Pokhara

Today Dan the Brit and I went to Devi Falls and the World Peace Pagoda. We hiked to both of them, starting first with the waterfall. It was about an hour from our hotel, around the lake from where we are staying. It was a pretty cool waterfall as it just disappears underground at the bottom, so you can hear water crashing but not see it hitting the ground.

From the waterfall we hiked up a "hill" (they would call it a mountain is some places) after wandering around some rice paddies and getting some directions from local kids. It took about an hour and a half up the hill, but the views from the top were pretty good. The pagoda itself is hardly impressive, just a white tower with four Buddhas, but it really is at the very top of a lookout point. Unfortunately when we were up there the fog and clouds obscured the Annapurna range of the Himalaya, which was supposed to be beautifully reflected in Phewa Tal (the lake next to Pokhara). It was still beautiful up there, although it was a pretty hot trip.

We had some chow mein (surprisingly good) at the top and then came back down, a much easier proposition.

On the hike we met some very helpful people. First I talked to an Israeli guy that had just returned from the rafting trip I'm planning on taking on the Kali Gandaki river. It's a three day trip and he said it was fantastic and recommended a place that provided everything and was very professional for a reasonable price. I plan to take his recommendation.

After that we met a British couple that had just gotten back from a trek I was considering taking. It goes up to the Annapurna mountain base camp (elevation 4000+ meters) and is nicknamed the Annapurna Sanctuary Trek. I was thinking I would take a guided group trek but the said it was no problem to do on their own; they completed it in just 7 days even though trekking companies generally take 8-10. They left most of their stuff at a hotel and just took the essentials, carrying their own stuff and staying in guest houses on the way. It sounds perfect, although I'll probably take it easy and take more like 10 days (they hiked 6-8 hours per day).

Tonight I had a couple of traditional Nepali foods. First I had momos, which are delicious dumplings filled with potato and cheese (they can also come with chicken or vegetables). They were right up my alley and they should really have them back home. Next I had thukpa (not sure if that's the right spelling), which is a noodle soup with vegetables, peppers and onion. It was very good as well.

Tomorrow it looks like we'll do some boating and swimming in the lake, which unlike the Ganges is nice, clean, and safe. It should be fun since it's nice and warm here during the day (but not crazy hot like parts of India).