Here are the images of my ride to Pokhara…
It was an emotionally charged ride, one that I will remember for many reasons… My meeting with two young girls, who were out looking for fodder for their animals, left me mentally drained…
This post is backdated to the day I made the ride, but I am now in Chitwan National Park, and we only have power for five or six hours today (the 22nd), and finding the time to write is a little difficult…what with the canoeing trip I did this morning, the walk through the forest to visit the elephant breeding program, bathing and swimming with elephants, the jeep safari into the Park, visit to a crocodile breeding farm…
Tomorrow I’m riding out to a place called “20 000 Lakes”, and then going on an elephant safari in the afternoon…
It’s a tough itinerary, Dudes…!! But somebody HAS to do it…!!
I’ll knuckle down in Kathmandu and tell you all about it…!! Promise…!!
Entering Butwal, we had our first view of the Himalaya foothills...
Then we got our first look at the road to Pokhara... Not good...!!
Not only did we have the possibility of rockfalls to contend with...
...but we also had to worry about the steep drop-off on the left hand side...!! Barriers in most places were small concrete blocks that hardly did their names justice...!!
The views, when I got a chance to look at them, were spectacular...
The narrow road began it's steady climb up into the mountains...
During the Monsoon season, these terraces are flooded, and the silt deposits form the basis of the following seasons crop...
After 60 km, I stopped for a short break... It had taken an hour and a half to get here...!! The road twists and turns, and there are kamikaze bus and truck drivers to duel with...!!
These two young girls had me misty-eyed for a long time after our meeting...
The village of Bartung, nestled between river and mountain...
From the bridge I watched as people emptied their rubbish into the river... I shouted down at them, but my exasperated voice was whipped away by the wind... As if they would've taken any notice of the crazy foreigner...!!
The girl in the front did not let her huge load interfere with her texting...!!
GB Fan Club, Tansen Chapter, Nepal...
Far above the river and terraced fields, I stopped to drink in the view, and wonder what living down there must be like...
These ladies are on their way to another thatching job... It's a tough life out here...!!
News of my imminent arrival in Pokhara had spread fast...!!
Causing the nervous mayor to break out the troops to quell any unrest...
After searching for some decent digs, I finally settled the Mount Fuji Hotel in the Lakeside District...
The balcony next to my room... A great place to relax and enjoy the view...
And what a view it is...!! Mount Fishtail, part of the Annapurna range, and the 7th highest mountain in the world...
And I'm amongst it all in Pokhara...!! Tomorrow I take my leap of faith off Mt. Sarankhot, the mountain in the background on the left...!!
An unusual Nepalese dish...!! I felt at home right away...!!
The sun goes down on Annapurna...
Final blaze of glory, seen through a scudding bank of clouds... Pokhara is the place to be...!!
©GBWT 2011
Awesome place – how can we not realise that there is a Creator behind all of this that brings order out of chaos. I think you saw Him in the eyes of the girls on the side of the road.
Enjoy the paragliding, thanks for the amazing photographs, I’m glad you had a carbo loading meal for a change. Had to be better than the biscuits…..
Nope…. I saw two little girls that I remember from long ago…
Don’t knock the biscuits…!!! They’ve kept me alive in places where the food looked to dodgy to try…!!
You did ! And the miracle of their creation.
They actually throw rubbish in the water….!!!
Taking care of the environment ? Nope !!
The mountains is great , what a wonderful scenery !!