Herm walking

I am awake really early these days, and I am still coming to terms with the fact it doesn't get light until after 8. It was noticeably warmer, quite incredible how quickly it changes these days.

So after a practice, I went for swim in the sea at Petit Bot on my own. Well I say a swim but this time it was a dip, the tide was high and the sea was rough and while there was someone else on the beach, I didn't feel comfortable staying in long - but it was remarkably painless, I honestly don't feel the sea temperature is too bad at the moment.

At lunchtime Mum and I went over to Herm for a walk around the Island - nothing like blowing away the cobwebs. It was so lovely to be over there without many other people around so that we could enjoy the Island's natural beauty on our own. It really is a stunning place. We walked around the cliffs and then sat at shell beach to eat out lunch and then carried on around to the shop to invest in yet more crystals - one of the cheapest places I have found to buy them.

Another quiet and peaceful night on my own in front of the fire with the cat and an early night in preparation for the red eye this morning. New Year in London with H and an opportunity for Yoga at TriYoga, lucky me, this has certainly been a year of travel even if most of it has been this side of the world (well aside from RSA I guess), let's hope for even more next year (and keep planting trees!) - thank you Univere.

xx

Boxing day outdoor fun!

What a beautiful few days, the weather has just been amazing - admittedly cold but ever so clear and an incredible sunset last night and indeed sunrise today.



I managed to make the Boxing Day swim at Cobo this morning, I could not believe how many people were down there swimming and also watching. It was much easier today than yesterday and I managed to stay in for 4 whole minutes! Despite a lovely cup of tea in the Rockmount (I have never seen the place so packed, thank you Rockmount for providing free tea, mulled wine and mince pies, very kind), I lost all feeling in my toes until I thawed out in the steam room at the Grande Mare, half an hour later!




After lunch and watching the end of the Railway Children in front of the fire - you have to love this film, absolutely timeless - Mum, Dad, Val and I went for a long walk out at Pleinmont, which was truly beautiful with lots of birds around.



I hope everyone is enjoying the Christmas festivities and keeping warm and cosy.

xx

Christmas Day swim!

Merry Christmas, what a lovely day, the sun is shining and the clouds are amazing.

I got up at 7am - I am finding it difficult accepting the fact that it is dark at that time in the morning, in Nepal it was light by 6.30am - to find the cat from next door waiting for me at the back door. Sounds sad but Ewan and I have grown rather fond of that cat and I have not seen her yet since I got back and was concerned about what had happened to her. So it was a bit of a Christmas present, especially without Ewan here.




After my Yoga practice I went drove to my parents house and spoke to my brother who is celebrating Christmas with Star in Australia. Then we went down to Vazon to meet my parents' friends for the Christmas Day swim. I must admit we weren't in for very long but enough to wake up and have me running to my towel afterwards. I do love swimming in the sea though, it makes you feel so much better, I am hoping to do it tomorrow too and perhaps stay in for a little longer!




My aunt, uncle and cousin are joining us for lunch before going to deliver presents to Ewan's family and spending the evening with Vicki. Hoping to fit in a walk...

Merry Christmas to everyone, I hope you all have a lovely day wherever you are in the world.

xxx

Guernsey!

Well after yet a further delay in Gatwick I finally made it home on Wednesday. Hoorah. Although it is very cold and dark and windy...but at least we should eb gaining a minute of light each day!

London!

Well I didn't manage to get that much sleep in Bahrain, a few hours after I finally gave in to sleep, my body decided it was still on Nepali time and wanted to wake up. Still it meant I went down to reception to hear an update (as the time we were told has now come and gone) and got to see the full moon setting!

Still I am still a little disappointed I did not get to celebrate the winter solstice and the full moon (with a lunar eclipse I think) as I had intended - in fact I booked my flights so that I would be back in time for it - but I guess it is just one of those things. Everything happens for a reason and maybe I was meant to experience the energy of it without actually having to do anything about it.

Anyhow after breakfast, and quite by chance that they were also up at the same time, I ended up checking out of the hotel with a few of the friends I have made as we felt out of control of the situation sat in our rooms at the hotel. And then at the airport we were told our flight was going at 13.30 (thi was about 8.30m I think) and we were given new boarding passes with the wrong date and there was no real clarity on the situation (and immigration certainly were not happy about it, but I have the stamp so all good!).

So we were a little dubious. There were 6 of us by then so we sat in the bar chatting. It is quite amazing how much you can learn about people when you are in a situation like this, and the people who end up coming onto your path so to speak. So it was quite fun. But then 12.45pm came and no sign of us boarding and our mood dropped again.

Eventually after many trips to the Gulf Air transfer desk and many text messages and facebook messages and emails from people back home (not me, everyone else in UK) with conflicting information we were re-booked onto the next flight to go (waiting on Heathrow and also too many people on flight) at 17.20 instead...and amazingly, because my friends were so great in making a fuss to try their best to get us on the next flight for certain (which I would not have done on my own) and because two of the women sweet talked the guy on the desk and gave him chocolate and everything, and I actually asked the question myself, we all got upgraded to business class!

And the strange thing is, while we spent all this time together and became a group of friends who looked out for one another and knew each other by first name, not one of us exchanged contact details to catch up again. And yet I am absolutely fascinated to find out how they all get on with their lives as I know a little of their hopes and dreams by the way they talked about things.

It is quite incredible really. I will never ever forget that whole experience, it just took me into a totally different state within me and it created a rollercoaster of emotions in a very short period of time. But I believe I have come out fine. I laughed lots, I cried a little, I walked around in a daze and then the adrenalin would kick in and I am still buzzing (and my body clock tells me that I should be getting up and eating breakfast!

So the flight was great. I didn't sleep for more than 2 hours however so I am on 10 hours of sleep in 3 nights, which means I am actually rather hyper as used to running on empty (not good). There was just too much to do! I got to lay back if I liked, legs raised and everything, but they didn't give us a blanket which seemed a bit weird, I got a proper menu and meal on proper plates and everything and I had a relatively decent choice in films. Plus of course I had my book and the views of the lights of the places we were passing over head (really cool) and the stars sparkling in the dark sky until of course we hit cloud in Europe!

So I finally got to baggage collection at 9.55pm and my bag finally came through at 10.30pm so I got the Heathrow express free of charge (due to weather, great stuff!) and then a few tubes to London Bridge and then an overland to St Johns, which was also free. I walked into Hannah's a little after midnight and it is now 2.30am and I really must get some sleep.

Fingers crossed I will be back in Guernsey tomorrow and can finally get into my own bed and get into the Christmas festivities!

x

Bahrain and Heathrow nightmare

So I left Kathmandu at 7.35pm Nepali time and arrived into Bahrain about 10ish, only to discover that my onward flight had been delayed from 01.55am to 10am the next morning so that was one long night in the airport.

