After completing my 7 days at the Panditarama Meditation Center I was off and on my way to the Indian border to begin making my way towards Delhi and Rishikesh. While making my way to the middle of Lumbini to pick up the local bus to take me to the necessary stops, including Bhairahawa and Sunauli, the town right at the border. I found out the local bus was of course on strike so I would have to resort to another way off making the 22 + km. back to. I was able to get a bicycle powered rickshaw driven by a scruffy and very lean Nepalese man who didn't look as though he'd have the power to bike myself and my over-stuffed baggage for more than 10 minutes. However him and his beaten down and rickety bike were able to cycle for over 2 hrs through the country side and villages of Nepal to the border. Its amazing the power and stamina these old skinny men possess, as they have probably been riding the rickshaw bikes for half their lives. Riding through the country was magical, with all the Nepalese kids running out of their humble homes, typically consisting of huts and makeshift shacks, to wave at me and yell hello. The country has some of the friendliest people I have ever seen living in such poverty.
My meditative calm from 7 days of meditation and the peaceful ride through the countryside was immediately disturbed upon crossing the border back into India. The crowds were immediately multiplied many times over and the madness and touts were instantly back in my face. Fortunately the busstop I need to get to wasn't too far off, not more than 100 meters, so I was able to get there and get myself onto the first bus to Gorakhpur, which took over 2 hrs and was absolutely jammed packed with Indians crammed into every last space.
In Gorakhpur I bought a train ticket for Delhi, a 13+ hr ride in a sleeper seat where I fortunately was able to lie back and relax during the overnight journey. Made it to Delhi and had to deal with the hassle of buying a bus ticket for Rishikesh, another 6 or 7 north. Its a real pain buying from the Indian ticket dealers as they are always quoting highly elevated prices for foreigners and trying to rip you off. The first place I went to inquire about tickets I was kicked out of as they didn't appreciate my calling them out about elevated prices for travelers. My patience was already a bit thin from the past 2 days, lack of sleep, and dealing with the madness of Delhi, India's capital and one of there biggest cities. Perhaps I provoked them a bit in being asked to leave, at any rate I didn't care. I checked out a few other ticket places and finally bought one. I just wanted to get out of the city and its crazy masses, insane pollution and piles of garbage, and onslaught of the overpresent touts trying to interest me in their services and goods. Maybe another time I will spent a day or two in Delhi, just not this time around. My bus left within an hr and I was on my way to Hardiwar and eventually Rishikesh, a supposed hr north of Hardiwar and considered the yoga capital of the world. The roads were floading along the way from the onslaught of the monsoon rains but eventually I made it to Rishikesh that evening, after nearly 27 hrs of almost non-stop sitting.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Lumbini Nepal
After finished up hiking in the himalayas, I stuck around Pokhara for several days relaxing and checking out the town. I had initially considering staying at one of the health and yoga centers, but being that it is off-season there wasn't much going on at them. I decided to get moving along out of town and visit the birthplace of the Buddha in Lumbini. Located in southern Nepal slightly north of the Indian border, it took a 6+ hr busride to get there. As it is the supposed birthplace of the Buddha, one of the major religions/philosophies of the world, one would think that it would be a huge pilgrammage site on the level of Mecca or Jerusalem. However, it turned out to be quite lowkey. There was a very nice and spacious garden center - referred to as Lumbini Gardens - filled with Buddhist temples representing Buddhism from various Asian countries. Also was a garden area with a holy pond and some ancient ruins with a marker indicating the exact place that the Buddha was said to have been born, over 2500 yrs ago, 500 yrs before the birth of Christ. Outside these building as I was exiting I caught site of a small snake which I was able to catch while creating a small crowd around myself. I released the snake off to the side.
In the sprawling area containing the various Buddhist temples there were two Buddhist meditation retreat centers, one of which - the Panditarama Vipassana Meditation Center - I decided to do a retreat at. Considering that the center has a pretty rigorous schedule - I wasn't sure how long I would be able to last for. The schedule calls for a morning bell at 4am and beginning meditation at 4:30am with a light breakfast at 6am. Then more hrs of meditation till 11am lunch, with a meeting with one of the meditation instructors in between to discuss progress. During the afternoon about 4 more hrs of meditation till a Dharma talk at 5:30pm and evening juice at 7pm, then more meditation in the evening. In all the schedule called for about 14-16 hrs of sitting and walking meditation throughout the day.
