Pokhara, Nepal

Following our 7 hour bus ride (to drive 200 km!!) through some beautiful rural Nepal we arrived in Pokhara, where we've been based for about a 2 weeks now. Pokhara is a much smaller city than Kathmandu, its population sits at around 120,000. All around Pokhara is rural farming, similar to what we've seen throughout the foothills of Nepal. Nepal is mostly serious mountains so all of the farming is done on what seems like endless terraced land which steps up and down the mountains, valley after valley. Pretty mind boggling to think of the amount of work required to cut and mould all this terraced farm land. We have been told that most of what is grown is rice, corn and wheat, with 2 harvests a year. The people that live in the rural areas are incredibly adept at living in these far-from-flat landscapes. When you watch them it seems gravity defying how quickly they can move about and function on the slopes. Houses for the farmers cling to the mountain sides, most only accessibly by footpath. We have heard stories of children who must climb up and down mountains to go to school sometimes taking 3 hours for a one way journey. Most of the farming is done by hand; no machines are involved on these terraces, although we have seen water buffalo pulling a plow in the lower valleys, with the farmer riding the wooden plow. The farming techniques have probably not changed much in hundreds of years. Within the last month we have been watching the women harvest the rice from the fields. They can carry massive amounts of the rice stalks on their heads (looks like wheat) and then they beat the stalks to loosen the rice. Although it is hard work, the women are still wearing bright coloured sarees, which look really beautiful dotted all over the landscape.


We came to Pokhara, because it is located on lovely lake called Phew Tal, which normally has excellent views of the Annapurna Range of the Himalayas. Unfortunately we are here at totally the wrong time of year for views, as the Himalayas are totally obstructed by thick haze. We were really disappointed about this because we have come such a long way, but we have since caught a tiny glimpse of them, so at least we know the Annapurnas truly are there! And they are huge mountains!!! No great photos yet though, but hopefully as we do our 3 week trek up above 5000m, we will get climb above the haze and see more of the giants!


Last week we went on a 3 day rafting trip down the Kali Gandaki, which is Nepal's holiest river. This river is located in a remote region and the few villages along the way only have access to the outside world via footpaths. The scenic and quiet journey down through the gorge was just what we were hoping for and camping along the river's edge in a tent was wonderful. During the evenings we had a white sandy beaches to camp on, with beautiful lush green hills all around us. We could hear the bats flying madly above us all night and sky would magically light up every few seconds from lightening in the distance. To top it all off, our candlelit campsite was visited by cute fireflies throughout the night and that was a real joy to us all. Our rafting group was such a great mix of people that we all hung out together the whole time and had a superb time.


Two days ago we hired motorbikes with a few from our rafting trip and we drove up one of the valleys for a couple hours. We stopped for a little picnic of coffee and biscuits, which was a real treat. We all loved having the freedom of the open road at our fingertips (we're usually restricted to public transport) and it was great to be back on a motorbike with the warm wind in our hair.

It is currently Nepali New Year here (Happy New Year 2064!!) and the Nepali's have been celebrating for over a week with traditional music pelting out to the streets and the big festival is right next to our hotel. The ferris wheel is a big rickety contraption with paint chipping off and it goes far to fast for it's own good. In fact, the seats hanging from the wheel virtually catapult off when it reaches full speed, and people scream like they should on a roller coaster, not a ferris wheel! Certainly different "Health and Safety" standards!!

In a few days we will start the 21 day Annapurna Circuit, which is a trek that will take us from 1000m-5400m through various landscapes and high mountain villages. We are really looking forward to being high in the mountains and will hopefully get some great views. We hired our porter, Rajoo last night, who speaks good English and has great knowledge of the region. We both feel a bit odd about hiring someone to carry our backpack for us, but the Nepalese think it's odd if we don't, so heck, why not, it will certainly make the trek at high altitude that much easier!