23rd Nov
Waiting in Pokhara this morning for one of those experiences that a few of us are foolhardy enough to do. Don’t know about the rest, but for me it is along the lines of climbing Sydney Harbour Bridge just because I am 50 – this time it is paragliding over Pokhara! I’ll not say who else is doing it!
We have just had an incredible trip up from Pokhaha to a lodge owned by Narendra and Chandra – must be one of the best places to stay in th eworld with stunning views up a gorge filed with blue-white water from mineral deposits and overshadowed by Fishtail and the Annapurnas. Good beds, proper toilets – Shangri-La and paradise were heard as people tried to find words to describe it. Even by moonlight it was incredible as the mineral rich water perfectly reflected the light to compliment the snowcapped peaks. In front of the lodge is a round patio area with stepped seating around the sides to allow a perfect view. We jokingly suggested to Chandra that he needed a large fire bowl for us to sit round all evening rather than going inside to eat. 5 minute later a wheelbarrow has had its wheel removed and in propped up on a stone with a log fire which burned all evening. The next morning we trekked through jungle, passing monkeys and adding to our list of birds – the most impressive of which had been 2 lammergeyers wheeling above us as we arrived. We reached a Magar village with buffalos threshing rise, dung fueled methane gas works, drying millet and soy beans and other ‘medieval’ farming practices.
Soon time to trek out of the valley to catch the public bus back to Pokhara and visit the Gurkha museum – great memories triggered for me of my time with QGE – photos of Perowne barracks and Sekkong swimming pool!
I’ll keep this short as local computers seem incapable of dealing with large chunks of text or photos. As long as all the paragliders are OK we will have a big party on Narendra’s roof terrace tonight as a farewell to Pokhara as it is back to KTM tomorrow.
