Thursday: Today I woke up at 8 to do yoga with my Dad in the meditation room. This room is probably my favorite of all places I’ve done yoga because it has a lot of traditional elements like a giant picture of the Dalai Lama at the very front. Also the view isn’t so bad. With a whole wall of windows, you can see above the other few buildings and see the whole lake and mountains right in front of you. After yoga, my Dad and I got a simple breakfast by the lake and started working on our itinerary for our trek to Everest Base Camp. We found out that the costs in the mountain range are a lot higher than in Pohkara so we’ll need to be frugal. After breakfast, we walked for about a half hour through town to get our TIMS card (a permit for our trek) and it was so incredibly hot out but it actually felt really good. I’ve started getting more and more used to the heat even though its been less than a week. On our way back, we decided to rent a motorcycle and go for a swim at the Penguin Pool waterfalls. Turns out it’s not a waterfall but an actual pool. We took a dip anyways even though by the time we got there it was considerably cooler. We had a few hours to kill before we had to return the bike so we decided to explore the other side of Pohkara. After a few miles, we ran into a Tibetan refugee facility and ventured inside. It was a beautiful temple with a few stalls with old women selling jewelry on the outside. The temple is absolutely stunning with red and gold everywhere and amazing paintings of the Buddha meditating under the lotus tree all over the walls. After we leave, I bought some jewelry from the women and we started headed back into the outer villages. When we got back to the meditation center, we still had plenty of time with the bikes so we went along the lake, out of town, where I learned to drive the vespa style scooter. Probably not the best place to first drive a bike because there wasn’t exactly a whole lot of road left, mostly just rocks, mud and enormous potholes, but I got the hang of it with only a couple moments of terror for my Dad. Later on, I got dinner with the other girls and talked to Milan, one of the waiters whose mother kept calling him on his phone while he served us. After a walk through town, we call it a night and pass out yet again. Every night I can’t manage to stay awake any later than 9:30 and I usually wake up around 8. It’s such a nice change from the 12pm-12am days of the summer. I always wake up with more energy, feeling well rested and ready for whatever we decide to do that day.
Friday: After a short breakfast of delicious chicken masala, my Dad and I rented another scooter and drove up Sarangot mountain where the Click Click program is. The Click Click program helps teach physically and developmentally disabled children from Nepal. It was really amazing to see the program I plan on donating to in action and get to volunteer a little too. The kids there are absolutely adorable and they were so happy to see us. There was this one boy who immediately came up to me and started speaking very clear English. After asking my name, he took off the camera that was around my neck and starts snapping away. After he gave it back he kept saying “Emlee! Emlee! Photo, photo!” and would stand in front of me posing with my scooter helmet. After a while, it was clear that my camera was a major distraction from their learning so I put it away and began to help an older girl and a little boy put together a puzzle with the alphabet on it. When it was done they were so happy and proud. It was amazing how just our presence, a camera, and a puzzle had them laughing and smiling the way they were. I can’t wait to go back after my trek and help out more. I plan on renting my own scooter and going up most days that I’m in Pohkara. My Dad and I also talked about me going and doing a homestay on an eco-farm somewhere, which I would love to do hopefully sometime next month when I get back. I’ve always wanted to work on a farm somewhere, and what better time than with a Nepali family?
View from bus to Pohkara
View from bus to Pohkara
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