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Published: August 2nd 2006
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this week we spent a whole week doing the same thing we did
last week in Kathmandu
(nothing much) this time on the side of a lake at Pokhara. the only thing that changed is that we added
one activity - complaining that we are doing nothing for 2 weeks.
Pokhara is even more relaxed then Kathmandu surrounded by a lake on one side and green
mountains on the other. there are also supposed to be large mountains above but the
Monsoon clouds, that hang all day long, make seeing the mountains nearly impossible
besides seeing then on the postcards.
It was VERY hot and humid this week. the first day we did a 3 hr walk up to the "peace-
temple" on a hill above the city. choosing the HOTTEST day of the week and walking off the
path made our decision to go trekking very hard. the path was FULL of leaches (ALUKOT or as
we call them "leechim") and 2 climbed on Yaron's shoe. the leaches are very active in the
monsoon season. at one wooded place the ground itself seemed to be trying
to suck our
blood from under every rock and leaf.
we really wanted to trek but 2 days after the first walk we were still unable to decide if it is a
good idea. on one side the rain, heat and leaches - the book said we will get socked and
bitten every day. on the other hand the agencies around town said there was no problem.
and since monsoon trekking is relatively rare we could not get reliable info on the net. add to
that the fun of doing nothing but drinking and eating on the lake and you can understand
why it took us 3 days to decide we are going...
we bought tickets to fly to Jomsom (18min flight) from there it takes 5-7 days of walking back
to Pokhara through varying views. the flight was at 0630 and we were up at 0500(!!) to get
to it on time. but there was no need to rush. we waited till 1000 for the plane to leave and
finally the flight was canceled due to high winds on the way.
the next day we were smarter. we called the airport before leaving the hotel. they told us to
call later and after they told us to come quick! the weather has improved.
3 flights left that day...
we were on the 4th.
heartbroken we returned to the hotel deciding we take a day of rest from waking up early the
next day. naturally, the next day was a perfect day. a rare day during the summer that we
could see all the mountains. we hiked up to a viewpoint to see the amazing panoramic view.
the locals told us that kind of view can be seen only once or twice during a whole monsoon
season.
Hagit got sick on the next day and started taking antibiotics. we decided we cannot go on a
trek anymore with Hagit taking medication and since we spent too much time in Pokhara
already. Besides, the road was calling us to see new sights and go to different countries.
It was Yaron's 2nd time in Pokhara without trekking there and we promised ourselves to
the Annapurna mountain range
as seen from Sarangkot. on the left Annapurna I the 8th highest mountain in the world 8091m return again... 3rd time lucky 😊
we are now rested and ready for our next 2 months of traveling hard on the road Haifa Haifa
Hagit described how she left China listening to Arik Einstein. When leaving Nepal The IPOD
shuffler played
David Broza's Haifa song. Haifa's
future still looks bright it's the present that saddens us. We had a TV in the room at Pokhara
(a TV and 2-3 cockroaches every night which Hagit bravely killed) and phone contact with our
parents nearly every day so we could follow the daily attacks on Yaron's hometown. we hope
things will be quiet and peaceful soon after the war has been won. and that in the meantime
all our family and friends (and everyone in IL) will keep safe in the closet.
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