Thankfully I have my laptop with me so I was able to simply sit and catch up on my blog in between wandering around and drinking tea. Oh and I did manage an early morning Yoga practice in a quiet area of the airport with nobody else watching, that is a first for me!

We did get to board the flight but then sat on the runway for 5 hours, having to get off to identify our bag (apparently the only reason our flight did not leave was due to the fact we had one extra bag on board, well done Gulf Airways!) before they finally told us we would not be getting a slot at Heathrow plus the crew would need to chnage before we left now in any event...

So we got to leave the terminal building and go through immigration and everything. Thanfully I befriended a British guy who lives in Oz and was on my flight from Kathmandu having just trekked up to Everest Base Camp so that lessened the tediousness of going through the whole "leaving the airport" situation.

Still on a positive this is the first time I have been to Bahrain, ort got out of the airport at any Middle Eastern country. On the bus on the way to the hotel (without our bags of course), this guy was going on about how he never in a million years had any intention of being here now in Bahrain and it dawned on me how funny this world that really you cannot predict anything and you simply have to go with the flow...we think we can somehow control nature but nature always wins.

Anyhow the hotel was a highlight, a large room all to myself with a television and hot water, luxury after the accommodation In Nepal the last few weeks. Plus we got to eat lovely food - fresh humous and salad, just what I needed after living on airline food the last day or so (yuck!). And finally after 27 hours of not sleeping, I got to lay down and snuggle up in bed.

Who would have thought it huh!

Last few days in Nepal

Returning to Lakeside from Pokhara I managed to squeeze in a Yoga practice on the roof before we went for dinner at Manu's house to spend time with her two sons and to meet her sister-in-law, Amrita, who thanfully speaks fluent English.

I must admit it puts us to shame the way children and teenagers can speak English so easily over here. Even Abhanaya, who is 5 years old, can recite A, B, C etc and count to 80 in English. In fact Sushant, 10, is so good at English that his Nepali is suffering - my aprents sponsor the boys to attend private schools (not unusual out here) and in such schools all lessons (except for Nepali) are conducted in English. It is different in the government schools where children are taught in Nepali.

Anyhow we enjoyed the evening as Amrita, who is only 16, was a fountain of knowledge and makes me realise how easy we have it in the West. Here she goes to college between 6-10am each morning to study commerce and then she has to look after the house, do washing, cooking and cleaning and help Sushant with his homework, and here they have a 6-day week so there is only ever one day off a week and that is the day when everyone catches up from the week and prepares for the next and there is this constant pressure to get good grades so you may stand a chance of getting out the country to study abroad.



This going abroad thing is a big deal in Nepal. As it happens about 500 men leave the country every day to go and work in the Middle East or in Korea or Malaysia, or wherever else manpower is needed. Bijay - despite having a new wife and a 6 month old baby - is in the process of trying to get a visa to go and work in Korea as he knows he can earn so much more money over there than he can earn here.

To be able to stand a chance of getting the visa, which is organised by the government, he has to learn Korean (he is 3 months in and is finding it hard work) as well as put up some initial chas. if he gets the visa he will be away for 2 years before he will get the chance to come home and visit family. Can you imagine? And this is so he stands a chance of earning up to $800 a month which he can then use to get him set up back in Nepal.

So we enjoyed another Dahl Bhat, in fact Manu was very generous and we both left feeling really full - so silly really as they have so little, but you feel obliged to eat more so as not to offend anybody. Again Manu would not eat until all the rest of us had eaten our meals.

The next day was our last day in Pokhara and so we got up early and headed to Yoga and stranegly there were other people there so we got to enjoy a final class with Devika. This was followed by the usual breakfast by the lake before meeting Devika to discuss various aspect of the Trust and to have a look at the website together. More shopping and more tea, more Namaste's and more smiles.




We decided to make the most of the afternoon sunshine and hired someone to paddle us across the lake so that we could climb up to the Peace Pagoda at the top of the hill, which provides yet another vista of the Annapurna range. This was another hard slog, all up hill for 30 minutes, thankfully shaded by the trees! Coming down was another matter as we managed to get lost in the forest and it was the strangest thing as we ended up at the edge of the lake where we would have had absolutely no chance of getting back to the mainland if it had not been for 2 guys waiting for us (like guardian angels) in a boat who very kindly paddled us back across the lake!




We met Devika for a final tea down by the lake and then enjoyed salad for dinner before watching yet another DVD and another early night!



Saturday and we were up super early to pack before getting the Greenline bus back to Kathmandu. This was a particularly tedious journey as it took an hour longer than it was meant to and it suddenly dawned on me that we have spent quite lot of time on buses in the last week and generally on the same road too!

Anyhow not exactly great to be back in Kathmandu as it has a harder and angry energy in comparison to Pokhara but at least we were treating ourselves to a fancy hotel, which was actually a Rana Palace and all rather impressive. Mind you we didn't waste much time in taking a taxi 30 minutes up into the hills to Kopan Monastery, home for studying and retreating Tibetan Buddhists. This is such a lovely place, so calm and serene and such a contrast from the city below.




Back in town we did go into Thamel for dinner but we were both keen to get back to the hotel as soon as could, as it just didn't feel right somehow, people have an edge to them, they are not so friendly or open as they are in other parts of the country (not surprising perhaps, given the conditions of life in Kathmandu with its crazy traffic and noise).

Sunday and we got up early for breakfast beforre heading into Thamel so Ewan could find a guidebook for Cambodia. Snow causing chaos in Heathrow meant that his friend was not getting away to meet him upon arrival in Cambodia so now he needed to sort himself out. We then sat by the pool at the hotel for tea before it was time for Ewan to leave for his flight to Delhi, where he had a 9 hour wait, before his flight onto Bangkok and then Siam Riep in Cambodia (lucky thing!).

Of course this was not ideal, but then it has been so long in coming that it was almost a relief. So Ewan left me in tears at the hotel (poor guy) but I quickly pulled myself together and even managed a swim in the hotel pool with the water a mere 9 degrees celcius (the pool attendant thought I was mad, as did I, when I realised how cold it actually felt and I only lasted 10 lengths!). As it happens I only had a fw hours to kill before my own flight to Bahrain and onwards to London Heathrow. Well in theory!

Thank you Nepal and all my friends over here and all the people we met for making this such a wonderful trip. Neither Ewan nor I wanted to leave and I have every intention of trying to get back there again next year.

Namaste!

xx

Chitwan National Park finally!

The World Heritage-listed Chitwan National Park is one of the main tourist attractions in Nepal and completes the Nepal triangle with Kathmandu and Pokhara. We are rather excited about finally getting there and dream of seeing a tiger!

We get a taxi into the park, an hour drive from our overnight hotel in Bharatpur, along yet more pot-holed roads and then a dirk track leading to our resort, which happens to be one of the most popular places in the park set on a large island in the middle of the Narayani River at the western end of the park.

