COUNTRY: Nepal
PROGRAM: UniBreak Groups
PROJECT: Education
WRITTEN BY: Flinders University Education Students, Pokhara, Nepal
The taxi that usually takes us to school is the one that drives us up the steep winding road to Sarangkot. It doesn’t have the tightest engine at the best of times and really struggles up the steep road, sounding its horn at each bend. The road itself is in the same state of disrepair as the entire Pokhara road network.
A good taxi driver is one who knows how to drive around the thousands of huge potholes thus affording his passengers a slightly more comfortable ride.
In places, bags of garbage have been employed in an attempt to fill gaping holes in the road. Roads seem to be in a poor state of repair everywhere, yet ostensibly a good network of sealed roads exists. Perhaps this indicates that maintenance cannot keep up with the damage caused by regular heavy rains.
The thought of driving a car here could qualify as an extreme sport, yet drivers all seem calm and acutely aware of all that is going on around them.
Back to the journey up the bumpy road to Sarangkot…
The walk from the end of the road up steep winding steps to the hotels and shops of Sarangkot gives a great view of the countryside surrounding Pokhara. Locals offer their services as porters to carry bags to the top.
The weather holds, but sitting outside for dinner we feel as though we are inside the clouds. Soon some rain comes so we re-locate under cover. Choosing food that is safe to eat and tasty presents something of a challenge when eating away from our homestay accommodation. By the end of the evening at Sarangkot some of the group are questioning their choice of chow mien.
Next morning alarms are set to wake us from our one night stay at Sarangkot before another steep climb up steps to the top where we watch the sunrise with international tourists. The morning is fairly clear and the view is spectacular in all directions. After working the cameras overtime we descend as far as the hotel for breakfast. Around this time any suggestion that for those about to paraglide a light meal is recommended is forgotten. This is to prove a cause for regret for some.
Following breakfast we walk down some steep steps to the appointed meeting place for our paragliding experience. Harnessing up and taking off is the hardest part. Once the air is under the sail the gentleness of the ride, the bird’s eye view, and the sensation of weightlessness… it all finishes too soon, after about 25 minutes in the air. We ride back to lakeside to collect the DVD of our amazing flight.
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