My Getaway to “The Jewel of the Himalayas”

Of all the places I’ve been to, this one was utterly magical. Is this what we call the Trip of a Lifetime? Unforgettable memories and amazing company. Nothing could make this trip better! It was perfect.

I waited and waited until the day finally arrived. And so we took off to Pokhara, ‘The Jewel of the Himalayas’. Except in my case, we took a night bus and I slept all the way instead of looking out the window.

Early the next morning, I was happily disturbed by the mesmerizing view of the city. Shining sun, crisp fresh air, and the snowy peaks all in their glory.

As I waited in excitement for my mother, sister, and cousin to arrive, as soon as they did, I could swear my excitement levels reached the roof, thinking of all the adventures we will experience together. Next, we had a fulfilling Thakali lunch at Maili, a popular place for authentic taste.

After that, we went to the Shiva Temple, and right next to it was a place called Dream City, which was really just a place with colorful decorations where you could take pictures to post on Facebook later.

Since we all needed to get our fair share of sleep, we went back to our hotels. Street numbers were something new and interesting I found in Pokhara. After a while, we headed to Pame. When we go to Pokhara, we only visit the most well-known places, and the other hidden gems are not given much attention; thus, this time, we explored Pokhara even more. It was a girls’ trip, so obviously, we had to take some pictures. There, I also met my best friend as she was also in Pokhara with her family. Later, I had the most thrilling experience in Pokhara’s Disneyland. I rode the Ferris wheel, all alone! It had been on my bucket list for the longest time. I also rode the dragon ride with my cousin, since it’s better when we have company. We ended the night with some mouth-watering Korean food.

Early the next morning, we all prepared ourselves for our adventurous trip to Kusma, the world’s second-highest bungee site. Although we didn’t do it, we saw a spectacular view. We ended up going to the other side of the bridge; there were all kinds of activities like Sky Cafe, Sky Cycle, family swing, and rock climbing too. My cousin and I did rock climbing, but we both could not reach the top. We also did the family swing, which was as thrilling as it could be! We took some pictures here and there. After having some pizza, we departed from Kusma and headed to the Australian camp, which was an adventure on its own. Our jeep dropped us off at Kade, then came the tiring journey up the hill. We were also accompanied by Koreans. After what felt like a decade, we finally reached the camp. But it was definitely worth it when I saw a swing! Seriously! My cousin and I were on the swing the whole time. And if meeting the people from Korea wasn’t enough, we also befriended some! All of them were very sweet and wholesome. As night fell, I ate some thukpa and fell asleep.

My mother, sister, and aunt woke up before the crack of day and went to see the sunrise, but my cousin, other aunt, and I decided otherwise and slept in. After appreciating the glamorous mountain view, we had an appetizing breakfast and then began another long walk to Dhampus. We met so many interesting people at this camp and surely made so many significant memories. Also, we were accompanied by a dog from the Australian camp. My cousin and I were very sad to bid farewell to it.

We reached Dhampus and found a jeep, which took us back to Pokhara. From there, we got on a bus, which took us near our hotel. But still, we had to walk a lot before finally reaching the hotel. We all took a much-needed shower, and after resting, we got hungry and decided to have Chinese. To digest all the food, we went for a walk. It was getting late, but before that, we got KFC and Baskin Robbins to complete the night.

Today was our last day. My aunts had already left for Kathmandu early in the morning. After lazing around for a bit, my cousin and I got up and went to have breakfast along with my sister. We didn’t have a lot planned for the day, but we did have one thing: Boating! It would be a crime to come to Pokhara and not go boating. The boat took us to the nearby temple, and after sitting for some time, we went back to the other side. It was a short but exciting experience. While coming back, we saw Pokhara’s 25th street festival. We got to see a cultural rally, which was not only interesting but also something new. I was very sad to leave Pokhara. But then I thought about all the amazing people and new things I got to see. For me, Pokhara always has something new to offer. I was happy and grateful for the heartwarming memories I had made with my family. After checking out from the hotel, we went to catch the bus. It was a bittersweet feeling. I had made connections and memories to last me a lifetime. I am filled with gratitude for everyone who made this expedition of mine possible because I clearly had a blast!