We are treating ourselves because it is rather expensive to stay in the park itself but this is one of the most atmospheric ways to visit Chitwan and it is hard to put a price on the experience of staying deep in the forest, surrounded by the sounds of the jungle. Plus this opportunity will not be there for much longer as the government are forcing lodges within the park to reolcate outside the park's perimeters when their leases expire.

You see Chitwan is one of a few wildlife parks that you can explore on foot when accompanied by a guide and it does not come without its risks - the only thing between you and an animal is a bamboo stick carried by the guide. Potentially scary stuff and you do hear of local villagers being killed by wild elephants and rhinos.

We have to take a wooden boat across the river and it is all rather lovely and atmospheric because for some reason it gets really misty here in the morning and evening and is really cold too! We are both really excited as we have never done anything like this before and it does feel rather special somehow.

At the resort itself all the staff are really friendly and we are led to our room, which is on stilts with views of the river. It is all rather basic, no electricity in the room as such and they are rather damp but there is lighting between 5.30-7.30am and 5.30-9.30am and hot water between 5.30-7.30pm. We also have to make sure to leave all food at the main bar to reduce the risk of attracting rats into our room (and we are warned that we may hear them scuttling over ou roof at night, which I don't notice, thankfully).

After a Yoga practice and some tea, we took lunch (yes you guessed it, more Dahl Bhat at the buffet counter) before we started our program with elephant bathing. Now I am not entirely sure about all this. One of my hosuemates at University has since gone on to become a doctor in some form of elephant research and now runs an elephant research programme and an elephant trust in Botswana so I am aware that perhaps elephants should be left in their natural environment and not exploited by us humans.



Still we felt we should join in and while the river was really cold, the sun was quite warm, so we both took turns to sit on an elephant and have him spray us with water from his trunk. Bless him, I can't help thinking that he probably doesn't enjoy doing this every day but what can we do, I don't know, it just does not rest easily somehow.

After the elephant bathing we went out on a 4-wheel drive with a few of the other guests to get deeper into the jungle. We were out for a few hours and initially we didn't really see anything other than a peacock, which both Ewan and I struggle to get excited about, but then we saw two rhinos from afar and we borrowed someone's binoculars to get a better view, quite incredible really. Then we saw a vulture in a tree, and then a stork, and then some spotted deer (Ewan refused to get excited about seeing deer!) and then on the way back to the river we saw another rhino, closer up this time.




Back at the resort it was getting dark by the time we had been rowed across the river and the temperatures were dropping fast and already we realised that we should have brought our coats with us for these cold evenings. We enjoyed a lovely hot shower back in the room before sharing a drink at the outside bar and then dinner inside and an early night, like 9pm because there was nothing else to do, it was simply too cold and dark!

The next morning we received our wake up call at 5.45am, which felt as early as it sounds and it was cold and dark and damp and we probably should have put on more layers because we spent the next few hours so cold that it took a few hours for me to feel my toes again, but it was still good fun.



This time we were going out into the jungle on an elephant, 3 of us at a time. This was quite some experience, not the most comfortable of rides and we didn't see a single thing. Well actually that is not strictly true. One of the guys at the resort has said the best he saw was a chicken...we didn't even get the chicken, the main distraction was a child's pink rucksack and our elephant driver actually dismounted the elephant to check whether there was anything in the bag (which there wasn't) before flinging it back into the undergrowth. We laughed about that for a few days.

Back at the resort and we had breakfast before heading out for a jungle walk on foot. Now this was slightly more exciting as we happened to walk upon two sloth bears in the undergrowth off to the side of the path. It was quite funny really as we had listened to the guide explain to us what to do if we did come across wild animals - rhinos; climb a tree or run zigzagged, tigers; stare it in the eye and back away slowly; sloth bears (the most-feared animal in the jungle due to its unpredictable nature) make lots of noise; elephants, run for your life!!

So here we were, the guide banging his bamboo pole on the floor and making noise and I instinctively did the one thing I was not meant to do - turn to run away. So much for looking out for others, if that sloth bear was going to kick off I wanted to be as far away from it as possible!! Anyhow thankfully the sloth bears went away and with my heart beating slightly quicker than it has done for some time, we carried on our way.



We came across more kingfishers and crocodiles too, quite incredible atually, to see them there in the wild.

Back at the resort we had a break before lunch, time for Yoga in the sun and an opportunity to simply chill out - it had been quite a hardcore morning!



After lunch there was more elephnt bathing but we gave it a miss this time, before another jungle walk, going to the same place we had been on the 4-wheel drive the day before. This got really quite exciting because we came across an angry rhino. Apparently the rhino has lost its one month old baby and killed a villager 4 days ago.

We didn't know this at the time however and I must admit I was rather alarmed when we all stopped to look at this rhino on the other side of a small waterway, before the guide suddenly started getting really excited and almost running us along the path as he was worried that the rhino had heard our voices and would come looking for its baby where we were - basically she wasn't taking any prisoners at the moment. The deer seemed rather tame after all that and as for the peacock, well wasted on us I am afraid.



Back at the resort we enjoyed another warm shower and dinner before our earliest night ever - 8.30am, quite unbelievable considering we can both be night owls.

The next morning and we had another 5.45am alarm call. This time I wore as many layers as I could for our nature walk, only 45 minutes and we didn't manage to see anything other than the resort's elephants but that doesn't really count!

We ate breakfast by the river before getting a minibus back to Bharatpur and a Greenline bus (we were taking no chnaces this time) back to Pokhara.

The Chitwan is great, we truly enjoyed the experience, it was so relaxing in its simplicity and incredibly grounding and uplifting for the spirit. I can highly recommend - just remember to bring contact lenses with you!

White water rafting on the way to Chitwan

How exciting, in all my visits to Nepal I have never managed to make it to Chitwan so I am really pleased that this is one of the main places Ewan wnats to visit on this trip.

Narayan has organised it all for us and we wake up super early to get ourselves sorted before our 7am taxi to the tourist bus park. It is only when we make it to the bus park that I realise I have forgotten to put in my contact lenses, and even worse than that I have actually forgotten to bring them with me, nor my glasses either.

It is not that I have particularly bad eye sight (and they have improved since I have been practising Yoga)but I can't see distances with total clarity. Which is not ideal when you are going to a national park to look for animals in the wild - and from a distance. In hindsight I would have had time to return to the hotel and pick up my contact lenses but the bus was due to leave at 7.30am and I was in need of a cup of tea (always tea huh, what a pitiful excuse!).

So we get on the bus and Narayan comes to make sure the driver knows where to drop us off as we are initially headed along the highway towards Kathmandu but will stop after a few hours to white water raft down towards Chitwan. See all very exciting. but of course I can't see properly and I am irritated at my stupidity because I managed to pack everything else for both of us!

After a few hours of bumping our way along the road (we did get a short tea break, although it was really cold as this mist hangs in the air outside of Pokhara)we finally get dropped off at Fishling for our white water rafting. Only that this isn't realy the right season for white water rafting as the rivers have calmed down after the monsoon back in the summer. So it kind of turns more so into gentle rafting down the river.

