Chilling out in Pokhara part 265

After our little Panchase trek we took a couple of days off any activities involving effort. The best place to do exactly that and nothing else is Begnas Lake. A gorgeous place where the peace is only disturbed by us, bobbing about on our scooter and jumping in the water every three minutes. That's all we did, the whooole day. It was marvellous. 

Marvellous I tell ya!

Trekking like real trekkers

A couple of weeks ago Dean and I decided to do the exact same thing as millions of other travelers in Nepal. We went trekking! Not the Annapurna circuit (too many tourists) or Everest base camp (too commercial) but the unknown Panchase trek. It was perfect for us, locals of the Pokhara area. Most of all it was perfect because it was only a four days hike. And 2500 meters of climbing up steps seemed enough for a completely unexperienced trekker like myself, and a person who doesn't own a pair of shoes like Dean.

After a month of living in Pokhara, I noticed I always looked down when people asked me what treks I had done so far. I mumbled I didn't trek, I just did a lot of walking, from restaurant to cocktailbar to the grocery shop and then all around the house. From the bed to the fridge, and back. I didn't dare to say the only activities I had been doing for the last months were all related to chilling out and laying down. 

People from all over the world fly to Nepal to climb these magnificent mountains. I've been here twice in four years time and find it surprisingly easy to postpone any big treks to the next time I'm in Nepal. Then, I'll be ready. I'll be fit and prepared and able to walk up a hill without turning purple and fainting. Next time, for sure!

But not this time. This Nepali adventure is one of relaxing, reading books in hammocks, eating local food, sipping on cocktails and doing the occasional rafting trip and yoga class, for that absolute minimum of exercise in your life. I do feel like exploring every single mountain village and talking with locals and stealing cute little goats. Then turn them into my hairy babies and eat ice cream as a family. We would jump around together, all dressed up in the same fairy outfits. 

So, trekking. It was great! Sunrise breakfast, jungle walks, buffalo encounters, sweet berry picking, snowy mountain peaks, living with a permanent amazing view, homestay in a village consisting of 34 people, climbing seven billion steps to the peak of sacred mountain Panchase. We didn't get lost! But we did almost get murdered by hungry monkeys.

From Pokhara, with love.

On our last day in Pokhara we got one hell of a view with our morning coffee. Best goodbye present!

Tomorrow we'll raft our way to Kathmandu. New adventures!

How to get stuck in Pokhara

Pokhara, you are being so good to us. We didn't choose the best season to visit this beautiful place, as the rain is starting to pour down day after day and the afternoons are getting too hot to do much more than hang around the house. The only reason to put pants on is to go out and drink cocktails to cool down. It's almost a necessity. And happy hour is all day. They don't really leave us a choice.

Don't get me wrong, sometimes we put down our bloody marys and go in search of civilised activities. Like making bushwalks to the peace pagoda and climbing twenty thousand million steps to Sarangkot. When the sweat gets too much to handle, we swim in the lake, read books on the balcony or teach the kids downstairs to make Belgian desserts. I'm talking about petit-beurre taart, the perfect happy food to go with happy hour drinks. And the lack of an oven and power in our kitchen makes us get creative with no-bake treats. In return, they show us how to make momos, amazingly delicious dumplings filled with goodness from the gods. 

Enough talking about food and drinks! I don't want you to think we don't do anything else but get drunk and fat around here. Proof? Here we go: stunning views from little adventures around town.

O momo, I love you so

Momo making

got my legs shaking

who would have known

kneeding dough

would be so therapeutic

you may think I'm a lunatic

but I promise it's true

why did I waste my time at school

while I could have been making momos

have people ask for more and more

of that dough wrapped goodness

a bit weird but tasty nonetheless

the most creative filling

dressed up in a dumpling

what would you say

of chicken satay

or would veg and egg

please your needs

no wait

there's no need to debate

because what I've got in store

is all you ever longed for

a momo so damn fine

it'll make you laugh and cry at the same time

banana-honey-peanut butter-chocolate

what do you think about that?

We have a home!

