Hotel Sakura, Pokhara, Nepal; Monday 15th November.

We spent 3 nights in Varanasi through the Diwali festival, taking boat rides along the river Ganges - which was excellent for people watching; bathers, teeth cleaning, prayers, puja, burning ghats and washing cows - a true assault on the senses - especially our noses! We also visited 3 Hindu temples and indulged in the usual hustle and bustle of the bazaars.

We left Varanasi after an amazing evening watching the Diwali fireworks from a rooftop restaurant - the next day we were brought back down to earth with a 10 hour bus journey to the Nepal border. We crossed at Sonauli and stayed at the ironically named Paradise Hotel, which came with complimentary fag ends in the bathroom sink and was a rip off at £3.00 per night. The following morning we took the local bus headed for Pokhara, an amazing place by the side of a picture perfect clear lake (on which we hired a rowing boat), Phewa Tal and the snow capped Annapurna mountains as the backdrop, the vibe was much more relaxed than India and the fresh clean air was a welcome break.

We arranged a 4 day circuit trek in the Annapurna‘s, visiting a multitude of hilltop stations with amazing scenery along the way…that was when we got the chance to enjoy it as Mukundu, our guide’s default walking pace was 15km an hour (uphill)! We trekked through villages, forest, jungle and alongside the river, visiting Poon Hill (height - 3200m) and Gorakphur, home of many Nepalese Ghurka’s.

We returned from the trek exhausted and sore and in need to some warm sun, especially Helen. Today I paraglided for the first time, which was an absolutely phenomenal experience. I was terrified beforehand and woke up mega early unable to sleep. When I arrived at the paragliding centre I met my pilot who was a very reassuring Russian guy called Victor, he said in his strong Soviet accent “I’m pilot of 30 years paragliding - I’m professional” which was very calming for my nerves. The flight was amazing but did not cease to be any less scary despite being in the air for an hour, and my hands where numb from holding on tight. The views over Pokhara and the surrounding mountains was breathtaking, despite the light mist in the air, and flying at the same height as birds of prey circling the sky was unforgettable.