In the last few days I have done little else than swim, walk around town, talk to other tourists, joke around with the staff of the Lemon Tree Restaurant, the Holy Lodge etc. I have tried kayaking two times on the lake. The first time it was hard to control the kayak and it always was swerving off to the left no matter how hard I paddled on the left side. It "nackered" me as the Brits say since the amount of upper body and torso movement involved in 4 hours of continuous rowing was way beyond anything my body had previously experienced. The second time I controlled the kayak, got some progress in almost pushing up out of my roll, and really explored all the nooks and crannies of Phewa Tal (that means "Phewa Lake" in Nepali) and one of the channels of the small river that feeds it.

I have been able to meet quite a lot of interesting people here in Pokhara. Most of them are not trying to beat Fog's record of around the world in 80 days Nelly Bly style and some of them are pursuing some sort of passion in their travel or home/work life. There is also a great amount of good jamming opportunities here for the observant aficionado. If nothing else at the Titikaka bar there are regular nightly bouts of "getting down."

I have been blessed also with a spectacular vista of the huge peaks that tower over the town almost every day that I have been here. IT STARTED THE FIRST MORNING here with a nonstop view of Maccha Puchare, like a perfect pyramid of snow and ice shining white in the morning sun hanging so close to me over the northern ridges I thought I could kiss it.

The Nepalis and the western tourists of Pokhara area share one thing in common over all else - an abiding and seemingly ubiquitous heavy marijuana smoking. I have even met toothless ancient men at hilltops who after questioning me about "George Bush good or bad?" asked me right after if I want to smoke a joint with them and buy some "good stuff wrapped in banana leaves" to take home for $2 US.

Any eligible girls I have met have been invalids. It seems than other than debilitating bodily injuries, single pretty girls do not stick around Pokhara for more than 3 days. Drag.