I've been traveling like a snail for a while now; slow, sticky and with my home on my back. The urge to put the backpack down lead to waving around some rupees and paying rent for the first time in a looong time. An apartment in Nepal to call home for one month. Thirty days of cooking our own curries and inviting friends over for dinner parties. Sleepovers, pyjama parties, housewarmings and casual Tuesday afternoon cocktails, just because we can. 

Nepal works like a magnet to me, there are so many things about this country I adore. The mindblowing nature, the smiliest people I've ever met, the inspiring way of life. Four years ago Kathmandu was where the heart is. While doing my journalism internship I was blessed to move in with a beautiful Nepalese family who adopted me as their white daughter. Especially the conversations with Ama (mum) were hilarious. She would be talking to me in Nepalese and I replied in English, both laughing because we had no clue what the other was talking about. After a couple of Nepali classes I was telling her all the time how delicious the food was, oooh derei mito chaaa! Chai? Mito chaa! 

After a lovely visit to my family (filled with mito chaaa and loud laughter) I headed to Pokhara on what must have been the bumpiest busride of my life. Next time I take the bus, I'll remember to wear a sports bra. This city felt like the right place to settle down. For a month. That's the absolute maximum my itchy feet are willing to stay in one place. Oh, it feels mighty fine not having to live in and out of a backpack and being able to invite friends over to 'our place'. It does. But my ass is not made for sitting still and I'm craving adventures. So we are planning trips, treks, travels and festivals. And we booked flights! To Belgium! On june 18! But for now: we stuff our faces with curry and climb mountains until we faint. 

Colour madness

In Pokhara I learned that the Nepalese love to celebrate the start of the new year by running. Good resolutions, I guess. Well, it worked for me because all of a sudden I love running. This never happened to me before. I don't think I would enjoy hopping around purple faced by myself, but sharing sweat and receiving motivational shouts from a bunch of people is actually a lot of fun. Plus I'm not the only one who is glowing in the dark with a face the colour of an overripe tomato. Everyone looks like that when you're running like a maniac.

That's probably exactly the reason why some genius came up with the idea of a colour run. You can't tell whose face is more fluorescent while running because everyone is covered with coloured powder. It's a paint race without the race. People are smiling, yelling with joy and getting paint out of their eyes all while running through clouds of colour dust. There is one rule only: you have to start off with a white T-shirt. Just to see how much of a rainbow you turned into after a couple of kilometers. When the colour run hit Pokhara I wanted to be a part of it. I felt like I belonged amidst running hippies who shower themselved with coloured paint. I was in. But I didn't own a white Tee. But somewhere in the dark corners of my backpack I had a wedding dress crying to be used again.

Off I went, in the whitest outfit a woman can own. My love on the sideline, his legs too sore from the race the day before. It was hilarious, it was crazy, it was like I ran straight into a rainbows guts. That's exactly what I looked like at the finish. But then there was that bag full of red powder. What looked like a colourful hippie before, turned into frankensteins bride. Especially the walk back through town was hilarious. People didn't know what they were seeing. Like a wave, shopkeepers ran out of their stores to get a glimpse of that zombie bride in her bloody wedding dress. Tourists asked me if they could take a picture with me, women burst out laughing and children followed me all the way home. I was the local freakshow, and I didn't mind. I felt strangely at home.

Running for the new year

While Belgian friends are bragging about the amount of easter eggs they found in the garden, I'm still busy celebrating Nepalese new year. In Pokhara we started 2071 with a race through the streets. Nice prizes were to be won, like paragliding trips and free dinners. Even for just participating, I received a voucher for a free cocktail and a T-shirt. And I choose free cocktails over free dinners anytime of the day, that's why I ended up last in the race. Dean was more ambitious (and sporty) and became fifth... Barefoot! True Aussie style ;) 

Purple and proud, I arrived at the finish long after the others. But I got my certificate and to celebrate, we went out for cold beers. It was already 10 am so that's alright. Tomorrow was going to be a new year, so we would enjoy 2070 while it lasted with more beers and happy hour cocktails. At 8 pm we were neck and neck at the snoring competition. We even forgot to get our free cocktail.

But here it is, proof of our running abilities, fuelled by liters of coffee (Dean) and buckets of sweat (me). 

Happy 2071 everyone!