Pokhara, situated a little over two-hundred kilometres west of Kathmandu, is a hub for trekkers heading into the Himalayan mountain range. For us, it was a stop-over on the way to the Nepal-Indian border. Pokhara  was a pleasant change from the hustle and bustle of Kathmandu. We spent our time wandering the edges of Phewa (Fewa) Tal Lake, lounging around with icy-cold Coca Colas, and at sunset, even taking a boat out for a dip in the lake. It was all very relaxing.

The day after things were back to normal, with initial plans to travel to Lumbini, the birthplace of Gautama Siddhartha Buddha, but when we arrived in Bhairawa, the transiting town to Lumbini some form of strikes were occurring making no transport available. We stayed the night in the tiny town, making the journey across the border to India and onto Varanasi the next day.