Pokhara

View from the Silver Oaks hotel. Pokhara is beautiful by the lakefront with lots of shops to explore. Very 'kid-safe' in that we were pretty comfortable letting the kids wander in groups going shopping and not worry about them getting lost or worse. You can see that we are at the foothills of the Annapurna range. Looking across the lake are hills that are about 3,000 ft above us. There are many new hotels going up, but I would recommend ones that are a block or two off the main streets to avoid the noise and traffic. I met some folks from Holland at the hotel who were in town to go hang gliding. Apparently Pokhara is famous for hang gliding as there is a road up to one of the peaks 3000 ft above the hotel. When we returned from our trek and hiked into town, we went near the launch point and saw 5 hang gliders.

Pokhara is 90 miles from Kathmandu and the second largest city in Nepal. By road, it's a 5 hour drive which we did last year. By plane, 30 minutes which was very cool as we saw the Annapurna range with great clarity. We spent a couple of days here at the Silver Oaks hotel which is what I would call a 3 star. Hot water is to be had in the afternoon when the solar heaters have done their duty. Don't eat there 'cause it will take forever to get your food. Best bet is to go into town which is a 2 block walk. Eat at the Boomerang which has excellent selection and food along with a great view of the lake.

I think one accomplishment was that we did this trip successfully with two families of kids. In the front row is (l to r) Annaliese (14), Molly (9), Andrea (11), Ann (12). L to R in the back row is Nathan (16) and on the right (in green) is Nolan (15). All the kids were great, had good attitudes, and a real 'can-do' approach. They provided a lot of fun and enjoyment, telling stories, learning to count in Nepali as well as Sherpa, and playing cards in any and all conditions. The favorite game of Nepal is 'Golbraith' and is very similiar to 'Spades'. If you ever go there, learn this game so you can play with the Sherpas and Porters. You may not speak Nepali, but learning this game instantly allows you to cross the cultural divide and have a lot of fun. Just don't be the 'allu'.