Still it is rather pretty. And cold. There are 8 of us on the raft including the leader and Ewan is sitting in front of me. Narayan had told us to wear shorts and t-shirts which is exactly what Ewan is wearing although I am wearing leggings and a fleece so am slightly warmer. Because the thing is, while the rapids are really rather easy going, you still get wet, and the water is cold, super cold, and so we are cold, which is never ideal.

Ewan spots a kingfisher but it is a bit of a blur to me. I do manage to notice many butterflies, which flutter around the river banks, making for quite a pretty scene. We paddle a little, but it is not exactly taxing and we even stop for a pee break half way down towards our destination. In fact we reach our destination before we know it, I guess we were only actually on the water for about 2 hours and it actually passed really very quickly.

We end up at yet another one of those dusty juntion towns and got to stay here for lunch today...yet more Dahl Bhat in a very local eatery and I feel Ewan is being very brav when he pours water for everyone from a general jug and then proceeds to drink his glass...is he mad, you should never risk the water over here. He is quite surprised he forgot and worries he will get sick.

There are 4 of us going down to Chitwan and we stand at the side of the road with one of the rafting team who has the task of getting us on a local bus for the remainder of the journey. A bus stops and there ensues heated discussions between the rafting team and the bus touts over the price they will pay for us. Finally the rafting team sells us out (well that is who I consider it) because there is only actually one available seat on this very crowded local bus (there are always lots of bags in the thin aisle) and I am not particularly happy about the situation.

We let one of theother girls take the seat and he friend sits on a bag besde her at the bak of the bus. I am notin the best of moods, I am cold and tired and I can't see properly and I feel cheated by the guys for putting us on this bus in the first place. So I sit on the floor of the bus, which is really rather disgusting as the floor is filthy but it is actually really difficult to stand when the bus is bumping all over the place. Ewan stands however andtries to be cheery but I can feel msyelf about to burst into tears so just put my head in my lap and pretend that this whole situation is not happening.

Still I perk up and feel a bit of a drama queen as a few of the men on the bus seem a little concerned. Ewan stands behind me so I can lean into him and he can lean into me and I am totally disorienated as I can't see out of the window. However it is not a pleasant experience and just before we reach our destination one of the woman sitting in a seat to the side of me is falling asleep and almost has her head on my shoulder and coughs from time to time all over me. Delightful! Still I wanted the local experience so what can I expect really, this is just life over here.

It is with some relief that we arrive at our hotel for the night, just outside of the park at Bharatpur Heights. Needless to say this is not exactly what I had in mind (see expectation is a terrible thing!), the brochure made it sound a lovely and quiet place with a swimming pool and character. But we are here out of season and it is cold and the swimming pool is empty and the rooms are really basic (although there is a tv, but it doesn't always work), and we are the only people for dinner again and there are bugs and I still can't see properly (and how ridiculous that I can't just let it go...so much for my Yoga practice and that non-attachment thing!)and so I write my diary and give myself a really good talking to!

So all good fun really!!

Cloudy day and out on the bike again

I am exhausted today. All that trekking up steep hills (let alone down the hill) plus the walk to Dumre and yet another bumpy bus ride and my body is tired and aching.

So we got to early morning yoga - obviously - although only Devika is there today and no electricity so she is meditating so I lead a practise for Ewan and I.

Usual thing, breakfast in the sun to warm up, more shopping (almost all shopping done now!) before buying cakes for the women at the Project and spending some time sitting with them and trying on yet more products.

Devika lends us her motorbike again the afternoon and this time we head out along the Lake to Bijay's village before heading out past the airport and up to rush hour in the old town, which is madness but incredibly good fun. Ewan has got well into the whole biking thing now and I must admit that i quite enjoy it too.

We go for dinner and then met Monie for a drink in the Busy Bee (her local) where the usual loud Nepali band is playing and there is a fire burning for people to huddle around as a lot of the cafes and bars are open fronted or literally outdoor like this one. We meet two of the owners of the Last Resort which hosts Nepal's only bungee jump and this makes for interesting - do something different with your life - type chatter.

Another early night, quite a lovely routine wehave adopted here.

Leaving Bandipur

So while we may have had an early night, we also had an early start. i don't wear a watch but Ewan is rather obsessed with the time and I have to say he is pretty good - I asked him to set his alarm so we could get up for sunrise but he just woke up naturally at 5.50am and that was us done for the night.

We were rather excited about the prospect of sunrise over the Himalaya from the comfort of our balcony but we were up far too early and actually the sun rises a little over to the side at the moment, being that it is December and all. So we wondered around the resort drinking tea and going onto the field at the top where the party was setting up for another day. The views were fairly impressive though and it was a great way to start the day.



We took breakfast on the main balcony before walking down to the swimming pool, which had been one of the main attractions of the resort, only that the pool was empty so no swimming for us. We messed around with the camera instead, Ewan in the pool and me messing around practising Yoga on what could be a ideal place to practise Yoga on a Nepali retreat - in fact the whole resort screamed Yoga retreat centre to me. Oh well, I can but dream!




We decided to go for a morning walk into town and walked down to the public washing area where cool spring water emerges from beneath a forest and the women were doing their morning washing (funny that!) and chanced upon a shrine to Krishna and Radha. there was a kindly man at the shrine who encouraged us to come and take a look. It was rather special.



I don't know, the last few times I have been to Nepal I have been particulalry drawn to Shiva, the God who is responsible for destroying and creating, but this year all I seem to notice is Ganesh, the God of prosperity and wisdom and the remover of obstacles and Krishna, the fun loving cowherd who dallied with the milkmaids, danced, played his flute and still managed to remain devoted to his wife, Radna. So it seemd rather approriate that of all the Hindu shrines we could come across, it was Krishna today, I can sense a meaning there somewhere, but that should be no surprise!

We then decided that we would check out and walk back down to Dumre taking the road. I suspect the motorist who passed us thought us most mad, in fact one bus driver actually stopped to offer us a lift, but we were determined to walk the distnace...which actually surprised us by taking about an hour and a half and in fact towards the end we were walking rather quickly for fear we would miss the last bus back to Pokhara. But alas not, a bus appeared a matter of moments after we reached the bus stop and while it was cmpletely packed with only 2 free seats, we decided to go for it and thus endured another testing bus drive all the way back to Pokhara Old Town before taking a taxi to Lakeside.

Back in town it was tea time again before my early evening Yoga practice on the roof in front of the mountains and in peace.

I thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Bandipur. In many respects it was one of the highlights of the trip because we literally chanced it and just went with the flow of things and had so much fun together, working as a bit of a team. Thank you Universe, iI am very grateful.

Adventure to Bandipur

Adventure time.

We decide it is time to have a break from Pokhara and on Moniek's recommendation we head to Bandipur - a living museum of Newari culture, where winding lanes are lined with tall Newari houses and people here seem to live centuries before the rest of the country.

