Sarangat, Nepal
November 19, 2012
Altitude: 3,159
I was a bit frazzled after Kathmandu and it was very nice to leave the city and travel six hours to the lovely lakeside city of Pokhara, Nepal's second largest city. It's located on a pretty lake but the most dramatic aspect of the city are the Annapurna's that lie a mere six kilometers away. They rise to 25,000 feet and in November they are spectacular against the deep blue, cloudless skies.
I spent the first few days enjoying easy things to do: hiking to the World Peace Pagoda on a hill 800' above the lake where the views of the mountains were even more expansive. Another day I spent biking south along the lake, past the guest houses, past the restaurants, past the screaming paragliders parachuting off a peak a thousand feet higher than the lake. Beyond that were traditional villages, centuries old traditions. At one point I parked the bike just to sit by the river, but that became impossible when a large group of boys spotted me.
Bike. Ride bike? Namaste. Hello. What is your name? Bike? Ride bike? Namaste. Where are you from? Hello. Namaste.
It was fun for awhile, but I preferred to be alone, enjoy the vistas of the Himalayas and watching locals harvest their wheat.
When I got back to town it would be my last night. I'd met a more-than-pleasant Australian couple from the hotel and we'd decided to hire a car and drive to Sarangat--a thousand feet above the city, where we would have unimpeded views of the Annapurnas and cold stare into the clear blue distance of ate afternoon as the sun set behind us.
Nettie and Walter had been living in Pokhara for almost two months. The four of us made our way to the summit with plenty of time to watch light transform the mountains.
Far below us was the Hemja Valley, with the winding Seti River running sinuously through it. It had been on the banks of that river that I'd met the boys.
As shadows crept up the Annapurna range, contours of the lower mountains became more pronounced and change to a coppery red.
We had a panoramic sweep of three major Nepali mountains, rising to their glacial summits and all part of the Annapurna Range: to the south lay Dhaulaaagir at 26,542'. In the center was the dramatic pyramidal shaped Machhapuchhare at 22,740'. (Nepal will not permit anyone to climb it as it's considered a holy mountain.) And directly in front of us was Annapurna III at 25,95.'.
As the sun set behind us the peaks transformed from purple to pink then to gold. It was a mighty fine sunset.
But it was time to descend. The day was shedding its warmth and we all needed warmer clothes.
At a stall near the cab, I rummaged through million year old fossils that are harvested from the Kalikandaki River. Nettie said, OH, I can't. It's just too cheesy."
"What are you talking about, I asked her. "Well...you...an old fossil buying an old fossil."
We laughed. She wasn't much younger than I. At least the ammonite I bought was several million years older either of us.
When we got back to town we'd been invited to the hotel owner's home for dinner. His wife had prepared a typical Neapali meal, including the national dish--dal bhat. We used silverware, but Cool and his wife ate with their right hand. We were the odd ones out in this culture
The next morning we separated. Nettie and Walter and Cool and his wife headed off into the mountains. But Nettie had left me a note: "Dearest Dan... May your journey is life be happy and prosperous and God willing our paths will cross again. Love, Nettie (the younger fossil in making!)" I had to laugh.
This is one of the most wonderful things about travel--the people one meets and connects with on an almost on a daily basis. I still maintain contact with folks I traveled with more than thirty years ago, and I do not doubt Nettie and Walter have heard the end of me. Perhaps it's time for a revisit to Australia.
I lingered on in Pokhara another day then left for lower climes. Autumn was now crawling toward winter and the nights were getting too cold for me above 3,000 feet. It was time to move on to the jungle, then into the plains of Nepal and India where, I'm sure, I'll long for cool nights.
November 19, 2012
Altitude: 3,159
I was a bit frazzled after Kathmandu and it was very nice to leave the city and travel six hours to the lovely lakeside city of Pokhara, Nepal's second largest city. It's located on a pretty lake but the most dramatic aspect of the city are the Annapurna's that lie a mere six kilometers away. They rise to 25,000 feet and in November they are spectacular against the deep blue, cloudless skies.
I spent the first few days enjoying easy things to do: hiking to the World Peace Pagoda on a hill 800' above the lake where the views of the mountains were even more expansive. Another day I spent biking south along the lake, past the guest houses, past the restaurants, past the screaming paragliders parachuting off a peak a thousand feet higher than the lake. Beyond that were traditional villages, centuries old traditions. At one point I parked the bike just to sit by the river, but that became impossible when a large group of boys spotted me.
Bike. Ride bike? Namaste. Hello. What is your name? Bike? Ride bike? Namaste. Where are you from? Hello. Namaste.
It was fun for awhile, but I preferred to be alone, enjoy the vistas of the Himalayas and watching locals harvest their wheat.
When I got back to town it would be my last night. I'd met a more-than-pleasant Australian couple from the hotel and we'd decided to hire a car and drive to Sarangat--a thousand feet above the city, where we would have unimpeded views of the Annapurnas and cold stare into the clear blue distance of ate afternoon as the sun set behind us.
Nettie and Walter had been living in Pokhara for almost two months. The four of us made our way to the summit with plenty of time to watch light transform the mountains.
Far below us was the Hemja Valley, with the winding Seti River running sinuously through it. It had been on the banks of that river that I'd met the boys.
As shadows crept up the Annapurna range, contours of the lower mountains became more pronounced and change to a coppery red.
We had a panoramic sweep of three major Nepali mountains, rising to their glacial summits and all part of the Annapurna Range: to the south lay Dhaulaaagir at 26,542'. In the center was the dramatic pyramidal shaped Machhapuchhare at 22,740'. (Nepal will not permit anyone to climb it as it's considered a holy mountain.) And directly in front of us was Annapurna III at 25,95.'.
As the sun set behind us the peaks transformed from purple to pink then to gold. It was a mighty fine sunset.
But it was time to descend. The day was shedding its warmth and we all needed warmer clothes.
At a stall near the cab, I rummaged through million year old fossils that are harvested from the Kalikandaki River. Nettie said, OH, I can't. It's just too cheesy."
"What are you talking about, I asked her. "Well...you...an old fossil buying an old fossil."
We laughed. She wasn't much younger than I. At least the ammonite I bought was several million years older either of us.
When we got back to town we'd been invited to the hotel owner's home for dinner. His wife had prepared a typical Neapali meal, including the national dish--dal bhat. We used silverware, but Cool and his wife ate with their right hand. We were the odd ones out in this culture
The next morning we separated. Nettie and Walter and Cool and his wife headed off into the mountains. But Nettie had left me a note: "Dearest Dan... May your journey is life be happy and prosperous and God willing our paths will cross again. Love, Nettie (the younger fossil in making!)" I had to laugh.
This is one of the most wonderful things about travel--the people one meets and connects with on an almost on a daily basis. I still maintain contact with folks I traveled with more than thirty years ago, and I do not doubt Nettie and Walter have heard the end of me. Perhaps it's time for a revisit to Australia.
I lingered on in Pokhara another day then left for lower climes. Autumn was now crawling toward winter and the nights were getting too cold for me above 3,000 feet. It was time to move on to the jungle, then into the plains of Nepal and India where, I'm sure, I'll long for cool nights.
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