I'm not at work today

I’ve been hanging out in Pokhara for just over 3 weeks now. I have become used to the almost daily power cuts but when they happen just before the start of the championship deciding motogp race it can be frustrating! On the “Brightside” all the bars have generators…now that is what I call a good excuse for going down the pub!
There are 3 or 4 main pubs here and I have gravitated towards the Busy Bee. The bar is just the right height for my elbow! For watching football the Amsterdam bar is the best choice. I did go to the blues bar on a couple of occasions. However when a Kenny G track came over the sound system I knew then that they had lost my custom and that I would never return.

The apartment I’ve rented is relaxing and mostly quiet. The dog next door took an instant dislike to me but after showing it my Dog Behaviour Correction Baton or DBCB as I call it, it ran straight back into it’s yard and I’ve yet to see it again.

The Paragliding course starts in about 4-5 weeks and to help fill the days and to try and restore some lost fitness I have brought myself a mountain bike. This being Himalayan country the roads aren’t what you would call flat. Luckily I love going uphill!!!

There are 4 roads out of Pokhara:

1) North to Baglung
2) South to Tansen
3) East to Kathmandu
4) West along the northern shore of the lake

With the exception of number 4 they all involve at least one serious climb. The main road to Kathmandu is probably the easiest but it is also the busiest as well and best avoided.

Today I went south and after 90 minutes of uphill mostly 1st gear peddling I reached the top. The blast back down the mountain was cool. I love overtaking motorbikes on the tight corners and holding up the buses on the straight sections. The bike is okay, well after fixing it twice in 2 days (and it was brand new!) but it is not the trike!
One point that proves this fact is my sore arse!

Dogs in Nepal aren’t a problem when you’re peddling along the road…here buffalos are the main cause for concern!

Once my friend Brian read the email I had sent him I knew that he would be booking some time off work and joining me in learning to paraglide. He’s turning up a few days before the course starts! I feel that by then listening to cover bands every time I go to the bar will have lost some of its original appeal. If I can leave Pokhara early next year and am still able to listen to Radiohead’s Creep without flinching I will be more than happy!

What else….

Firstly things that are bugging me (a little bit)

• The supermarkets sell pasta but yet they don’t sell pesto!!!!
• At 1st not having a fridge was annoying
• Even after 3 weeks the drug dealers are still whispering at me when I go by
• There is no lettuce in Nepal…how the hell can I have a decent salad
• I’ve officially given up trying to find a cafeteria

Things that are making me smile

• The fact that I haven’t had to go to work for over 18 months
• My ability to be the “mother of invention”. Just by using two plastic bottles and a sharp knife I have created a perfectly good coffee maker!
• The monsoon season is over…finally!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• Seeing snow covered mountains peaks when I walk down the main street
• Topping up my suntan

Damn…I have a hard life!