The G Adventures trip is over and so today was our first day on out own. Well almost. Our guide arranged for us to go trekking with another guide and so five of us set off to the Panauti valley. It was a reasonably steep climb at first and we took the wander up to 1900 metres slowly with a few stops for photos, drinks and info. Our guide is a sherpa by trade and surname. So we talked about the wslk to base camp. Most sherpas can carry some where between 60 and 120 kg and since they get paid 25 rupees (that's about 40 cents) per kilo, the more they carry the more they get paid. It certainly feels to me that they are being taken advantage of. We wandered the hills and through many little villages. Goats, chooks and cows lazed and ate, pink bee hives graced some fields. A monastery was being completely rebuilt after falling victim to the earthquake. Women washed clothes, children played and ate celery looking vege sticks. Pristine dressed children walked down to school their shoes already covered in fine white dust. And dusty it certainly was. The highlight was getting close to the terraced market gardens. From afar the fields look like an aran knitted rug. The cables are the high ground for the potatoes, mustard, spinach and wheat. The lower passages are for irrigation and are sloped so that water travels to the lower parts. All the plants are watered without being drowned. I guess the rice would enjoy being in the gutters too.
We arrived back after another harrowing trip on very bumpy and busy roads. We talked about road rules and our guide said rules are really just suggestions. Those on motor bikes certainly have an unique way of navigating other vehicles much bigger than themselves. I sat for about 5 minutes at a major intersection in awe of the three traffic controllers trying to manage the traffic volumes. Traffic didn't even stay on the left hand side of the road.
At the hotel I settled for coffee and chips and read the local newspaper. There was an article about paragliding about the accident I heard on the walkie talkie the other day. The voice said that they were walking the stretcher down. Apparently a 68 year old man from Liverpool died from head injuries. I now wonder if the European man sitting on the bank while I was trying to take off was his friend. He was sitting quietly with his paraglider open but not doing anything. If I had known I would have gone to be with him. The article went on to say that 7 solo paragliders had died in the last three years. All not local and all approved by the Pokhara civil aviation authority for solo flying. Apparently safety is being questioned which supports my experience and my recommendation not to do these things outside NZ or Australia.
After devouring my chips we thought we would wander around the shopping mall. Very interesting to see similar shops and brands to our big malls at home. We are also amazed at how much advertising appears to focus on the European looking people when there are very few about. The supermarket even sold Maggi masala flavored instant noodles. I thought about getting some for Aaron but they already felt crushed and after being squashed into my over full bag would probably resemble rice.
We walked back in the dark. I took a photo for Harry along the way with my phone of dust covered bikes outside a service garage. Dinner was a nice vegetable curry.
We arrived back after another harrowing trip on very bumpy and busy roads. We talked about road rules and our guide said rules are really just suggestions. Those on motor bikes certainly have an unique way of navigating other vehicles much bigger than themselves. I sat for about 5 minutes at a major intersection in awe of the three traffic controllers trying to manage the traffic volumes. Traffic didn't even stay on the left hand side of the road.
At the hotel I settled for coffee and chips and read the local newspaper. There was an article about paragliding about the accident I heard on the walkie talkie the other day. The voice said that they were walking the stretcher down. Apparently a 68 year old man from Liverpool died from head injuries. I now wonder if the European man sitting on the bank while I was trying to take off was his friend. He was sitting quietly with his paraglider open but not doing anything. If I had known I would have gone to be with him. The article went on to say that 7 solo paragliders had died in the last three years. All not local and all approved by the Pokhara civil aviation authority for solo flying. Apparently safety is being questioned which supports my experience and my recommendation not to do these things outside NZ or Australia.
After devouring my chips we thought we would wander around the shopping mall. Very interesting to see similar shops and brands to our big malls at home. We are also amazed at how much advertising appears to focus on the European looking people when there are very few about. The supermarket even sold Maggi masala flavored instant noodles. I thought about getting some for Aaron but they already felt crushed and after being squashed into my over full bag would probably resemble rice.
We walked back in the dark. I took a photo for Harry along the way with my phone of dust covered bikes outside a service garage. Dinner was a nice vegetable curry.
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