I probably should have known that the weather gods are the same in every part of the world so NY day was heavy cloud, rain and damn cold. No problem..perfect weather for motorbiking ...what a great way to see the countryside. Not totally mad..I hired a driver as well. Someone needs to invent windscreen wipers for sunglasses.
Zooming around the countryside dodging stray cows, trucks, cars, potholes, chasms and pedestrians..just another near death experience really.
Devil’s Falls is a sink hole where you can go through the cave to see where the stream falls into the underground system from above. More bloody steps..although only 180, and much shallower than the silly monkey steps, going down to the cave which rapidly narrowed to the usual ‘mind your head’ experience. Luckily the scar tissue is getting quite thick (don’t even think of making a joke here) and the pain soon subsided. It did occur to me, as I was doubled over in the rock passage, that this was an area prone to earthquakes and I do get claustrophobia…pfft…keep on going. Thankfully the cave soon opened out into a biggish cavern with the waterfall at one end all lit up and silvery from the daylight above.
Survived and off to the World Peace Pagoda which sits on top of the ‘hill’ at the far side of Fewa Tal (lake) at Pokhara. Now I get the whole building your monument on the highest available point, what is still puzzling me is, when clearly there was a perfectly good road there when they built it, why the hell the current road ends about a million miles away and always way, way below. Only 440 steps..not all vertical (specially if you don’t count the bits I had to crawl) to get to the top. It is a panoramic view over the town and lake, even in the rain. The road up is the usual series of blind corners, hairpins, switchbacks and single lane dirt road….you get a bit blasé after a while.
Pokhara seems pretty well maintained and many of the houses are built/faced with the local slate. It looks good.
Off to the International Mountain Museum..not only pictures and stories about the 16 highest mountains in the world and who..and how.. they were climbed..interesting bits about the many different ethnic groups in Nepal and the flora/fauna…even a bit about the Yeti and a pile of crap which was picked up during a clean up campaign on Everest. Apparently the climbing parties did (do??) just dump used gas cannisters, oxygen cylinders and all sorts of other rubbish and just kept on climbing. This particular clean up even picked up an unburied body which hadn’t been brought down from the slopes.
Through the old city, where they’re busy knocking down the old buildings to replace with new and stopped at a favourite little roadside restaurant. One table and strips of buff meat hanging from a string above the stove. No problem there..so had a sort of noodle stew/soup which was a salty heaven. I’ve survived the requisite 24 hours after this experience so I can now recommend it..if only I could find it again.
By this time the rain, previously just drizzle had degenerated into full blown sleet which really stings your face when you’re sitting on the back of a bike…ouch and shiver.
Back to an open fire and a couple of stiff drinks and it was back to good as gold in no time.
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