Having returned to Pokhara, I spent some time typing up this blog and generally resting up, as my calves were hurting quite a lot for a few days. I'd booked a place to stay for a few days in the Lakeside district before returning to Kathmandu to catch the flights to Myanmar, and the hotel offered me an upgrade, which meant I had a slightly better room on the upper floor, with fabulous views of the mountains.
On one of the days, I hired a boat to take me across Phewa Lake to the other side from where I was staying, which is quite a short trip. From there I climbed up to the World Peace Stupa, and it was a fairly steep but pleasant trek to the top, with great views of the lake. Unfortunately the much-anticipated views of the Annapurna range didn't materialise as heavy low-lying clouds obscured everything. I wish I had had more time on that side of the lake, as there is a Tibetan refugee settlement which is open to the public and home to those who fled the violence of the Chinese invasion of 1959. Apparently they have maintained their language and Buddhist practise through all those painful years of exile.
I also visited the International Mountain Museum, which was an unintended consequence of a lightning strike in Pokhara, which meant that all public services ceased to function. I had intended to catch a bus from Lakeside to Begnas Tal and Rupa Tals, two small lakes a few miles from Lakeside, and go on a trek that apparently provides great views. When I'd heard of the strike, I hadn't anticipated that public bus services would be affected, but they were, hence the need for an alternative plan. Even the private tourist buses were affected, and a number of the shops were closed as well.
The International Mountain Museum was a fair trek, but manageable and well worth the effort. There was a lot of information about the people of the mountains, Nepal's diverse ethnic groups and their respective cultures, as well as the great mountains and the diferent expeditions from around the world that have scaled them over the years. The flora and fauna of the mountains received a lot of attention, and I thought the examples of equipment used by mountaineers 50 or 60 years ago, like rucksacks, gloves and boots were really interesting. It is incredible how mountaineering equipment has developed over the years, and its astonishing to think of how climbers of the past achieved what they did using such basic materials. There was also an interesting section of the exhibition space looking at Hilary and Tensing's conquest of Everest through some wonderful photographs from the time. There was also quite a depressing section looking at the influence of global warming on environmental degradation in the Himalayan region, and the devastation caused by meltwater, including flash flooding. All quite sombre but necessary. A very well-resourced museum that was more interesting than i'd expected it to be, or that my guide book had suggested it would be.
In my infinite wisdom, I had also managed to exceed the 28 day limit on my visa, which meant spending a morning at the immigration office whilst a trio of officials sat behind their desks drinking water, exchanging smalltalk and occasionally processing the odd visa application when they could be bothered whilst making sure all applicants served their time of waiting approximately two hours for applications to be processed. Oh the eternal joy of bureaucracy.
The return bus journey to Kathmandu was lit up by clear blue skies, and the distant mountains looked magnificent. It would have been the perfect day to have climbed the Peace Pagoda from the lake, as the views would have been memorable. The day I reached Kathmandu was the Hindu spring festival of Holi, which people celebrate by smearing each other with coloured paints. I've never seen so many people grinning with the joy of it, quite surreal.
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| Last view of the mountains |
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| On the way to Kathmandu |
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| Celebrating holi in Kathmandu |
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On the way to Kathmandu
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