We kind of chance it. With one bag between the two of us we go for tea at the little bakery at the end of our road before taking a taxi up to the bus park at the Old Pokhara town and - quite by chance - manage to find ourselves on a bus immediately leaving for Dumre, where we will need to get a jeep up to Bandipur, which is draped like a scarf along a high ridge above Dumre.

The bus journey is rather hysterical. The bus system out here is rather crazy. As far as we can work out you have government buses which are very decrepid, then you have lots of private local bus companies, which of course tout for business (and are especially good at ripping off us Westeners) and then you have tourist buses owned by tourist companies for the main tourist routes and then you have the Greenline bus which is the King of all buses over here in terms of comfort.

Anyhow we are on a local bus, which feels like it may fall apart each time it hits a pothole, which it does very often so we are literally bumping our way along the road for about 2.5 hours, only stopping briefly to pick up people or to stop for the passengers to take a pee at the side of the road (which they do, women too) before we finally make it to Dumre in one piece despite the head-on-head-on-the-wrong-side-of-the-road-near-steep-cliffs-driving of the bus driver. Hoorah.

Dumre is yet another one of those depressing dusty junction towns with lots of traffic and beeping and dirt and litter. We manage to find the jeeps but are told by this young guy that it will cost us to go on our own, maybe better to wait for ohers to join us. So we follow our new friend over to a local tea shop where we are served horrid sweet black tea and Ewan chats with the friend and his brother who offers Ewan yet another opportunity to buy Marajuana (honestly, Ewan gets asked all the time, and if he doesn't then it seems kind of weird).

All of a sudden the boys leave us at the tea shop - so much for trying to get us on a jeep - so we go off and decide to simply pay the money (about GBP7 so no real biggy) to get us up to Bandipur and away from the noise of Dumre. It takes about 20 minutes for the jeep to climb its way up the hairpin bends to Bandipur, all the time the air becomes fresher and we are delighted by the views of the mountains, no wonder people visit this place.



In town we have no idea where we are going although we have decided to upmarket ourselves at the one resort in the town. To get there we have to walk through the main lane which is indeed lined with Newari style houses - glorious 18th century architecture - and then up some steps and past the small local maternity hospital (the first time I have seen anything like this) and down across a field which used to be the place where traders would gather to haggle for goods from India and Tibet before starting the long trek t Lhasa or the Indian plains.

This area not only provides fantastic views of the some of the Himalayan peaks but also hosts five huge fig trees (not that we noticed initially, in fact we had no idea that the trees were fig trees and even the fact there were 5 of them didn't stop us andeirng around trying to find normal looing fig trees!). In Nepali mythology the different types of figs are symbols for different Hindu Gods including Vishnu, Brahma and Hanuman.

Anyhow today the area is taken over with lots and lots of parties of Nepali youngsters, clearly on some bit school outing with lots ofdifferent schoolbuses parked nearby. It is kind of cool, lots of different music playing, food being cooked on stoves in massive pots, an atmosphere of celebration in the air, although we still have no idea of the reason.

So we finally find the resort which benefits from a lovely setting surrounded by pine trees and we are given a spacious room with an ensuite bahroom and a balcony affording fantastic views of the Himalayan range and tree tops to our side. It is quiet too, and we later realise that we were the only ones staying at the resort.

Anyhow we decided to make the most of our time in Bandipur and head out in our trekking shoes to trek down the "hill" (more like an incredibly vertical cliff face) to visit Siddha Gufa, said to be the largest cave in Nepal. The Lonely planet says it takes 1.5 hours to climb down, which we struggled to comprehend until we actualy started the descent and discovered that the path is mainly composed of slate tiles and as this side of the cliff does not receive the mid-day sun, the slate was incredibly slippery so at one point I was almost climbing down the steps sideways using my hands to grip onto the path.

Soon we were passed by two younger Western guys who were wearing trainers and virtually running down, whcih made our effort seem, rather lame. More so when we passed some Nepali women in traditional dress with flipflops on their feet climbing with the usual hedge on their back. Madness! Finally the steep steps eased and we were able to along a path before more steps all the way to the cave, about two thirds of the way down the cliff.

I must admit that I was no longer in the best of spirits because all I could think about was the ridiculous walk to get back to the top. plus we were totally unprepared, we barely had any water and we hadn't eaten lunch and only had half a museli bar to share between the two of us.

Amazingly we made it to the cave just after the two other guys (how strange is that, not many tourists in town, not the easiest walk and we happen to be visiting at exactly the same time) and there was a young Nepali guy waiting to guide us through the caves. Admittedly the cave is rather impressive with twisted stalactites and stalagmites but I just could not get into it. I was feeling a little lacking in energy and here we were being led around a dark cave and doing all sorts of things which would no way be approved by health and safety officers in the Western world - we had to go up and down ladders and use a rope to almost abseil down a section.



Ewan kept slippng and I just could not let go of the thought that we could easily kill ourselves in here, or simply twist an ankle, which would be a challenge bearing in mind we are stuck in a cave on a cliff. In fact there was one point where I refused to join the boys as they took another ladder into a deeper section of the cave and so I sat at the top, in total darkness and remembered Devika saying taht she would go to the cave to meditate, so I sat there, closed my eyes and tried to focus on my breathing (which was not so easy as it was hot and stuffy in the cave)although Ewan kept calling to check I was okay and before I knew it they were all heading back up and their torches filled the place with light again.

Needless to say I was actually rather relieved when the whole tour was over - we were in there for 45 minutes - and yet was not in the slightest bit looking forward to our trek back to the top and did debate walking down to the town below and getting a local bus to the Dumre and the jeep back up again. But that seemed silly. So we shared the rest of the museli bar and just went for it.

Like really went for it. I kept wanting to stop but Ewan would keep saying, "another 5 minutes"...which never really came, although we did stop for sips of our limited water from time to time and he did help to push me up certain sections when I got realy quiet. It really did remind me of proper trekking, the fact it becomes more of a mental thing. I got angry and then Ewan would make me laugh.

Amazingly I found a stick that made a perfect walking pole and I decided to just completely go for it. I had some idea where we were on the path although Ewan wouldn't believe me as he seemed to think we would take longer to go up than we had to go down. But alas not. We almost managed it in half the time. And oh my gosh what a relief to reach the top and walk along the ridge and downhill into the main lane.



I downed a litre of water before enjoying the best nepali tea I have ever tasted - this stuff seriously picks you up, it is great! From there we managed to trek back to our resort and I took to my mat to stretch out my aching limbs before helping Ewan do a headstand and then we each enjoye a much needed shower albeit a cold night and the water was not particualrly hot - before heading off for an early dinner, the sunsetting around 5.30ish these days.

And we were literally the only ones in the dining hall, which was kind of weird. But oh such lovely food, probably because we had hardly eaten all day, but we opted for Dahl Bhat to make it easier for the chef, and it was all freshly made for us and tasted delicious.



