“Travel is not really about leaving our homes, but leaving our habits.”

After a week off I was itching to get back on my bike. As the Swiss cycling couple I had been hanging out with had invited me for Christmas dinner in Pokhara, and I still had three weeks to go, I decided to set off with absolutely no plan through what I hoped were small mountain roads. I wanted to just get out, hopefully gain a bit of elevation and bring myself closer to the snow covered peaks, and most importantly, camp. Though lately I have been opting for the cheap guest houses rather than pitching my tent, I have missed the tranquility of camping and could not wait to curl up in my sleeping bag everyday.

After a few days of riding I became disappointed. The whole area is so incredibly touristic, more so than I had imagined, and I started to find myself more and more frustrated as the only interaction possible with the locals involved them trying to sell me very overpriced goods. I decided to camp a few more nights, then return back to Pokhara in order to read and hang out with friends once again. The one good thing about tourism here is how safe it has made it for travel and camping. I had no qualms with pitching my tent just about anywhere!

The places us cyclists will sleep! Though I would have preferred the wilderness, I didn’t know how to say no when the owner of the guest house invited me to camp on the roof, and it ended up being quite enjoyable as the family was very friendly.