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Yesterday was sent almost completely on the road with an 8 hour bus trip from Kathmandu to pokhara, which claims itself as little swiss. It is famous for lake side view and some exciting outdoor activities. Also, if people go on trekking, this is the last stop that they can enjoy a restaurant quality meal.
Once on the road, there is not much we can do but enjoy the side views as it is provably one of the best way to have a feel of Nepali peoples life. Beautiful country side and hardly signs of urbanization, however, on the other hand it is the hard life for so many people. Our bus driver definitely had best skills and temper, there were hours stuck on the road because one truck broke down on one direction on the winy mountain road, but didn't seem like every one is in a rush to occupy the other lane.
Little town stretches along the way, colorful residence houses in all kinds of unusually bright colour combination, like lime green for example. But most of the time, it's a few houses scattered around, hardly a village.
When the bus stops, we hop off and stretch and take photos, enjoying the crisp fresh air and natutral view, but also for once or twice to tell local children off as they spit on my lens once I refuse their request for 'money, ten rupi'. True innocence probably is hard to find anywhere in the world, even in Nepal which is a surprise for me. And I am also surprises that I didn't see it coming. Traveling is like a trust test especially when we have no one to turn to if anything goes wrong. In that sense it is a liberating experience because I have to learn to trust others, people that I don't know and when I am at an vulnerable place.
First day spent in pohkala was supposed to be a casual day. Lake boating, sleeping in and shopping. We thought we were escaping the strike from the capital city only to find that strike is happening here too. But as local we are these days, we soon learn that strike only means interuption to transport. No motor vehicles can travel around and shops are shut during business hour. Much calmer this time we have to plan all traveling on foot.
As we saw a team of twenty people parading, not as half as exciting as I would call a strike, the owner of the hotel said to me, ' it's only politics, you will be ok on bicycle.' bicycle it is then.
We the realise there is no way we can get around with a lonely planet map and a bike as there is no signs of street name that we can understand and when u ask locals, they cam hardly understand my english or locate themselves on the map. Direction given is like' walk for twenty five minutes then turn right' but I am also pretty confused about the distance measured by 'twenty five minutes', but then they would tell me 'no problem.'
I guess I just have to be a lot less upright. Turned out I was. Two hour bike ride around and didn't get to where we planned to go we were more relived than upset about the whole experience.
An exciting moment in the morning was visiting a cave where a rock which was considered as a penis of shiva. The statue was all right and standing infront of it I wonder what I should pray for. My friend told me to donate as it helps to look fir a husband. Maybe I should donate then shiva would send me a 'capable' man.
As we walked down the cave there was a thirty metre long narrow low cave passage and as we squeeze along, the power went off. There we were, fifty metre underground with a middle aged local who can't speak English and just two of us, in complete dark. All sorts of plot went thru my mind, murder, kidnap,robery. As I screamed in the loudest volume I could in seconds the power was back on. The fear was apparent even the guide tried to comfort me in his own language. Power went off again and I. Seconds came back. Natalie found her torch and with that deeming light I found my little courage ti continue. Then this enormous noise of the devils fall poised down on us, with a small split in between the rocks we colds see strong streams of the biggest waterfall in the region falling down. It is the powerful nature that shocked me but also the uncomfortable self in such new environment shocked me.
As we climbed up ti the surface of the ground, it's almost like celebrating a new life.
In the afternoon we decided to climbe a little mountain to find a world peace tower. It took us a whole hour up and forty minutes down. On the way back on a little boat, I looked across the lake and looking at the five snowy peaks right in front of me, feeling the muscle aching, I thought to myself, this is not bad is it?
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Jimmy Its too good melva! I can't read it all at once, I need to save some for later... A bit like my qi ...
Jimmy Travelling is like a trust test .. Ohhh mm such lyricism , truly you are a talented girl. Love every word . Xxx