2025 Golden Week Nepal Trip

The Golden Week of 2025 will be my fourth trip to Nepal. I also went to Nepal during Golden Week last year, but I came again because the airfare was super cheap at 36,000 yen round trip. Of course I bought it on Trip.com. Friday, April 25th Departed from Narita and arrived in Chengdu at night. The transit hotel of Air China was surprisingly luxurious and I was excited. It was probably the best hotel of this trip. The poor trip begins. ⸻ Saturday, April 26th Arrived in Kathmandu. I met a Japanese girl named R-chan by chance at the airport and we hit it off right away, so we decided to get on an overnight bus to Pokhara together. We started our trip together right from the first day of departure. You never know what's going to happen when you're traveling. ⸻ Sunday, April 27th Arrived in Pokhara early in the morning. I walked around the shores of Lake Fewa and went to the New Annapurna Guesthouse with R-chan. We took a boat across the lake to a temple, had breakfast at Cafe Camellia, and ate Tibetan food. At night, we visited Pokhara Disneyland and had beer at Nirvana Cafe. I really love Pokhara! ⸻ Monday, April 28 R-chan went to ABC. I lazed around until noon and moved to the "Pokhara Metro Eco Hotel". It was cheap, but the room was clean and comfortable even for one person. We had lunch at a restaurant with goats in the garden, and went to see the old man from New Summit Guesthouse, who I became friends with last year. He was a really nice guy, and the reason I came to Nepal two years in a row was because I wanted to meet him while he was still healthy. After the trip, we kept exchanging updates on WhatsApp, and I think we are really good friends. I couldn't stay at the old man's inn because it was fully booked, but we took a walk around the neighborhood together and he treated me to beer. ⸻ Tuesday, April 29th I took a motorbike to Kande and headed to the Australian base camp. It started raining on the way, so I thought, "Maybe I should give up," but I felt refreshed after reaching the top. I met a Russian guy there and went down the mountain with him via Dhampus. He had paid a high guide fee, but the guide's attitude was questionable. I had tea with Momo at a tea house with cats. I went down to Phedi, and thanks to him, the taxi back to Pokhara was free. ⸻ Wednesday, April 30th I took a morning bus to Dumre, and from there I took a local bus to Bandipur. I was tricked by touts and missed several buses, but I managed to get on. Bandipur is a town full of "cuteness" that girls love. I was excited by the flowers blooming on the buildings. There was a horse in the square, and the lassi and peaches were delicious. The journey to the hill where the sun sets was tough, but the view of it sinking behind the mountain is still burned into my memory. ⸻ May 1st (Thursday) I hiked to Ramkot village in the morning. I walked silently along the jeep road to reach the village on top of the mountain. It took about 2 hours. The only man at the cafe was very kind and told me a story about a Japanese person who had come here 10 years ago. He was the owner of a brewery that I had also been to. There are some strange connections. On the way back, I walked further down the mountain to the highway and took a local bus to Pokhara. I took an hour's walk from the bus terminal and went straight to Nirvana Cafe. I drank several glasses of beer and had a drink with sekuwa and sausages. I checked into the long-awaited New Summit Guesthouse (Grandpa's Inn). In the evening, I walked around the lakeside and stopped by a stylish cafe. ⸻ May 2nd (Friday) In the morning, we could see Machhapuchhre clearly. The sky was clear. At 9:30, someone came to pick us up and we flew in a paraglider from the top of Sarangkot. Last year, the air quality was bad due to the forest fires, and we couldn't see anything because it was all white, but this year, the mountains and the lake spread out below us, and it wasn't impressive! It was simply scary. We went to an Italian restaurant for lunch, but the taste was just okay and the prices were Japanese. As we were walking around, we met R-chan who had just returned from ABC. We went to Cafe Camellia and chatted. We wandered around looking for a cat figurine, but we couldn't find one that day. New Summit was fully booked that day, so we checked out. They even gave us a free room and a souvenir T-shirt. We went to Hotel K2, run by my grandfather's relatives, and stayed there with R-chan. We had drinks at Nirvana Cafe again that night. ⸻ Saturday, May 3rd In the morning, R-chan was fast asleep. I went to the old man's house at New Summit first and chatted while enjoying chai. After that, we had breakfast at Cafe Camellia. I returned to the inn and met up with R-chan, and participated in a peach-making class at Nirvana Cafe. It was a reasonable 2,000 rupees, and the owner was very kind. We made 80 peaches. In the afternoon, I met up with Stephanie, a French girl I became friends with last year, who happened to be in Pokhara, at the cafe. We took a boat ride on Lake Fewa together and revisited the temple. Today was Stephanie's birthday, so we celebrated at a Tibetan restaurant. After that, I picked up my luggage, which had been kept by the old man, and took an overnight bus to Kathmandu. ⸻ Sunday, May 4th Arrived in Kathmandu early in the morning. There was no one at the Bed and Pillow Hostel I had booked, so I opened the shutters and doors and waited in the lobby for an hour. 1600 yen for a private room was cheap, but the room smelled like sewage, so my mood was a little down. I lounged around until noon, ate momos at the Everest Momo Center, and then went to Swayambhunath. In the evening, I participated in a cooking class. I probably slept at the hostel that night. ⸻ May 5th (Monday) Early in the morning, I met R-chan again, who had returned from the night bus. We checked into The Melo Pomelo Courtyard together. It was a cute hostel I stayed at last year, and it was the best value for money. It cost about 2000 rupees for two people. The owner was also handsome and kind. I bought spices at Asan Chowk in the morning. I had Tibetan lunch in Thamel. I finally found a cat figurine. It was 1400 rupees per fish, but I got 2000 for two, and the man kissed me profusely instead. In the afternoon, I went to "Chigusa", which was previously run by a Japanese person. I chatted a little with a regular customer who spoke Japanese. After that, I went to Boudhanath, and from there I walked to Pashupatinath. I looked for the other side where I could see the cremation without paying, and quietly looked at it. In the evening, I had momo at the Everest Momo Center again, and finished off with dal bhat. ⸻ Tuesday, May 6th In the morning, while R-chan was still sleeping, I went to Yala Cafe by myself. I was supposed to have a luxurious morning with eggs Benedict, but I didn't have time, so I ate it all up quickly. I bought three Thamel T-shirts for 450 rupees each. Not only in Thamel, but in Nepal, discounts are often given to the first customer of the day, so it's recommended to shop early. I returned to the hotel at 8:30, checked my luggage, and took a motorbike taxi to the airport. Arrived in Chengdu in the evening. The transit hotel was so luxurious that it was hard to believe it was just a hotel. At night, I wandered around the city, watched the dancing ladies, looked at the river, ate beef noodles, and then relaxed at the hotel. ⸻ Wednesday, May 7th The transfer was scheduled for 6:30, but I woke up at 6:40. I thought I had completely messed up, but a one-person car came to pick me up and took me to the airport safely. As a result, I actually arrived earlier than planned. At the airport, I ended my trip with a 1000 yen pho and a 1000 yen Starbucks. I was reunited with R-chan and returned to Japan together. Nepal is a country full of kindness, and I will definitely come again next year.