Running Errands in Pokhara
Despite having spent some 10 days in Pokhara before escaping to the relative peace and tranquility of Begnas Taal (and returning for New Year's Eve), we still learned a few things a couple days ago whilst back in the big city to run some errands. So FYI for any future visitors:
Finding a stuffed snow leopard - ie errand #1 on your list - is next to impossible, although goats, rabbits, tiger, elephants and seemingly anything else you could think of is no problem
Contact solution can be purchased at pharmacies, but (like most developing countries) is prohibitively expensive even by western standards, and if Google Maps says that an optometrist is open on Saturdays it might have gone out of business years ago
There's an incredibly old shoe repair guy who sets up shop at the corner of Lakeside and Durbar Marg, who will fix your broken Converse for only 100rs while you wait (he'll also attempt to fix your broken belt, but won't have the necessary replacement buckle, so your new belt will thereafter be a piece of rope you buy at a hardware stall)
Having a giant decal of recently elected Kathmandu mayor (and independent political hero for an entire country that has been run by incompetent and/or corrupt scumbags since time immemorial) Balen Shah on the back of your taxi is not mutually exclusive with having a small decal threatening violence for anyone who tailgates
Totally illegible random graffiti tags now instantaneously brings about very specific geopolitical connotations that didn't exist one year ago
Most professionally done graffiti appears to come in the form of giant animals
Whenever you're minding your own business, out for a leisurely morning stroll, people will inevitably try to sell you magic mushrooms, but when you're actively looking for them, these same shady folks are sadly not to be found (perhaps because it was a Saturday)
Just because everyone at the bus station is carrying bags of grapes with them, it doesn't necessarily mean that they're especially tasty or even in season, so you might not want to buy 1.5kg of them without tasting first
You're welcome future travellers to Pokhara....
