Now in Pokhara enjoying the lake. It is cool, green and one bank is all green trees and hills. The other has stands of tall wide trees dripping bright purple flowers onto the bank and water. Yesterday I awoke and the clouds had cleared revealing towering walls of blue ice and snow over 25000 feet tall hanging white and proud over the northern hills, Maccha Puchare everything I had hoped - a perfect diamond, a Nepali Giza (Maccha Puchare means "fish tail" in Nepali because when viewed from the Northwest the mountains two peaks can be seen. From Pokhara itself this holy never-summited peak is a perfect pyramid).

My last days in Katmandu were a rush of preparation and finally all was complete the day before I was to leave at 6:30 am. Here is my journal entry for the third to last day:

"Major work done yesterday even though I skipped my morning streches and felt imbalanced all day. I was postively edgy but in this mood I got all my pictures edited (including one 8 frame panorama) and 70 pictures up on the slowest 20 kps connection man had ever seen. Now sitting in a fries place after a powow with the crazy British chap Matthew. I see this fellow for the third time hobbling down the main drag of Thamel wearing nothing but a sun hat, wraparound shades, a tiny tanktop, mini breif short pants and two boots that are different colors. Turns out he "got pissed yesterday and after mistakenly putting on one of another bloke's boots he stumbles outside and falls down face first in the street in front of two fit birds." Now he's limping from a bruised knee and walking around Thamel sucking on his chillum all day.

We talk English etimological history, Israeli politics, and the effects of the Liberian repatriation attempt on the black crisis in America, and then we part ways - two smug international traveler diplomat liberals thinking we have solved it all.

Near the fries place I spot the first email place I used behind the first guesthouse I stayed in the day I arrived in Nepal by plane from home Christmas 2000. At that time I thought that this may be all there is to Thamel and I knew so little about this city and country; for a few hours this was it to me, to my conception even though it was all around me. Hmmmm."

The second to last day I hopped a ride on top of a crowded bus up NE past Balaju intending to hike up Nagarjun but was so caught up in the bus stop excitement that I let the trailhead for Najarjune fly past. Much later I dismounted when I saw a trail running down into the head of a pretty valley. Winding my way down I Finally found the crossover towards Swayambunath, underestimated how far it was around Najarjune, ignored the clouds looming in from the north in swirling black masses, and was caught in a torrent of cold rain that caused landslides and washouts. Shirtless and plowing ahead in the torrential evening rain I tried to make it home to Durbar Sq. got a ride from a nice schoolteacher on his motorcycle over the landslide debris on the road, and ended up accepting his hospitality to stay in his home. His father, a retired military and then 5 star hotel man was very nice and even gave me a clean and dry set of clothes to wear, they fed me tasty dal baht (the classic Nepali staple meal of lentils and rice), and I had the US visa talk with the son. At 4 am I left, reached my hotel, packed, showered, retrieved my stored stuff from Mom's House Lodge making a present of the bucket and some toys to the hotel staff, and got a rickshaw to the bus at Kantipath road.

First thing upon reaching Pokhara I jumped off and walked to Friendly Home Lodge as a protest against the "we stop the bus 4 km out of town so you have to pay for a taxi" scam standard in Pokhara and the bus driver, feeling guilty after I told him THIS WAS DISHONEST in my best Nepali, secretly picked me up again as he was heading into lakeside (the tourist area). He said "don't tell the taxi drivers I gave you a ride into town or they'll give me trouble, they force us bus drivers to drop off all passengers outside the city so they have to take a taxi into town."

Dropped my stuff at Friendly Home Lodge in beautiful room with bath for 2.50 US, rented a row boat for an hour, and went swimming in bliss.

TOOK a walk into town later and met up with some Nepali hippies, had a drum jam session as the sun set over the lake, had dinner of Sekuwa (onion sautéed spiced water buffalo steak cubes) and Dal Baht for local prices, and then experienced a fine jam session at a bar called "Titicaca" where a Greek man was band leading a group of skilled and ego-less musicians.

Yesterday I spent most of the day in the boat after hanging out with an Englishman named Phil at holy lodge. Shared tasty fruit cake baked by a German tango teacher trying to make a living in Katmandu teaching expats coupled dancing, gave a boat ride back across the lake to an Italian named Lhundrup from a town near Venice who has been going back to Varanasi for the last 8 years (sometime for 5 months at a time) to study with his guru, a Hindu astrologer and wise man, and socialized the night away with a nice bunch of people at Holy Lodge. The Holy Lodge group included a fellow staying here to write pro book set in the Indian subcontinent, an American internet startup jockey from San Fran (really from St. Louis even though he claims San Fran as his pedigree) his name is "phee-leap" not "Philip" mind you, a fantastic budding girl singer from the UK, some old school London partiers that discoed four years away in San Fran during the 70s and some Russians from St. Petersburg. The manager at the lodge was an slightly evil-looking potbellied all-day toker with a sweet smile named Ganesha.

Today I had my first experience with the kayak and fell in love mostly. I want to live by the sea and work this out. Great feeling, very close to the water, full upper body movement and requires concentration (at least at first) to not swerve off course. One distraction and SWERVE - great way to observe my mind's wandering when suddenly I am heading backwards. Tried the roll and just felt like I was drowning myself. I guess I NEED to lean closer to the board and really flip myself back upright with the paddle.

Pulled some back muscles when lifting the kayak out of the water. Tonight there is some big techno party up on the hill that has the airheads all excited. I may go myself just to see what the hype is about.

Excerpt from email to my mother:

"Dear mamacita,

I am having a good time in Pokhara and am mostly enjoying the large green lake here. Yesterday morning we had no clouds and there was many 25,000 foot plus mountains literally hanging over the lake to the north. Very pretty. I tried kayaking for the first time today and am totally exhausted. I also strained my back again a little bit pulling the kayak out of the water at the end. Oh well. Have to learn to be less reckless with the old body.

Love,

Jason"