From Pokhara to Risikesh

Haven't blogged in so long because internet and phone calls are much more expensive here in Nepal, especially in Pokhara. This city is beautiful, it is situated in a massive U shaped valley with a lake on one side. All along the lakes east side rice terraces cascade up the slopes of the dense jungle hills. We are spending our last night here tonight in a nice guesthouse about 30 seconds walk from the lake side. From our eastern window the massive Anapurna mountain range peaks out from behind the valley hills towers over the all of Pokhara. The streets are lined with short banana trees and the occasional pineapple tree, 3 meter poinsettia in full blood red bloom, champa trees covered in the sweetest smelling yellow bell flowers, and all sorts of flowering vines such as purple and blue morning glories and ivy crawl up fences and several century old trees. The street dogs are all big and beautiful, owned and taken care of by someone, they are mostly big and fuzzy malamute looking dudes or German shepardish or labrador type doggies. They hang out in packs all day and engage in strange bouts of 3 or 4 participant sex sometimes. There are cute little lizards and beautiful brown and grey doves, with the occasional completely white.

While we were here we rowed a boat out to the only island on the lake, which was a man made island I think. In the center there was a temple, surrounded by all sorts of beautifully manicured deciduous trees. The most interesting part about it was the doves. The small island had a population of about 100 - 150 doves who had their wings clipped, they could fly but not far enough to make it to land. They must have been selected by physical beauty, as all of them were boasting wonderful coats of copper browns and white, some even completely brown or white. Like the inflated ego of the typical attractive American woman, beauty created their burden.

On the 10th we made a 1 hour hike threw Pokhara to the bottom of Sarankot hill, and then we walked the 3 hour hike up the 1500 meter hill. The path worked its way up though rice terraces and villagers had homes ride beside the path. One old man took us onto his land and showed us his big old ganja plants, and how they harvest millet. We arrived at sunset to see the beautiful unobstructed view of the anapurna range. We stayed overnight in a tiny 1 room guesthouse with 3 beds at the very top of Sarankot, the view down to Pokhara was awesome. And got up at 5:30 am to see the amazing sight of the pinky orange eastern sun rising over the Himalayas, first lighting up the tips of the tallest mountains and then creeping its way downward into the valley, it was trippy to think that same sun was setting in the west back in Alberta. Groups of Nepali kids on a field trip were chattering and singing but inside me everything was dead quiet.

While we were here we also rode bikes and visited Devi's falls, a huge waterfall that drops down underground into caves that we also got to explore. And we swung on vines in the jungle over 20 foot spans as monkeys screeched in the trees above.

tomorrow we are getting up to catch a 8 hour bus at 6:30 am that goes to the Indian border, then we hop on a bus at the border around 3 to catch a 3 hour bus to Gorakhpur, then we catch a evening sleeper train that will take 15 hours to get to Haridwar, then a 1 hour bus to the yoga capital of the world, where the mountains meet the vast Indian plains and the sacred Ganges melts off the glacier and pours down the cliffs into the ancient town of Risikesh, where the beetles came to met a yogi back in the day.

Will call home in the next week Mom and Dad. Much Love