Back to the room and it was really cold and there was very little to do except wrap up in the blankets and read our books until tiredness got the best of us and we were asleep by 9.30pm!

Visiting the Nepali Yoga Women's Trust and Ewan's shave!

Thursday and we have a day off. Well sort of. We seem to have gotten into a routine whre we are full on one day and then take the next day to integrate and breath!

So we are up super early as usual and go to Yoga for 7.30am but there is no one else there aside from Devika and as there is electricity she is chanting away to Deva Premel, which does nothing for Ewan so he leaves me to it while he goes for a walk along the lake.

We manage about 25 minutes of chanting until the electricity goes off (8am, rather normal these days)and so we practise along side each other, Devika sitting in meditation and me doing my usual post-trekking practise. All rather lovely, a bit like old times, only that we don't then spend the rest of the day lounging around the Yoga centre in our own little Yoga bubble.

Instead Ewan meets me and we head off for our usual breakfast by the lake in the warming sun. I love this time in the morning, when Lakeside is waking up (much later than it would do in the high season) and you hear all the shutters being pulled up and people wafting incense outside the front of their shops and sprinkling water onto the pavement (I am guessing this is to ward off bad energies and bring prosperity) nd lots of greetings of "Namaste".

There are some morning sounds over here I don't so much enjoy. The men (not all men and I must admit I do hear women doing it too) have this thing about coughing up phlegm and spitting it out to the side of the road. The first time I visited nepal and especially when trekking, I was totally repulsed by this morning sound, it was certainly enough to put me off my breakfast, but I must admit that you kind of get used to it and now Ewan and I just chuckle about it instead.

When I was volunteering in a borading school in Kathmandu a few years ago, we ended up taking the health studies class. In their textboks the children were being taught all sorts of "health" things, like not coughing up phlegm and spitting, nor eating with hands and making sure to wash hands and brush teeth and wash etc. Strangely I was aware that when we were eating with Narayan and his family they were all now using spoons to eat their Dahl Bhat whereas last time I visited they were still eating with their right hand (and believe me this is not as easy as it looks, what with the dhal mixed with the rice). So I guess things are changing and with that chnage, perhaps less of the phlegm noise!

Anyhow we did some more shopping - see it gets addictive this whole bartering thing, plus we have the excuse of buying Christmas presents for everyone. And then more Dahl Bhat at Devika's sister's house this time. I love going to eat at Devika's place as the food is always so super healthy and we are not encouraged to eat more than is necessary. So we enjoyed the novelty of brown rice, plus a lovely pickle with fresh spices, lots of home-grown spinach and tasty curd. Yum.



After lunch we walked with Devika to the Trust's shop so I could have a proper look and meet the women again. It is great these days because the women are no longer shy around me and their English has improved so that they are able to understand what we are saying - unfortunatly my Nepali has suffered by my 18 month absence, although I hope to get that sorted next time. I would LOVE to speak Neapli fluently, it would make life so much more fun and interesting when in Nepal as I would understand what people are saying to me (and about me!) and have more bargaining power (it is not necessary to speak Nepali out here by the way, speaking English is deemed the golden ticket to make money in and out of the country so everyone tries to learn it).

The Trust is growing from strength to strength, it really is. I must admit that I stepped back from it the last year, a combination of committing to life in Guersey and also being sick over the summer, so that actually I didn't have so much energy to give. However this has all worked out for the best (or so I feel) as it has forced Devika to really stand on her own two feet (as I have been trying to do myself) and taken me and my impatience out of the equation (I am not so impatient these days by the way, one of the joys of a regular Yoga practise perhaps) and provided the space - and indeed the grounding (think feet) for things to manifest.




So that now there are 7 women (and their families) benefitting from the Trust. Naina has taken a break as she has recently had a baby and needs to be at home with her new son, but we have been joined by 3 others so numbers are higher than ever. One of the ladies is known to me personally - her husband, Dill, was one of the porters on the trek I initially did wih my parents a few years ago and then again last year with Ewan. Mum and Dad developed a real fondness for Dill, a very unassuming, humble and kind man, and have been sponsoring his children's education ever since (not abnormal over here).

Unfortunately Dill died last year when a bus knocked into him when he was walking Sushant (his eldest son of 10 years) home from school. So this meant that his wife, Manu, and his two sons had to move down from their small farm on the Sarangkot hill, to a house owned by Dill's brother in Lakeside, where they now live with Dill's parents and his sister (again this is not unusual over here, extended families tend to live together and in fact families are very close and will always support one another, as long as someone is putting food on the table then all should be well...).

Anyhow Manu is now benefitting from the Trust. She was very shy to begin and lacked the knitting skills learned by the other women, but she has now picked it up and seems to enjoy the company of the other women - I guess it helps to provide a distraction from the achig in her heart. I know the family have struggled to come to terms with Dill's death and her youngest son is still waiting for him to re-appear as he would often go off for weeks at a time on treks.

The quality of the woollen products being made by the women far surpasses the quality of woollen products being sold in Lakeside. The trouble is, the cost of the quality of wool and the time it takes the women to make the socks by hand means that the socks need to sell at a higher price than the other cheaper and less quality socks on offer in Lakeside. This is fine in terms of selling socks abroad (well it would be fine if we did not have to factor in the ridiculous freight/postage charges of getting anything out of Nepal) but means the market is somewhat reduced in Lakeside and all we can hope is that visiting yogis realise that by buying the socks, they are benefitting the women as much as themselves and may justify paying that little bit more.




We now have a lady who is experienced in using a sewing macine so she is busy making Yoga pants and yoga mat bags, while the other women are in the process of making woollen shawls now that socks, gloves and leg warmers are relatively stocked. Needless to say I have invested in yet more woollen products, smaller socks and leg warmers, as they keep me so warm! I can't wait until the day we manage to create the opportuinity for the international Yoga community wearing the Trust's socks, and literally helping women to stand on their own two feet. All rather exciting.

Anyhow we left the women to their knitting so that Ewan could finally gie in and have a shave! Honestly it has been getting ridiculous. There are a number of shaving places throughout town (in fact far more than I realised) and the last few days they have all been on at Ewan to have a shave. He knows he needs to have one - oindeed wants to have one - but he is not particualry happy about the thought of having such a sharp blade so close to his throat and controlled by someone else.




Anyhow he finally relents and I watch and am rather fascinated by the ease at which the young guy shaves Ewan's face. He even gets a head and neck massage of which I am rather jealous, so the whole episode takes about half an hour and costs about £3 and Ewan has baby soft skin for the next few days!

After all that excitement we head for tea and then another walk along the Lake, watching the sun drop behind the hills, before heading off to visit Manu at her house and deliver presents from my parents for the boys. We also caught up with Naina and her daughter Neha who is also supported by my parents.

There was no electricity at the hotel by the time we were done, so we headed to Cafe Amsterdam for a drink until the noise of the live band got too much (young bands are all the rage here, but they are clearly expressing their angst about the political situation as they play music LOUD) and so we went for dinenr before another relatively early night.

