Hello everyone,

I arrived in Pokhara the other day after an epic 8 hour bus journey to travel a distance of only 150km. Needless to say my Ipod was my rock of sanity and some songs that sum up my journey are:

Alive by Pearl Jam

I Think I'm Going To Die by My Morning Jacket, and

Say Hello To Heaven by Temple of the Dog

So yeah, we actually drove past a full head on crash on the way and lets say that it looked pretty bad. So currently deliberating paying the extra to get a flight back to Kathmandu!

Anyway, Pokhara itself is quite nice. A lot quieter than Kathmandu and havent been sick yet in Pokhara so hopefully it'll stay that way. I was ill twice in Kathmandu which wasnt great but it wasnt as bad as I expected and only lasted 1 or 2 days. In Pokhara there is an area called Lakeside which is very touristy and quite westernised with lots of bars and restaurants, but it is also the most expensive place I've seen yet. I cant say that its really clear here though, its still very hazy to the extent that I still havent had a good look at the Himalayas.

The orphanage is pretty cool, there about 70 kids and 6 volunteers and about 4-5 staff so its well organised and all the children call the volunteers Uncle or Aunty. The actual orphanage is pretty nice, its a large building that has loads of stuff for the kids to do and has a yard with swings, see-saws, table tennis (they kick my ass) and more. All the children practice yoga and karate and are only too keen to show off their backflips, handstands and other feats of ridiculous flexibility. But most of them are just happy to talk with you, play and grapple/hug you to death.

Otherwise not much been going on as yet, we're all in bed normally about 9pm because we're up at 6.30am to walk to the orphanage! Also, I have daily access to the internet if I want, so should be able to keep in comms pretty regularly. Anyhow, when I find a free day, I might try and upload some pictures as it will probably take a couple of hours :S

So, that's all for now and I'll keep everyone posted with the goings on as they happen!

Mat