Namaste mero saathiharu! Pokhara update....read away....
So I've been in Nepal for just over a week now, but unfortunately I've been sick most of the last few days. In fact after we ate at this expensive restaurant in Kathmandu on our last night there, I had my first power chunder in Nepal. But I was okay by morning and caught a bus to Pokhara. The bus ride was fantastic, the views were great as it followed a river most the way through valleys and then over mountains. But sitting next to the window and banging my already sore head against didn't help ease my illness. Nonetheless, it was great seeing much more of the country side and remote parts of Nepal. In fact, we read in the lonely planet after doing the kathmandu to pokhara route in a day, that you should take 3 days at least and explore the sights on the way. But its okay, we had to get to Pokhara anyways.
Pokhara is simply stunning. As we journeyed closer on the bus, you could see the Himalayas in all their grandeur sticking up over the clouds. From Pokhara itself you can see the entire Annapurna range with the Fishtail peak in the middle which is always mesmerizing. We met some staff here and then met Asim for dinner at night. All the places were closed because of some strike, so we ate in the volunteer house which is just up the hill near lakeside. Pokhara is famous for its views of the Annapurnas and of its lake, Phewa Tal which I can see out the window as I type. The food was very similar to Dhal Baat which to be honest is getting old real fast, but it's part of the experience. There's also another reason it's getting old which I'll get to in a second. Anyways, we hung out by the volunteer house that night then said bye to the other volunteers as I would be heading out with Anna, Ash and Lauren to Nirmal Pokhari (our remote village) in the morning.
As I woke up on the 8th, not freezing for a change, I could see glimpses of the Annapurna Ranges through the window. So I jumped up and saw clearly how amazing they just were since they were covered mostly by cloud when we came in to Pokhara. Then we had a quick breakfast and loaded the jeep up and went along with Asim's family up to Nirmal Pokhari. It was a bumpy ride. Bumpy, but not as bad as Mongolia and it only took about an hour. Then we were greeted by Laxman who is my host father for my stay here and he has hosted many volunteers over the last 3 years. Laxman's place was what I had expected from all the stories, a typical Nepali brick mud house with the "toilet" outside. In fact it's kinda like the workshops on the farms. I'm staying with Ash in this tiny room at the moment that you can't stand up straight in because of the tarp protecting you from the roof falling apart. But that's at least better than Anna and Lauren who had a GIANT spider living in their room. Pretty much the size of my whole hand but he is now dead because Laxman high fived him bare handed last night. Very cool. The first day was great though, we walked up to the hillside for some even more amazing views. I gotta take my camera up soon and get some shots when its clear, but we got plenty of time. We also saw the day care centre and the 'library' which is just a small room. Afterwards we also went and saw the 'natural tap' which is just a tap at the end of a stream where everyone in the village washes. For some reason, I think I won't be using it that much even though they say the water is fine. Also, Laxman shared some of his awesome fruit with us. Did I mention right next door to my room is two buffalos, heaps of chickens, a couple of goats and fantastic fruit trees. Mandarins were basically all I ate yesterday. But there are bananas, papayas, coffee beans and some other exotic fruits too. Oh yeah, and the staircase to get from laxman's place to the library is extremely tiring not to mention guarded by monkeys. I'm thinking not getting my rabies shot may have been a bad idea.
Anyways, time is running short and so much more to say so I'll get to the point on why I'm here in Pokhara only after being in nirmal pokhari for 2 days. Basically I already got sick in kathmandu but recovered well, then the first morning in nirmal pokhari i threw up and had to squat on the toilet for a while after being hit with nasty you know what. It's sorta feeling better today after hitting it with imodium and gastrolyte keeping me hydrated. But eating dhaal bat with my hands will probably not happen again. And yeah, i was super missing a sandwich, clean underwear and a toilet with a seat so i came back here. Oh and we took the bus down from the village but rode on the top. We heard it was dangerous, but all the volunteers and the 2 dutch guys staying with us highly recommended it. And now so do i.
But even with a bloated stomach i did explore the village yseterday which was great. i'm really excited about teachin gin the secondary school. even for such a simple government school, their maths is pretty advanced. i'm guessing because its similar to india. but yeah, seems like they want me to teach maths more being an engineer and i think the other girls will teach english which should be great fun. I also went to the library in the arvo and played with the kids there. actually i spent most of my time with the older kids taking turns at reading whilst the sun set and light disappeared.
That's pretty much all that has happened over the last few days, the little stories will have to wait for another day as I gotta get back to the bus stop soon. Hope everyone is enjoying the warm weather, I'm definitely enjoying the warmer weather here in Pokhara. But not quite warm enough to dry my clothes unfortunately. And hopefully the next time I write I won't have vomited 5 times and had explosive stomach and stool problems.
Ram
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