Leaving Shangri La and 2065

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During our time in Pokhara we got much and little accomplished. After our 43 days of camping through Africa we agreed we deserved time to sleep in, sit in cafes all day and enjoy the beauty of air conditioning!

Pokhara is a beautiful part of Nepal and although the lake was in full bloom while we were there it was still a relaxing spot after coming from Kathmandu where car horns fill the narrow streets from dawn to dusk. Also the risk of being run over on the streets is much reduced as the heaviest traffic you will encounter in Pokhara is of the bovine kind.

After our first day of heavy downpours we were blessed with sunshine every day until we left. That said the humidity and heat were fierce! We spent our days in cafes enjoying the local Nepalese cuisine (chicken momos, a sort of chicken dumpling, became a daily snack for Ev).

Unfortunately for me the water from Kathmandu or the buffalo I ate (can't figure out which) made me really ill and I ended up spending a day in bed watching old and bizarre movies and rushing to the loo. Luckily that was over in a day and I quickly got back into the swing of things. We read, met loads of travellers who had just returned from their 1 to 30 day treks on the Annapurna Circuit and got the inspiration up to rent a boat to have a paddle around the lake (Ev not included).

We had heard about a waterfall on the other side of the lake so decided to have a look for it. After following our ears and getting some advice from the locals we ended up on a path through the forest and to the falls. It was a gorgeous little spot and perfect for a dip. We enjoyed a refreshing swim and headed back to our boat. On arriving back we had a quick leech check (essential in rainy season) and to my horror discovered a few little buggers trying to get their teeth in between my toes. After a few minutes of freaking out and pulling them off I calmed down enough to realize they hadn't even drawn blood. My friends, Roel and Janelle were not so lucky and didn't stop bleeding from between their toes for hours. And all that after a 10 minute walk (if that) roundtrip.

We spent the rest of our days drifting in and out of cafes before catching our bus back to Kathmandu on Friday 4th July. Sadly no fireworks to celebrate the day. Instead a bumpy 7 hour bus ride, a breakdown scare and 1.5 hours of traffic on reentry to Kathmandu (mostly caused by the line of cars waiting for petrol).

As Janelle is volunteering at an orphanage we decided to meet her and the kids for the day at the zoo on Saturday. Cheap entry and the kids were lovely. Sadly some of the animal enclosures were very very basic but it was a nice day out.

Back at the hotel I started chatting to another couple who had done the flight to Mt Everest and decided I couldn't miss out! So I booked my flight for 6:30 am the next morning. Our flight left just after 7am in true Nepalese style and our 1 hour flight took us above the clouds of Kathmandu and right past the Himalayas and Mt Everest.

It was a fantastic trip and worthwhile to see the tallest mountain in the world. At 29,041 ft (5.5 miles above sea level) it is truly a sight to behold. From the plane it didn't seem as immense however when you think that most planes set their cruising altitude at 30,000 ft you start to get some perspective of how big the mountain truly is! We were each allowed into the cockpit a few times to get a clearer view (and pictures). We even got a certificate from the Buddha Air that quotes "i did not climb everest but touched it with my heart". A bit goofy but a fantastic flight nonetheless.

I decided that one last thing to do in Kathmandu was to go out and see some of the temples. So Janelle and I set out for Swayambhunath more affectionatiely known as the Monkey Temple. We got dropped at the Eastern Stairway which many say is the best way to approach the temple.

It is a really nice, yet very steep walk up to the temple. We passed many stalls selling trinkets and crafts and many naughty monkeys. Prayer flags hung from the trees swaying in the breeze. A written Buddhist blessing on each one. The rocks along the way were also painted with blessings in blue and yellow. This place seemed truly peaceful, much like the religion strives to be. It was lovely and probably the cleaniest and greenest place I have been in Kathmandu.

We climbed and climbed and the steps got steeper and steeper until we finally reached the top and were rewarded with sweeping views of Kathmandu. The temple itself is surrounded by markets (for the tourists) and prayer wheels (for the devout).

After enjoying the scenery we walked back to Thamel and to Ev. We spent the evening in a shisha bar chatting to some of the Aussie guys we met in Pokhara.

Nepal is truly a breathtaking country full of fantastic mountain scenery and it is truly deserving of the myth of Shangri La. I only hope that this country will stabilize politically very soon.

I have really enjoyed Nepal and being young in the year 2065 (this year according to the Nepalese calendar). Tomorrow we are off for Singapore.

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Photos

Pokhara skyline
from our balcony

those snowcaps i have been wishing for
Fish Tail Peak

the bridge between them
scattered along the river to connect the communities

Mt Everest
needless to say it's the tallest one!

Comments

[Debra]

Wow
Leeches and flying around Everest. Amazing. I can't tell you how much I'm enjoying these posts and living vicariously through you... minus the leeches perhaps ;) Alicia, you have a gift for writing. Safe journey to Singapore guys! Hugs from Deb and Tony.

[janelle jenison]

Yak
I ate Yak cheese yesterday. It reminded me of the rug in the computer room.