Some R & R in Nepal after a long Trek!

Pokhara & Kathmandu (17th-23rd October)

Pokhara

Relaxing
This is near where we finished our trek. Spent 3 days here truly relaxing, eating breakfast by the lake and comparing trekking stories with other travellers.

Yoga & Meditation Course
This was an interesting day for us all. We did all sorts of meditation which you would have laughed hysterically at had you been flies on the wall! We all had a shiatsu masssage - no explanations or introductions from the guys and women who were doing the massage just straight in to it. It was good though and lasted for a whole hour! We also had Reiki performed - some very intense heat radiates from their hands. At the end of the Reiki session we were all told that we had blockages somewhere in our bodies but needed individual consultations (of course!! and this would cost $$$ the next day!).

Kendra's Cushion Covers
Kendra had a man after her in Pokhara to buy cushion covers. Unfortunately we had been in this man's shop one day and were "just looking." From then on we couldn't walk past the shop (we had to cross the street) particulary because Kendra bought her cushion covers from another shop!

Kathmandu

Leg Waxing
The girls booked in to get their legs waxed in Thamel, Kathmandu. Kendra's appointment had to be rescheduled because the power went out (again!) and they couldn't heat the wax. Luckily the power came back on in time before she flew to China to meet Spike!

Nargakot
Did an overnight trip to Nargakot (30km from Kathmandu). The trip takes 2 hours though because the roads are so bad. There are supposed to be 360 degree views of the Himalayas from here. Unfortunately the rain was coming down quite heavily and the clouds didn't leave much in the way of a good view. We can't complain because we had awesome mountain views while we were trekking. And we did get a great glimpse of Everest from the plane on the way back from rafting. Pat, we made it to the Nargakot Farmhouse and got extremely wet in the process but we didn't end up staying there.

Trekking Gossip
Some fellow trekkers we had met on the Annapurna Circuit had to get helicoptered out. We did wonder why we never saw them again after about Day 10. One woman from Switzerland had to hire a donkey to get to the nearest airport as she had a very bad fever and a Canadian guy we met injured his knee when descending a mountain.

Pushupathinath
This is where the burning ghats are in Kathmandu. We had a guide who explained the whole cremation process and the religious significance as it was happening before us.

Rumdoodle
Rumdoodle is a fictitious mountain (it is 40,000 and a half feet high - I think this is higher than Everest) of which there is a book written. If you summit Everest you are allowed to eat free at the Rumdoodle Restaurant in Kathmandu for life. However we did meet a german man at the bar who had summited Everest in May this year and because he didn't have a summiteers club card he couldn't yet eat free there!! At Rumdoodle's there are big feet nailed all over the walls of peoples mountain summits and treks that they have completed. Sir Edmund Hillary has his very own signed foot! This is our foot after completing the Annapurna Circuit. Linda (the koala) even made it all the way! She didn't really carry her fair share though! Our foot is now nailed on the wall for good at Rumdoodles!

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