisingly. Hike back down diff path, try new local spot chowmein and momos, chat w Chinese guy at same table pays 4000npr per night wtf.. chat w Nepali athlete guy after chinese guy left - says he does tennis soccer boxing cycling paragliding. Chill on hostel terrace, bored, lost motivation to work on site. Shwr rest. 830 head to main avenue try new spot on corner busy, chk curry nan 300r, saw mouse in dining room. Ate all dough today, go back to lunch social spot beef fried rice 180r. Walk back, pay 2n more 1600r should be 1500 per booking but whatever. 2 dry days in a row, unexpected. Chill on terrace, chat w GPT and Frenchman. Door locked, can't get out and get water-trapped inside, definitely not as free as hostel.
Aug 16 – Physical Reset and The Pagoda Climb
Dogs and rooster but sleep ok, rise 9am. Make cafe on terrace. Owner rolled me a joint, chat w him and brother awhile. Do pullups on metal stairs 3x10, yoga warrior, handstand press walks weak. Do meditation w brother, said stomach needs air, air has knowledge, feel air level in torso when breathing in. Grab laund, pay 400r, seems clean. Decide to hike up to World Peace Pagoda and Pumdi Bhumdi Tower, grab local chowmein chk on way 150r. Nice relaxing hike thru nature up to Pagoda, lite drizzle. Reach Pumdi around 4pm, grab food at top chk momos n chk chowmein 380r-peak almost same price as in town. Hike back down thru trail w lotsa cobwebs, almost no other hikers. Coconut on main st 180r. Power outage, shower hard in dark, power on/off. Rest bit. 830 grab new place nearby chk fried rice 250r. Chill on terrace, quiet hotel, no other guests, laptop ran outa power 2x - batt almost dead.