A little pool time and some more sight seeing…

Thanks Ellie for letting ride on your back. That was crazy! Wish I had pics to show you what we saw, but everything is blurry. Wow!

Our last day in Pokhara before we head to Chitwan for 4 days. We took a tour of Begnas Lake and did a walk around another village. It was very hot today so it was just a short trip so we could get bak to the hotel pool. This has been such a lovely trip and we have learned so much about the Nepali people. When the girls are older we will definitely have to come back and do some mountain treks…

Super fun day touring a village about 45 minutes out of Pokhara. 

Before we left, Page packed up some toys and candy that she wanted to give away and we were able to do that today. The kids were so excited.

Brendan, Page really wants a goat…

Tomorrow, weather permitting, we will boat across that lake and go for a hike.

Before we left the village Page took a picture of the little boy next to her with her camera. Then more people showed up and wanted their picture taken. They older lady had never seen a photo of herself, probably others too. That was a treat to see.

And finally! I was able to get a shot of Fish Tail Mountain. Its very rare this time of year that it is visible because of the monsoon rains. It really is stunning in person, over 22,000 feet at the peak. Its sacred and cannot be climbed. Only once has it been attempted, in 1957 by an English group but they were not able to climb the last 500 feet. Since then it has been closed to climbers.

Today we played tourists and hit all the main attractions. We first went to Devi Falls – a huge waterfall that comes out of Lake Fewa. We went to a cool cave where we hiked down a very long way and at the bottom was a temple. We were not allowed to take pics, but it was very interesting. Then we stopped at a Tibetan refuge camp and the young monks showed us around their temples and showed Page how to spin wheels. Page loved the carpet factory that was full of beautiful carpets all made by monks. Last stop was the Pagoda Peace Temple and Page and I hiked a long way to get to the top, she never complained despite the very warm temperatures. We treated ourselves to an ice cream on the way down and practiced saying “Ba” w/ a Nepali baby. More than once other tourists would ask Page if they could take her picture, she was too shy so I would be in the picture, too. She gets a lot of attention. Pokhara is normally crawling with tourists but because of the earthquake there are very few. (She dressed herself – wanted to look like the Nepali women who wear pants and long skirts.)

We took the ponies out for a tour of Pokhara. This is place is beautiful, just on the edge of the Annapurna Mountains and home to the sacred Fish Tail Mountain that cannot be climbed. Hopefully the clouds will clear away while we are here and we can actually see them. Page loved this little kitty!

Page and I were ready to hit Pokhara early this AM, but luggage issues kept us in Kathmandu until 3pm. We finally have our bags! We hired a private driver to take us Pokhara. I was totally under prepared for what to expect. Let’s just say I was white knuckling the entire 6 hours. About 4 hours into the ride the rain stopped and I finally relaxed a bit to grab my camera. I wish I could have taken more, it’s incredibly beautiful. We followed a huge river the whole way, there were tiny towns along side the road along with miles and miles of terraced rice fields. Page was unfazed by it all, except she loved counting the mudslides. Her new thing is listening to music on the headphones, she will listen to a song over and over to memorize the words and then sing as loud as can. We arrived at about 8pm and settled into our new home for the next 4 days.

Today Page and I went to the Association of Craft Producers to meet with the artisans that create Nepali products. I also had a sample done of a few items I am interested in possibly selling. We toured the facility and met with many of the artisans in different areas of production. I also did an interview with the Exec. Director and one of the knitters for a small video project I will work on when I get home. It was very interesting to hear all their stories, especially how they have been effected by the earthquake. There is so much poverty here, its wonderful to see an organization help these men and women so they can provide for their families.

Page was a trooper and helped as my assistant during the video shoot. We were treated to a yummy lunch, Page liked the dessert the best. Beautiful people and so many stories.

I am doing a short video about the woman below. She lost her home in the earthquake and said this to me, translated as best as possible. Her family now sleeps in a tent just outside where their home used to be.

“I am not the only one affected. The whole country is suffering. Others’ pain and loss is much more severe than mine. Nobody can fight against the fury of nature. What is wrought cannot be fought. I so not know whether I will ever be able to rebuild another house for my family in my lifetime. I do not want to lament over what is lost but I am rather thankful for what has been spared. By the grace of God, there were no human casualties in my family. So I am going to Manakamana and Dolkha Bhimsen (holy places) with my family to thank the Almighty.”

We made it to Kathmandu! We flew to Geongxhon, China – a 14 hour flight. Page was awesome, watched a few movies and slept a bit. Getting off the plan in Geongxhon was a bit crazy getting to our next flight, cramming into busses and long lines with lots of shoving. Page kept up, eyes wide, and we made it just in time. Unfortunately, our luggage did not. We arrived in Kathmandu after a 5 hour flight at 11pm. Spent some time going through customs and dealing with lost luggage and then caught a cab to the hotel. Page thought is was interesting that there were so many dogs and cows in the middle of the street and she was asked a lot of questions about the earthquake. The hotel is gorgeous. We are on top of a hill with beautiful views everywhere. Amazingly, we slept all night, had a yummy breakfast and went off on a little hike to look at Buddha’s, temples, flowers, prayer flags – we haven’t see a monkey yet. We are about to catch a bus down to town to check it out and buy some clothes. No luggage for 3 more days!