Escape from Bharatpur

My daaiharu-older brothers-and I ventured out to Pokhara this week. It's about a 4-6 hour rollercoaster the entire way there. The roads here are so torn up, and it sure doesn't help one's rear end when you're in a 1973 mini tour bus with no shocks. Nevertheless, I think I'd make the journey again. The 3 of us agreed that it's one of the best places we've seen in Nepal so far. It's got everthing, with a very beachy feeling, as we sat right next to Phewa Tal, or Fewa Lake. It's surrounded by hills and mountains. The first morning, we woke up at 5 am to catch a taxi to Sarangkot, a small town a few Km away and is known for its striking views of the Annapurna mountain range. Lonely Planet says seeing it at sunrise is a bit of a religious experience. They may be onto something there.

We had 3 days in Pokhara, so with the rest of our time, we boated to the mountain where the World Peace Pagoda lies, and hiked a mighty walk up to see it at the peak. There's something called Devi Falls a ways away, so we hopped on a bus and decided to see what the fuss was all about. Not much. I think we were all under the impression it was going tobe something majestic, but it looked like something from Hocking Hills. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but LP really talked it up. Luckily, we were able to cross the street and go pseudo-spleunking in the Gupteshwor Mahadev Cave. It was very dark and peaceful there. They have a temple inside the cave. I love how religion here is just so darned incorporated into everything here. After that, we stumbled upon a Tibetan Refugee Camp where a tipsy local attempted to show us around. All in all, best vacation inside a vacation ever!

Tomorrow, there's a health camp in Rampur, a wee little village about a half hour tuk-tuk ride away. After that, I'll leave with a few other volunteers to spend the weekend in Lumbini, birthplace of Siddartha Gautama. Perhaps I'll become a Buddhist over the weekend ;)

Pheri bhetaula-see you again!