Tulsi Pokhara

... carry the rough calused feet of a young Nepalese boy, half my size, carrying twice my weight at twice my speed; all from a strap hooked to his forehead. He is the 16-wheeler of the Himalyan Highway, transporting goods anywhere they need to go. And where they need to go is up. Up into the barren far reaches of the trail, where local production is all but impossible. He's not alone; a constant stream of baskets cruises past me as the day wears on. I ...

... the views of the mountains were amazing. The last few days the views had been covered with the clouds so was great to see all the mountains in full view. Walked with the English guy we had met the night before and this was when we first started to notice the altitude affecting us. We just could not walk as far without getting really out of breath but the views were amazing of the Annapurna's in the distance. Played cards with guys again and helped ...

... way back from Dolka and I freaked out, so as we walked on (Why? I don't know...) we kept having paranoid fits and checking our legs to see if any sick blood sucking slugs were crawling up. The horror...the horror.

Raju was very kind to put up with our paranoia and hysterics and assured us each time, "no leeches" ...at least not on our person. Not yet.

Then he caught one on Sue's sandal and killed it. That was the last straw if you will, and it was time ...

... Besisahar- Chame- Manang- Thorong la pass-Tatopani- Ghorepani- Poonhil-Nayapul Pokhara-flight to Kathmandu

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE TRIP:

• Sightseeing tour of Historical, Cultural, religious UNESCO Heritages sites of Kathmandu city


• Sightseeing of all Major tour places in Pokhara city


• Excellent Sun rise views from Sarankot hill & Poonhil


• Excellent views of Dhaulagiri, Annapurna South ...
  Somewhere in, Nepal guidenepal

... drink to catch up. The evening turned into one of mayhem. The cocktails were tasty and cheap at the Amsterdam Club and a jolly time was had by all. The evening ended with a movie (well, I fell asleep in the opening credits) with Adam and Alison. Delightful.

I woke up feeling terrible (contrary to popular belief, not a hangover) due to a return of the dreaded flu, so we had a lazy morning and a lazy breakfast ...

... I would be spending most of the day there!!! but he has been so considerate all the way and is really taking care of me!!! I think he is the only one that stayed with his "guest" the whole time. All the others went back to the guesthouse!! and left the tourists on their own in the Hot Spring. Again, I am glad that he stayed as there were some charactors that looked a little ...

... but a rope for my hands and the guy telling me where to put my feet as water ran down and turned everything to mud. Yeah my fear of falling and heights kinda had a tizzy fit. Krys just climbed round like a pro, crazy outdoor canadians. I did a retarded Ashleigh crawl around the rocks. Anyway it was heaps of fun, got over my fear of ladders. Had to ditch the thongs, then stole Krys' shoes haha poor girl, she takes too good care of me. Apparently I had a bat hanging right ...

... well we discovered that after Jomson is plagued by a strong wind that blows sand and dust into everything and you spend most of the time walking along a rocky, dry river bed with jeeps and buses constantly passing. Considering all these facts together a plane and cold beer in Pokhara were too enticing - the trek was meant to be enjoyable, not an exercise in self-flagellation. The returning air pressure now had some input into the trek, as our lungs suddenly found more oxygen than they knew ...

... terraces, a vivid green in the bright sun. Gaining height through dense forest of rhododendron and bamboo, butterflies of all shapes and colours fluttered around us and we spotted inquisitive langur monkeys peering down at us from their high branches. Every so often we would round a bend or emerge into a clearing and I would do a double take as one of the Annapurna peaks appeared, dazzling snow against the blue sky. We ...

... from Tibeto-Burmese origins. Elsewhere, Indian-looking men wearing small fez-like hats made from sacred thread are the occupational Bahun and Chhetri (the Chhetri being mostly farmers, with the notable exception of the Shah clan who are Nepal's Royal Family) people, descended from the Brahmin caste of India after being displaced by Muslim invasions during the fourteenth century. Although most Nepali people can be conveniently placed in one of several ethnic groups ...