After spending some time in Kathmandu and the surrounding area we decided to go to the lakeside attraction called Pokhara, a haven for the tourists and travelers. Here we could start to see a more clearer picture of the Himalayas. We took a 6 hour bus ride which was only 200km which i though was incredible but then i saw how windy and hilly the roads were. and what bad conditions the roads were. One thing that has surprised me is that these people have the ability to set up house,  shop and “restaurant” absolutely anywhere. and i mean anywhere. We arrived in Pokhara and found the guesthouse we looked up on the internet, which was called the lemon tree guesthouse. the first day my fiance went into a meditation retreat for 12 days leaving me to explore the landscape and the town. The town is a very bustling busy place full of locals all going out there business. Similar to Kathmandu, Pokhara has one main long strip of all varieties of shops and restaurants all catered for the tourists. When you venture further into the town you start to see a very different picture. Recycling and rubbish disposal seems to be a real problem as well as a very high level of poverty, 40% of the population lives in poverty in Nepal. Fewa lake is at the heart of Pokhara and is truly a very beautiful scene, it has these huge mountains all surrounding it. Once again you can see small dwellings and houses built into the mountain side, the lake has these iconic colored boats that are all afloat on the lake each day. the feel in Pokhara seems to be a lot more laid back and more country lifestyle, people are very friendly, they continually smile and ask where you are from, of course you still get people trying to sell you something but it seems a lot more casual. there is a eclectic collection of hippies that all congregate here. the animals seem to have a lot more freedom here  than in the cities, the buffalo are pretty much walking around the streets, they seem to walk down to the greener pastures near the lake front. The big draw card here for the tourists is the paragliding and obviously the trekking starting point. we had decided we would do a 12 day trek but i waited upon her return. Anybody looking for the laid back side to Nepal this is a good place to enjoy what it has to offer.