Advertisement
Published: March 27th 2006
Edit Blog Post
World Peace Stupa
This fairly recent stupa looks magnificent on a hill above Pokhara. I slept badly that night, partly due to the pounding rain, and partly due to the hope that it would stop (and, of course, the everpresent crappy mattress situation). I woke up at midnight, and again around 1:30 (among other times), and remarked with dismay that it was still raining. When 4:45 arrived, and it was time for us to begin our walk to Poon hill to collect our prize (a spectacular view of the Annapurnas and Dhauligiri) we didn't even bother getting out of bed. The rain had not subsided one bit. We were presented with the choice of hanging around for a day in the hope that it would clear up tomorrow, or moving on. Since we had no idea how long the rain would last, and it certainly showed no signs of letting up at that moment, we elected to cut our losses and move on, hiking down 1700 meters of steps in heavy rain on a trail that was already muddy from a day of continuous rainfall. With some effort, we could hope to reach the trailhead by mid afternoon, take a bus to Pokhara and dry out in a real hotel.
So that's what we
Security
My military entourage at the World Peace Stupa. did. The stairs went down, down, down, just as endlessly as they ascended. I don't have too much to say about this day, other than that it was long, wet, muddy and not the most enjoyable. I want to note that I was very impressed that my EMS hiking boots managed to stay nice and dry for about half the day. However, by the end of the day, they were sloshing just like everybody else's footwear. We did make it to the end, and got back to Pokhara only to see the rain stopping. If only we had kicked back at the top of the hill for one more day, we would have had a great view of the mountains, and we would have had a more pleasant hike down. Oh well. Nothing to be done about it now. I went with the crazy Israeli brothers and my guide to dine on a nice juicy steak, which was quite delicious, due, no doubt, in part, to the fact that I had not eaten any meat or fish for two weeks.
The next day, I slept in (didn't get up until 7:30!). When I stood up, I marveled at the
Artistic shot
A placid scene on the West shore of Lake Febo. exquisite soreness in my calves. Being a masochist, I naturally decided to do a 3 mile walk to the top of a steep hill overlooking Lake Fewa, where they have constructed a lovely Buddhist temple called the World Peace Stupa. It was very pleasant up there, and the view was a fine one of the verdant green countryside. There was just one problem: the World Peace Stupa was occupied by no less than 30 SOLDIERS equipped with rifles and holed up in sandbagged defensive structures with razor wire. Real peaceful. I suppose they are there for my protection, but I really could probably do with a few police officers. What do they think, that the Maoists are going to launch a full scale military offensive against a scenic lookout?
Hiked back down, had another dinner that can't be beat (Moondance cafe, on the main strip, if you are in the neighborhood) ate too much, and headed to bed.
The next day, in the morning, I flew back to Kathmandu for a little R and R before heading South to India. I had a few touristic things that I wanted to do, but nothing was particularly urgent, since I
Row row row your boat
Rowing across the waters of the lake is very relaxing - especially since I wasn't rowing! will be returning to Kathmandu after India to fly home. I bit the bullet and decided to pay the $6 a night for a pretty room at the Kathmandu Guest House, the oldest and most famous hotel in the district. The gardens were great to just relax in, read and write. I wanted to go white water rafting and bungee jumping at this site up North of Kathmandu near the Tibet border, but could not, because (this is amazing) the roads leading to the site had been blocaded for days by the Maoists. I waited for a few days, but, seven days later, they were still blocaded, so I gave up. The one interesting thing that I did was rent a mountain bike and hire a guide to go with me overnight to Nagarkot, a town on the rim of the Kathmandu Valley, with a stupendous view of the himal (Nepali word for snowy peaks). It is highly recommended to stay there overnight and watch the sun set the peaks on fire as it inches upwards. At 2000 meters in elevation, Nagarkot is three to six kilometers lower than the mountains in the distance, so they seem to float above
Macchapuchare
Aka Fishtail Mountain, from the Pokhara Airport. I would say that it is the most beautiful mountain I've ever seen. the nearby landscape like a holigram or hallucination. The ride up was arduous, passing over steep rocky dirt roads, and with a relentless 9 km uphill stretch at the end before we reached the town. The hotel we stayed at (it was part of the package I got by hiring a guide) was pretty posh. But, surprise, surprise, the mattresses STILL SUCKED. Two, maybe three inches of foam rubber, compressed at the center.
My guide was young, just 19, but had lost both of his parents when he was much younger. He said that his father died of alcoholism. It's shocking how often I've heard stories like this here. I wonder if alcoholism is really such a serious problem, or if he just didn't know that the cause of his father's death was actually some other disease.
The sunrise over the mountains was unarguably beautiful, but a little disappointing, as the air was very hazy, and the mountains none too clear. Ah well. I'll just have to buy the poster. We rode up to an even higher point on the ridge which Nagarkot occupies, and then coasted down for the rest of the day. It wasn't as easy
Holi Holi Holi!
I was in Kathmandu on Holi, the Hindu holiday where they pelt tourists with brightly colored carcinogenic powder and water balloons. Remind anyone of Tap Night? as it sounds. This route was almost all dirt roads, deeply rutted, with rocks sticking out of the road, and lying loose on the surface. You can't really cut loose when the terrain is that uneven, and there is a 20 foot drop off on one side of the road. Still, downhill is downhill. And it's even better when you've earned it with your own sweat.
Got back the next day and befriended a guy from Mongolia, whose parents are genuine nomadic goat herders! His goal was to set up a factory in Mongolia so he could process the cashmere wool that his dad produces into clothing, cutting out the people in China who currently do it. I thought that was a great, though ambitions plan. He dressed me up in his traditional Mongolian outfit (At least, he told me that's what it was) and got a photo of it, which I am posting. Anyway, perhaps that will be my next big business endeavor 😊. After a very enjoyable dinner discussion conducted in simple and halting English, I turned in. The next morning (March 20th), I woke up good and early, took a taxi to Tribhuvan International Airport, and
Bhairab
This awe-inspiring statue of Hindu the Deity Bhairab keeps passersby in Kathmandu Durbar Square suitably intimidated. boarded a flight to Delhi, where I shall begin my next post.
Until then, thanks for putting up with my rambling,
Dan
Advertisement
Tot: 0.07s; Tpl: 0.033s; cc: 9; qc: 23; dbt: 0.0268s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Just Jessica
non-member comment
WOWZA
Hey Dan! Your stories are amazing! Thanks for sharing these thoughts... Till next time - Jessica