Trekking to Narayan's village

Wednesday and another active day.

Narayan wants to take us up to his village so we leave the hotel by taxi at 8.30am and stop to pick up Dick and Honey, a Dutch couple who sponsor Narayan's brother's children and who are going up to the village the easy way. Unlike us.

So the taxi drops us at the side of the road in the river valley the other side of Sarangkot to Lakeside. And before we know it we are trekking up the steep cliff for about an hour. My body goes into shock. I am still not 100% and my legs feel heavier than ever, even though they are not, but you know what I mean. And I can feel my heart going crazy, what with the strenous nature of trekking up steep steps without a walking pole to ease the pressure.

We stop every so often, Ewan trying to keep my spirits high, and I am almost pleased to find that Narayan is sweating rather profusely, seems we are all finding it hard work today. About 2/3rds of the way to the top, we pass an old man sitting outside his simple house with baby goats playing in the garden. Ewan and I have got this thing about the cuteness of baby goats and so we stopped to take a photo. The man being of the older and thus particularly hospitable generation, invited us in for a glass of fresh buffalo curd, which he churns by hand having first milked the buffalo.




It is an intersting taste. Quite nice really. Although one glass was quite enough for me, Ewan was sweet enough to take another glass so as not to offend the kindly gentleman who even invited us into his house so we could see how he churns the stuff manually. For Ewan this was his first glimpse into a village house and was a real treat for both of us.

Back on the trail, the intensity had eased somewhat. I do love getting up into the villages like this, they may not be far away from Pokhara here but it feels like a totally diffeent world. One very much lived in connection with nature. As Narayan tells us, you can live in the villages without really needing much money except for clothes and electricity (yes, amazingly the villages are slowly becoming connected too) because most people live from the land.

Not that this is easy. In fact it looks like back breaking work. The steeped fields are skinny and need to be ploughed by wooden plough dragged by oxon. Then there is all the other work involved in cropping and drying and storing all the rice, corn and vegetable supplies and dealing with the monsoon and the colder weather in the winter.



The views at the top, up near Dhampus, are magnificent. You gain a different perspective of Machhapuchha, otherwise known as Fishtail, and from this angle Narayan took great delight - hilarity in fact - in showing us how the mountain peak resembles a tiger. Which it does. We chuckled over that one for quite some time believe me.

We carry on along the ridge, passing more villages and indeed villagers - the women are often out collecting leaves and wood for the animals and fire resepctively and it is quite incredible how much they carry on their backs so that they often resemble a walking hedge and put us to shame with their strength and ability to still smile and say "Namaste". Which is basically what everyone says over here all the time. Each day we must say a hundred "Namastes" to the people we pass. It is all rather lovely.



So we walk for what feels like ages but is only actually 3 hours, with the wonderful view of the mountains to our left and even a few eagles overhead, before we finally trek up the last bit (and believe me by that time, with the midday sun overhead, it was all getting a little tough on one's energy levels)to Narayan's village, Astam, where his brother, Netra, lives with his wife and currently Dick and Honey staying who are helping him do some painting on his house.

Dick and Honey are a true inspiration. 65 and 64 respectively, they have visited Nepal many times. This time they are here for 3 months and have been doing an awful lot of trekking and staying in tents, very impressive actually. They have been sponsoring Netra's 3 children for many years, ever since he was their trekking guide on one of their first treks. They have also provided initial financing to implement a scheme to provide each villager with a clay oven so the people can cook in their kitchens without the usual stench of firewood, which ends up affecting the health - and indeed eye sight - of the people.




They are all waiting for us at Netra's house. Dick is already working on the house and Honey is resting up with some knitting in the garden (she had managed to do something to her back on one of the treks and was in need of time out to encourage it to settle and heal). Netra had prepard Dahl Bhat so we enjoy our second dhal bhat of the trip sitting outside Netra's house and enjoying the views of his vegetable garden and the mountains in the distance.




After lunch and a cup of fresh lemon grass tea, Narayan takes us for a look around the local village school before we begin the hour or so descent back down to the main road where we took a taxi back to the hotel at Lakeside.

Back in town, I practise Yoga on the roof of the hotel, the sunsetting behind the Peace Pagoda and the orange glow of the mountains ahead of me. My body enjoys the opportunity to stretch and release all the trekking-tension from my thighs and calf muscles and literally stretch and twist out the kinks. Plus it is a lovely opportunity to be quiet and still on my mat too, just absorbing the pulsating energy of the environment out here, one of my favourite times of the day when everyone is preparing dinner.

Lucky us, we did not think we would have a chance to get into the mountains this time, but thankfully Narayan provided the opportunity and we only wish we now had more time to do a proper trek, this is what is so special about Nepal, getting out into the villages and testing the mind as much as the body with the relentless walking terrain.

Namaste!

xx

Out on the bike!

Tuesday and I feel pants again, clearly my meal choice last night was not the best. Oh well, c'est la vie, just means we miss morning Yoga.

Still we have plans for the day, not a lot of sitting around going on here. We have arranged to borrow Devika's motorbike. Not that either of us has a licence, but apprently that is not necessary to ride a bike over here. Thankfully Ewan has ridden a bike before, albeit many years ago, off road, some dirtbike or something, oh and he used to sit on the back of his Dad's scooter, so we should be okay then huh?!!

We hire a helmet for Ewan, we are taking no chances over here, before we head off to Sarangkot, where you can get really good views of the Annapurna Himalaya (although the views from town are fairly special at this time of year when the skies are clear - the paragliders have been out in force since we arrived, all taking off from Sarangkot).

Off course this is not the smoothest of rides. I am sitting behind Ewan and have every confidence n his ability to operate the bike although we do seem to stop and start quite often, quite tricky in the middle of busy roundabouts! Plus of course we are not quite sure where we are going so get lost before we finally find our way up the steep hairpin bends to the top of the hill (quite some hill).

I am still not feeling great but feel it is only fair to trek the 30 minutes from the bike park (well an area where we can leave the bike by some women in exhange for a small fee)up to the top of Sarangkot to see the views. I have been up here before with Devika for sunrise, but now it is the middle of the day and the walk is rather taxing, my legs feel like lead and Ewan pushes me up the final bit (bless him, he usually does this for say a minute and then lets me go so that the next step is really difficult, but this time he pushes me the whole way!).



The views are stunning and the walk was well worth the effort. We stop on the way back down the hill at an eldery lady's cafe for some tea (see, it is all about the tea over here!) and water. The lady has rotten teeth and is very pleased to show us her Hong Kong coins that someone gave to her. So we leave her a Guernsey pound note and buy one of her anotated views of the Annapurna range, and she gives us some free postcards, bless her, sometimes it is not all about the money.

