A Weekend in Pokhara

Pokhara seen from the World Peace Pagoda

This weekend was spent in Pokhara, which is one of the biggest tourist cities in Nepal. Pokhara is known for its beautiful view points, its big lake and for being the starting point for many trekkers.

Why did I go to Pokhara?

Joe and Eleanor by the World Peace Pagoda

I went there by bus and met two other volunteers who I went to the national park in Chitwan with. Joe from America and Eleanor from England, it was great to have two native Englsih speaking people to hang out with for a few days! The thing I miss the most here in Rampur is someone in the same situation as I am in who can speak good English. Not having anyone to talk to drives you mad, only hanging out with children is not at all the same as hanging out with your friends. In order to have the strength to continue this teaching project I need to be able to talk about what is happening around me and to discuss it with someone else. Therefore I was really happy when I found out that both Joe and Eleanor were coming to Pokhara with me. Both of them are volunteering in Kathmandu and that seems a bit easier because they have plenty of other volunteers to meet up with and discuss things with. So if it gets too lonely here in Chitwan I might go to Kathmandu instead. I will however try to stay in Chitwan for at least one more month.

Leaving Chitwan now would feel like giving up, both on myself and on the children. Except from being lonely it is also very hard to never getting any positive feedback from the other teachers or caretakers. I guess it could be because they don't speak very good English, because they feel like I'm not doing it right, that they don't need me there or maybe you just don't give positve feeback in Nepal? It felt good to discuss this with Joe and Eleanor because they told me that it doesn't really matter what the teachers think or say, the important thing is the kids. The English teachers they have in school are almost impossible for me to communicate with due to their lack of English and it is easy to tell that the children like me because they keep giving me flowers after lessons and staying even though they've had their last lesson for the day.

I guess I do some good even in the orphanage. I try to contribute with English when they do their homework but I actually think that the most important thing for these children is to feel that someone cares about them and to have someone to play with. I love the kids at the orphanage and they love my iphone. They can use my phone for hours, playing temple run or angry birds. I have also taught them to play a few different card games, for instance the game "bubble" which always makes me think about my cousins and my sister. All in all, I might be doing something good by being here even if it doesn't feel like I am all the time.

My trip to Pokhara

Waiting for the bus to Pokhara

I arrived to Pokhara at 3 o'clock and was by then really tired from a long bus ride and a lot of waiting. On my way to Pokhara I was photographed and starred at while waiting for the bus in a not very touristy area. I was driven to the bus on the back of a motorcycle, which if you've seen Nepali traffic would know is a bit scary.

A lot of people go to Nepal to bungy jump, go rafting or go trekking. people want adventure but really, the most risky thing in Nepal is probably the traffic. The traffic is worst in Kathmandu but the roads are quite bad all over the country. Even so, I have been on the back of motorcycles and on a scooter and I'm still alive. 

Joe called this road, "a bit bumby" which is true in a way I guess

In Pokhara we managed to get a room for only 500 rupies per night (around 40 kronor), for three! Our room did have cockroaches but it did also have a western toilet and a really good shower so it was definitely worth the money. We stayed there Saturday to Monday.

What to do in Pokhara?

Tibetan flags can be seen everywhere

The main reason for going on this trip for me was to meet other foreigners. It did however turn out to be a very good trip in so many different ways. We started our Pokhara sightseeing by having steak and french fries, which is a luxury compared to all the rice I've been eaten for the last couple of weeks. The entire weekend had a bit of a food theme, we tried to eat as much as we possibly could, we avoided everything with lentils or rice in it and we at a lot of unhealthy food just to compensate for all the rice... May not have been a very good strategy but it was needed. I might not have needed all that french fries but I did need food that I'm used to from back home. The one thing that I really miss but didn't have this weekend  is a salad. I miss salads so much but I'm not sure it will be safe to have it here since they often rinse their vegetables in tap water. Rule number one for staying away from sickness is don't drink tap water. I guess the salad will have to wait until I get back to Sweden, which is only about four months from now...

In Pokhara there are a lot to see but unfortunately it rained a lot when we were there. Therefore we didn't have time to see everything that we had planned on seeing. We did however see the World Peace Pagoda which is a Japanese Buddhist temple on the top of one of the mountains close to Pokhara. We drove there on scooters, which was a lot of fun, a bit scary but there was almost no traffic so it was probably one of the safer traffic experiences I've had here in Nepal. 

What else did we do, except from eating? We walked around in town, we went to see Davi's fall, which is a waterfall, we saw the sunset from a boat in the lake Phewa Tal, we listened to live music and we watched the sunrise from the top of a mountain. All, in all it was a great weekend and I'll try to remember that during this week when I once again have to deal with talking students, beating teachers and children which won't let go of my hand.

Devi's fall

Buddha statue at the World Peace Pagoda

 

Sunset, seen from the lake

Sunrise, seen from a mountain. Unfortunately it was very cloudy