22.03.2017
It was a lovely morning where I woke up to the day light and the sounds of birds. This put a big smile on my face while I was in bed. The view from the 5th floor balcony has a small part of the lake and it was a good start of the day.
After a quick breaktast, a hotel driver took me on a tour around Pokhara that included a long drive in the city and various visits to some sights. I visited three caves, a waterfall that didn’t have a lot of water and a bridge on the white river. Mahendra cave was Ok. I have to say I was not very impressed. So the driver took me to the Bats cave where I didn’t expect to see many bats. I was wrong. The cave was full of bats! Which I found to be a bit scary at the beginning. All these bats hanging from the cave’s ceiling above me.. Bats are not the most beautiful cuddly animals you could see. When they move and lick their wings, it looks a bit.. hmmm.. disgusting! We chose to get out of the cave through a tiny hole instead of the official entrance which was easier for the driver since he didn’t have the extra kilos that I have!
After the cave, we drove to the white river where the water is a bit white. The driver didn’t know why and I didn’t google it! I thought that probably it had too much Calcium. He threw a bucket in the river and brought it up so that we wash our hands with the water and see how cold it was. I was wondering if it was a good idea. Sometimes you wash your hand and make it dirtier in some parts of the world. After the visit, a few meters outside, I saw the sewage being drained into the river! I looked back and forth at my hands and then at the sewage! shit!
We then stopped for one temple with a view over the city. I don’t like temples that much. But the view was nice.
The next stop was the Davis falls and Gupteshwor-Mahadev Cave. The falls would look more interesting in the monsoon season. The cave wouldn’t be very accessible then since it would be full of water. Now, the falls are a bit empty but the cave was accessible. At the entrance of the cave, there was a cow shed, where locals paid a sum of money and then received a white liquid from the breasts of a cow statue. My driver wiped his hands with the liquid and then kissed the cow’s ear and did some kind of prayers.
The rest of the day I spent on the lake side for lunch and relaxing. I fantasised about having a simple life here where I work in a restaurant. Or maybe work in a local hospital where I would probably learn another kind of medicine. Life always seems simpler but probably it is not really the case. The grass always looks greener on the other side. I guess my wish is to be able to have a simple life anywhere.
Traveling solo has many advantages, you can be in control of everything and follow your own path. You don’t have to compromise which is a bit self-centred but also comfortable. You also meet more people. The social urge inside you pushes you to reach out to people and try to seek human contact. But sometimes you don’t or you can’t. And sometimes loneliness creeps into your days. Although I feel good alone most of the time, loneliness can be painful sometimes and specially during traveling. I wish to share the experiences of the day with someone and listen to their perspective on the day’s events. Writing here is a great way to alleviate this problem but it is mostly one-directional story telling and lacks the beauty of mutual reflection and direct interaction. I guess it is just the curse of traveling that I should just live with and I accepted it. Have you seen “Into the Wild” movie?
I went for dinner and a walk around the market. Souvenirs don’t attract me any more. However, local art is something that I like to collect. Paintings by local artists appeal to me and they take some of my money. For dinner, I went to a sports bar where a local band was noisy more than musical. But it was nice to observe them playing American songs and behave in a western way.
I went to bed to get some rest like I was advised by Summit. Tomorrow I will need my fitness! I left the curtains open hoping to wake up with the same smile I had today..