So we get back on the bike and head out to Begnas Lake via the old Pokhara town. This is where things start to get a little hectic but lucky old me as I get to switch off as Ewan has to really concentrate on all the obstacles around him. The roads are terribel over here, tons of pot holes, like tons of pot holes, and while people drive on the left, you rarely have a single line of traffic as bikes and taxis and buses and trucks all overtake each other, beeping the whole time, so that it is not unusual (in fact it is actually very normal) to find yourself heading literally head to head with an oncoming vehicle, which is overtaking on your side of the road.

Seriously, how on earth I have never seen an accident over here I will never know. But the weird thing is, this crazy traffic system seems to work somehow. At home everyone would be getting realy stressed and suffering with mad road rage, but here people are completely chilled and are very courteous to one another, so that the traffic does manage to flow.

Ad of course it is not just the vehicles on the road, but you also have to keep your eyes out for people crossing the road, wandering cows, stray dogs and anything else that can move really! But Ewan does an incredible job of not riding into anything or anyone. Admittedly I was a little cocnerned when we did stall the bike in the middle of the round about in a crazy part of town, but we lived to tell the tale and we only got shouted at once when i thought we were going down a one-way road so Ewan pulled on the brakes and the minibus behind us had to sway out of his way. We found it all rather entertaining, we weren't going down a one-way road after all!

Begnas is stunning. I have visted previously with Devika but this time the views are clearer. We go to the Japanese resort, which literally sits on the bank of Begnas Lake, and cost a fortune to stay, and eat a very late lunch while sitting on the long balcony chatting to the waiter. Great stuff.



We don't stay long as we are aware that we really need to get back before it gets dark and already the sun is setting. Riding along the road out of Begnas a monkey runs in front of us and across the road. Got to love it! Needless to say we have left it a little late and the traffic in Old Pokhara is rather crazy, what with it being rushhour, and we end up riding back into Lakeside in the dark, whichis testing for Ewan, but leavs him feeling rather elated that he has got us back home in one piece. I never doubted his ability!

We went to Dorje's other cafe, Moondance, for dinner with Moniek and had a good evening catching up on life in Lakeside for Westerners trying to run a business in Nepal. And then another early night!

x

Back to normal, Yoga and massage

Monday morning and life is back to normal...well as normal as it gets out here! We are up early and manage a cup of Nepali tea in one of the little German bakeries in town before heading to Devika's Yoga class at 7.30am. It is lovely to be back in the "studio" on the first floor of Mamma Mia restaurant, Devika has done well in making the room lovely even if it is a little chilly without any heating to warm the room on these cold mornings.

After class Ewan and I head to one of the cafes by the Lake - Boomerang - where we warm ourselves in the morning sun while drinking tea and eating breakfast. I decided I wasn't going to get back into the local tea scene but it is just too tempting, I absolutely adore Nepali masala tea, simple as that!

We potter around town, I wasn't sure I wanted to do much shopping while I am here but it is just too easy. Lakeside is stacked with s many small shops selling all the same srt of things and it is all too easy to get into the barterting game. I am not so good at it as Ewan these days, he really does manage to find a price which seems to work for everyone. Perhaps I have already said this but I am aware that often we are bartering over a few pounds and while this is off season and shopkeepers are more flexible in reducing prices, the money they earn does have to inance their families until the next high season in a few months time.

In the afternoon we each have a massage from two of the women from the Trust in the Yoga studio, lying on blankets on the floor - Nepali way. The women are great, Devika should be proud, she has been training them the last few years and they have had a good deal of practice and are now offering their services to the general public. The women really work with their intuition and I feel really good after the massage - and it is also amazing to see how much more the confident the women are these days, not anywhere near as shy as they were when I first started visiting.

We meet Devika for dinner at Dorje's new cafe - Olive, very much based on the western cafe culture with familiar dishes on the menu. Ewan and I are still a little nervous about what we eat and I probably don't make the best choice, but it is difficult to now what is best, the body sometimes just takes a few days to adjust. Then home for another DVD and another early night - rather common over here, and great for getting up early the next morning!

Illness and our first Dahl Bhat!

So there we are, safely in Pokhara, and yet neither of us are feeling 100%. After dinner that first evening at one of the many cafes in town, and as we were walking back to the hotel, I am waffling on to Ewan about the fact I have a much stronger constitution than him (he was sick last time we were here and when we were trekking in the mountains too, poor thing) and my stomach can cope with most things...only to find myself wth my head over the toilet only a matter of hours later.

Yes, I had been in Nepal for just over 48 hours and here I was already, sucumbing to sickness. So I spent most of the night alternating between head down toilet, or lying on the floor outside the bathroom wrapped in a blanket while Ewan did his best to offer support, but to be honest, I was happy to try and deal with this on my own. Joy.

Anyhow by mid morning, with absolutely nothing left in my system and thanks to the help of grapefruit seed extra I was able to move again. No lying around where Ewan is involved, and actually maybe it is for the best. So we pottered very slowly around town, reading the local papers and trying to settle my stomach with a banana lassi (all that potentially good bacteria of course).

It is cold over here these days. Well it is cold during the early morning and evening and yet really rather warm with the heat of the mid day sun, so you can never quite work out what to wear, I am only pleased I brought my coat with me from the UK as I have certainly needed to wear this every evening.

In the evening and feeling a little better (although Ewan of course worried that he is also going to end up ill) we walked up to Narayan's new house, which is actually his new hotel, for dinner and to have a look around. It is quite incredible really, how hard Narayan has worked and continues to work to create this reality for his family.

It is a lovely building with a few rooms he can rent out to visiting tourists thereby having another income flow to add to the Hotel Celesty Inn and also his travel business. He has battery power for when the electricity is unavailable and from this they are able to run a fridge/freezer (a luxury for any woman in her kitchen ovr here) and also a computer with WIFI.

We ate dinner with Narayan and his brother Netra, who was visiting from his village, and his two youngest children. I always find this rather odd over here in Nepal that the women take the time to make the dinner and yet do not eat until everyone else has finished. And things are done the other way around over here. You have a cup of tea or a soft drink and sit around chatting before the meal and then when the meal has finished, this generally marks the end of the evening.

We ate Dahl Bhat, the first of many. This is the main Nepali dish which is generally eaten by most Nepalis twice a day every day of the year. Everyone's Dahl Bhat seems to taste a little different but generally they all include a combination of rice, vegetable (or chicken) curry, spinach, dahl (lentil soup to mix with the rice), pickle, salad, curd and poppodum. Perhaps it is simply because we are visitors, but you always get offered a little bit more of each dish and it is encouraged to accept a little bit more too - but with a dodgy stomach I did well to finish most of the food on my plate and must admit I felt beter for it too - Dahl Bhat is cooked fresh using fresh local vegetables and spices and have a feeling some of these help to settle one's stomach.

So an early night. We are back into the routine because as long as there is electricty then we can lie on the bed and entertain ourselves with a cut price DVD while drinking herbal tea. Life is really rather simple for us over here!

xx