Pokhara (May 22)

We started the day off at 4 am again in order to drive to a lookout and see the sun rise. This time we were close enough that we could actually see the snow on Mt Machhapucha and the Annapurna range in the Himalayans (Pronounced by the locals as him-all-ee-ans, means "big mountains" in Nepali). From the lookout we headed back to the hotel for breakfast and to complain about the giant cockroaches in our beds last night (EWWWWWWW!). Then it was off to our first site of many. Yes folks, we were tour busing it.

1) Gupteshwar Makadev cave is a holy site for the Hindus because there is a large stalagmite in the middle of one of the caverns believed to be Shiva, or a close proximity thereof. While we were there there was a priest chanting and ringing bells while decorating the pillar with flowers. We weren't allowed any pictures unfortunately. At the end of the cave there was a waterfall that came from our next holy site...

2) Devi Falls is part of a religious recreation park, my favorite part was the wishing fountain where a tiny statue of a goddess stood under a mirror clear pond holding a tiny dish (size of a penny) If you can get a coin to land there she would grant you any wish. It was the prettiest way to bilk us of our money that I've seen so far!

3) Next we were off to The World Peace Pavilion for a quick switch in religions. This is a world heritage site that was built by a Buddhist and had something to do with completing a prophecy. The site was destroyed by bad guys in the not so distant past and the current pavilion was built to promote World Peace and compassion. It is a huge white dome with 4 giant gold buddha statues surrounding it on all compass points. It is absolutely gorgeous up close, but can be seen gleaming up on the hilltop from down below in Pokhara as well. We picked up another dog at the pavilion, this one white and fluffy. She fiercely fought off another dog to hang out with us. On the way down the steep steps away from the temple, 3 water buffaloes descended the trail right behind me and I found myself having a staredown with one of them as he tried to run me over. Luckily there was a spot to step off the trail (and I realize that no one believes what I write anymore, this trip is just so crazy!).

4) The Gurkha Memorial Museum - I got lots of pictures with James in mind, it was very cool. I didn't really know much about the Gurkas before coming to Nepal,but since being here I've seen several groups out training and they are very impressive. Nothing like running straight up a mountain carrying all your gear on your head in the middle of the hottest part of the day to get the heart rate up. The soldier get paid really well for their service to the British and the families of the Gurkha are some of the best cared for in the country. The soldiers that come back spend their time and money on building back country infrastructure such as bridges and roads. They seem more organized and caring then the Nepali government for the welfare of the Nepali people.

5) Hey look, lunch.

6) After lunch we rented canoes and rowed ourselves out to a temple in the middle of the lake. We got there just as it started to Monsoon, rain and lightning, so we took shelter under a pagoda and played "two truths and a lie" until it stopped again, much to the entertainment of the locals who were sheltering with us. We raced the canoes back to the shore afterwards and the girls beat the big, strong tour guides :) See? scouting is a good investment in real life skills...

We finally returned to the hotel for a short break before we hit the town again to celebrate Steph's 20th birthday.

7) Amsterdam cafe - We walked in and the first person I saw was very tall and thin and looked like he stepped out of the 70's "Freak Brothers" comic. He had long hair and a top hat stuffed with flyers and papers. He wasn't quite all there either...don't ask me where he was. The cover band at the cafe was Nepali but could imitate any western band perfectly. The singer did Pink Floyd, AC/DC, Queen, Radiohead, Nirvana, Chilli Peppers, Bob Marley...the list went on and on and he was very very good.

Good friends, good food, good music. We taught Gocool how to pour a beer properly ("Canadian style") without getting mostly foam, and Garret built a beer can tower that was 16 cans high. Yes, we were those loud tourists :)