My first solo trip will always be a life-changing experience for me. As a part of my education break, I decided to go for a solo trip on multiple destinations. Though I went to Pokhara which is an international destination including a domestic place Varanasi from India. Though I don’t consider Nepal is an internal destination for Indians.
It took a week to plan everything, including the duration of the trip, budget, modes of transport, how to reach the destination…
The Planning
As I had a limited duration of 7 days I schedule everything accordingly. I did all the reservations on the train, bus, and hostels. however, its a solo trip and I was independent to take decisions I chose to make this trip in a very low budget. So rather than going by air, I took rain and buses to move and hostels instead of hotels.
Light Backpack
Keeping in mind flexibility in the trip I packed my stuff light. In a medium-size rucksack, I stuff all my required essentials for the trip. In cloths, I packed only activewear coz of its lightweight. As it was a monsoon season I took a poncho and rain cover for the bag.
Also Read : Tips For Light Backpacking
The Arrival
Here I archived my first milestone after an overnight train journey from Ranchi I reached Varanasi early morning. I always prefer to reach in the day time for easy availability for public transport. After having a conversation form hotel guy I took the public auto toward my hostel. As I already booked a hostel from Hostelworld.com and have the contact information of the hostel.
Socializing Is Good
I had tow motives of choosing hostel for my accommodation, saving money and socializing with other likewise travelers. As Varanasi is in my own country so taking to locals is not much bifacial for me. In my hostel, I met a few travelers from different parts of the globe. They prefer to stay in the same place for months to know the place better. Their way of exploring places is very new for me and inspiring as well.
Varanasi is a religious place. tourists come there to worship God and to do yoga. As I have no connections to both of them, I choose my stay for 2 days only. In those 2 days, I explored different Ganga ghats and Banaras Hindu University with I help of a local friend from Varanasi.
Officially, International Boarder
All I was excited, is to cross the international border and step into Nepal. On 2nd night I took a train for 6 hours and the bus for 3 hours to reach the border. Early Morning I took a bus from the border to Pokhara. I had my breakfast in a stall near the bus terminal and converted my currency. From there it was 8 hours of tiring journey to reach Pokhara. weather is not in my favor, it was hot and the bus condition is poor.
Also Read: Varanasi to Pokhara by Road
The Big Milestone
Yes! I finally achieved my big milestone, an international level solo trip. As I already reserved a bed in a dromedary of a hostel near Phewa Lake. In all my traveling from one place to another, I kept on reading about places to visit in Pokhara. With the help of travel guides and local people, I manage to make a proper map of places to visit in Pokhara in the next 3 days. On the same evening, I went to the Phewa lake for a walk. There I enjoyed the evening view of the lake sitting in a cafe with some drinks for relaxation.
Stay Outdoor And Stay Adventure
I was not able to decide on a mode of transportation. Renting a taxi for 2-3 days was going to very expensive for me and the availability of a motorbike was very less due to offseason. To make more adventure I chose a bicycle that cost me 300 NPR per day (2.5 USD). I marked 8 places to visit 4 places each day and I covered all destinations including local Pokhara in 3 days on a bicycle.
Good Local Interaction
since day one in pharaoh I regularly visited the same cafe for food Bamboo paradise cafe and bar. Interaction with the owner of care was very nice. He shared many interesting things about Pokhara and Nepal. On the last day in Pokhara, he invited me for a special dinner in his cafe. interaction with local people will always he’s in good understanding of the place.
My experience was stunning after completing my first solo trip. I got to know people are very helpful and nice, the world is more beautiful when you see it from your heart and the journey of solo travel will always motivate you to travel more and more.
Also Read: Must Place To Visit in Pokhara