Beer at the Boarder

Hardly taken my pack off in a cheap street resturant on the other side of immigration (no customs thanks) and there was a cool beer in my hand. hee hee
Pokora is full of tourists, not like I've seen in ages, these guys have money, and only about a month off from work . You know, the trousers that zip off in 5 different places, shoes worth more than the countries average wage, and I think the typical age group would be over 40's.
I like it, surpising but true. Found a bar long way from Lake Side tourisim madness, where the locals hang out having jam sessions, drinking cola in shot glasses or Mohitos that make the world spin.
MY ROOM, dear god, theres a pillow I WANT to put my face on, HOT water 24 hours....A BATHHHHHHH such pleasures I'm making the very most of, it takes a very determined carpet salesman to wipe this smile off my satisfied face. I'm wearing jeans and sneakers even. nice
Hired a bike yesturday and went to the end of the road, so bumpy I ruined the bike (no problem) and have bruises in weird places. Too much snow for any trekking, and as yet haven't even seen the mightly mountains we come here for, might try the Anapurna circut in a few days...just don't want to give any buckshesh to the maoists, apparently they give you a recipt!
Saw The Simpsons the other day, yeah that explains everything
:-) (err... can't get spell check to work)

awright

I was nowhere near Kashmir or Pakistan when the earthquakes happened, to my friends that are there now, build a roof, hug a child, and send my love to the people there.
Gangottori was freezing, lets not go into it, except to say I DID make it to the source of The Ganges River, with a group of guys who's company made the snow and rain sink in only so far :-)
Gangnani town is where I've been lost the past few weeks. A town of pilgrimage and hot water springs, I wasn't there for the grubby water or the steady flow of interesting night-stop tourists, but for the valleys around. Purple Ganga, women that would produce tolas from dripping breasts and children in the art of selling drugs...ok so I've told you the bad (but still interesting stuff) There where villages only hours walk from the town that lived like they had never known western culture..indeed any culture other than what the bought with them. Poor beyond even considering the purchase of shoes (where to get shoes?) for the coming snows, or washing swollen infected feet.
I found an albino child of about 4, with colorless eyes and a misunderstanding village who considered her also deaf.

Most affected on this 3 hour climb to Banggiri village by a small leathery black woodcutter, who begged for something I'd never comprehend as it was obvious he was intellectually handicapped, I handed him some biscuits....he looked at me as though I were gifting him gold whilst fluttering on wings, such gratefulness on his face, humbled me to tears. Later in the village square, he crept in apologetically and handed a biscuit to a little girl with marigolds in her pigtails. This 8 year old had had her fill and minutes before declined the offer of another, but she took the biscuit this man had produced from a broken pocket and dirty black hands; with a courtesy I'm sure no one else present would have.

So Gangnani, I will return in the flowering season, to swim naked at fullmoon in the empty womans bath, to wander from village to village giving what I can and receiving life's lessons in abundance.

phew, too much. Have fun everyone! xx