14yrs ago I loved Pokhara.

My favourite mountain in the world is Fishtail, a stunning sight from town. If haze and pollution don’t obscure the view.

In 2013, Pokhara is bigger. Busier.

The tourist strip of Lakeside is not as ugly as Thamel in Kathmandu, but it’s still ugly. The same 14 kinds of businesses endlessly repeated.

The lake itself is pretty.

Pokhara … is the third largest city of Nepal after Kathmandu and Biratnagar respectively with … a population of 264,991 … situated about 200 km west of the capital Kathmandu.

… Three out of the ten highest mountains in the world — Dhaulagiri, Annapurna I and Manaslu — are situated within 30 miles (linear distance) of the city, so that the northern skyline of the city offers a very close view of the Himalayas. …

… the city is also a base for trekkers undertaking the Annapurna Circuit …

… There are two 5-star hotels and approximately 305 other hotels that includes five 3-star, fifteen 2-star and non-star hotels in the city. …

Adventure sports such as base jumping, paragliding, canyoning, rock climbing, etc. are targeted towards tourists. …

On the other hand, after 17 days in-a-row on the trail, it was glorious to get back to civilization.

I ate nearly every meal at Lemon Tree. Fantastic!

I stayed a Phil’s Inn for $9 / night. Hot showers. Comfortable. And quiet. Phil, a lay Christian preacher, is a terrific host.

In November 2013 flights Pokhara to Kathmandu were $106. The luxury bus $20.

That includes a terrific all-you-can-eat buffet en route at this resort.

Take the bus, if you can.

see my Pokhara pics & a few of the bus ride back to Kathmandu