And, after India and Kathmandu it is paradise.
Kathmandu - Pokara 7hrs bus
300-400 rupees
seen : two snakes, two monkeys only
Nose pierced
cockraoches - huge - too many
Fire flies - a few - great but not in my room please
cute white fluffy puppy
I had a Spanish man to sit next to on the bus -who was civilised and nice to chat to. We stopped for breakfast and i had my sandwich (horried white bread roll) Mr Spanish had a roll up. Then he snoozed. Then very shortly later we stopped for Lunch - i had rice and dahl and chips mmmmmmmm he had the worst looking burger euh.
Then 7 hrs later we arrived. It was a hot bus ride.
Hardly any traffic. No hooting cars, few tourists, many families a huge lake, slight breeze, warm sun 30 ish. green hills either side and the ever illusive himalaya mountains beyond (still invisible due to the heat haze this time of year) its now end April 2010.
FOund a cafe with a long garden opposite the lake and sat and sat and sat - until I spyed the cafe with a long garden next door with a Hammock - so there I still am...
Until now. at the moment in Nepal the political situation is a little on edge. There's a national strike for the Government to resign... Everything is closed - demonstartions are everywhere and military police looking like ninja turtles are around - in their army blues - its all very peacful but if it goes on for a few weeks - food will be problematic etc... as no lorries, cars etc on the roads - all the drivers are the maoists or too afraid to drive nad have no choice but to join in - (the Maoists are possibly as corrupt as the current government)... In the local paper one porter didnt know aobut the strikes (in Kathmandu) and as there are no buses he has no ones bags to carry so he earns no money and goes to bed with a hungry tummy and his family. But the marches are to some extent to help these people. Wonder if I'll be able to extend my Visa if this does go on for over a week?
Otherwise daily life by a lake meditating, walking, (Hiking up hill - funny that the two hikes i have made in Pokara - I ended up losing the path on the first one - lost in the forrest - I then saw two snakes! and i had to scramble through tiny overgrown paths to get to the top. The second walk took extra 2 hrs I think becuase I took the wrong path to start with - hard work but very rewarding) Maybe i'll stick to walking around the lake in the - very lovely but tad hot or just finding a cafe iwth a comfy chair to relax in. When everything opens again i may stir my stumps to take some language course or volunteer somewhere. I have a room with a garden - next to a Napali family (with one other room with a French woman). I seem to share it with some very large flying (eerr) cockraoches - I mean huge, fire flies, and other usual country insects - everyone wants to be in my room - why?
I did go to-down load my photos yesterday and lost the entire set - grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr - 3rd time... so nothing to show of Nepal nor Kathmandu -
. The food is good here - simple, fresh, UK style for me - sugar free muesli, little fresh curd, fresh fruit juice, some toast (that's breakfast). Lunch or mid pm i'll have pizza or spaghetti. or spinach cake. Not surprisingly i'mm off the momos at the mo.