I wasn't sure how much of a schedule like this I would be able to handle, also considering that there is only 2 meals a day, no dinner, and complete silence the whole day. However, since I was in the birthplace of the Buddha, and although not a Buddhist myself, considered it a great place to do my first meditation retreat. I signed up for 5 days at first while hoping to complete an entire week. It took several days to get used to the routine but it turned out to be quite peaceful and calm for the most part. The schedule wasn't rigorously enforced and their was no meditation leader at the front guiding along the meditators and cracking any whips. As it was off season the center only included 4 or 5 other meditators
The heat in the area during the hot and humid monsoon season was quite oppressive at times. I would frequently be sitting in the med room and be dripping with sweat running down my forehead and arms. Fortunately we had a number of fans to help in keeping the air cooler. This didn't help however during the periodic times in which the power would go out, at least each evening for varying amts of time. I gotten used to the power outages throughout Nepal, although it is a bit annoying at times being accustomed to 24 hr electric in the west.
The mosquitos were in out in full force during the days, particularly at night. There were plenty of ditches and swamp areas filled up with water from the monsoon rains. Just had to spray myself up extra with repellant, although this often wasn't 100% effective. I could wear pants to keep covered up, but I have experienced mosquitos biting through even my pant material. Thank goodness they supplied mosquito nets around the beds. The worst part of the mosquito bites is the incessant itchiness that occurs after you get bit. It is impossible to not itch the areas, and they normally wind up turning into a rash or minor skin infection.
During the evenings one could hear packs of jackals howling and making lots of noise. It sounded at times like they were much closer than they probably were. Outside the premises were some large fields in several directions with lots of overgrown brush, making for perfect habitat and cover. It was amazing how loud they could get, all joining together in unison howling at each other and other packs in the distance. Then just like that the howling and noise would cease and there would be nothing but the sounds of crickets and insects. I never got a chance to see any of the jackals, although I was told they are somewhat a cross between a hyena and a wild dog. Also in abundance outside the med center was many types of noisy birds I had never heard before. They were especially nice to listen to during the early morning when I was still in a bit of a sleep trance and there noises were extra surreal.
Present at the center were two blind cats the center had taken in. They both had empty pits where there eyes would have been. They seemed to little problem getting around, although they didn't appear to go off too far into the surroundings. The male cat was quite loud, constantly meowing and interrupting the silence of the center.
The meditation practice itself was vipassana, or insight meditation with emphasis on breathing and observing the up and down movements of the abdomen. This was the primary object of observation in addition to walking meditation. Everything was to be conducted with as much mindfulness as possible. Doing this really allows one to be very aware of their body, breathing, and other factors contributing to moment to moment consciousness and well-being. As it is often referred to as insight meditation, insight into one's body and mind are greatly enhanced and one has a chance or opportunity to ultimately learn more about one's nature, particularly at the farther reaches of the practice which are meant to lead to enlightenment and nirvana. This however takes yrs and yrs of dedicated and focused practice.
I was not able to achieve any transcendent states of moments of rapture, but it was definitely a chance to deepen my meditation practice while practicing mindfulness and loosening up my mind. I was pleased that I was able to make it through 7 days, even if I wasn't super strict with myself in following the suggested format of the center. It was meant to be a retreat type format with opportunity to deepen one's practice. There is no way I could live this kind of lifestyle on a fulltime basis. This could be a symptom of my mind avoiding the objective of slowing and calming down
Fortunately the schedule was not enforced super strictly down to the minute and hr. I was able to go to my room when I wanted to practice yoga and do some light exercise in addition to the intense meditation. I realized my disposition is not to set up at the moment for hrs and hrs of meditation at a time. I am too physically oriented and and get too restless to be able to sit down for hrs at a time. The walking meditation started to grow on me after several days and became enjoyable. There is much for me to work on in my mind and emotions. However I was satisfied with my ability to be able to sit down for an hr at a time while doing my best to stay present with my breathing and mindfulness. Like nearly everyone else in the world, my mind has the innate tendency to jump all over the place and it takes lots of work to be able to train and discipline it and get into deeper states of mindfulness and focus. However in practicing meditation for an hr at a time there were times where I would feel greatly enhanced states of calmness and relaxation and my mind slowly starting to focus and slow down for a change.
In the sprawling area containing the various Buddhist temples there were two Buddhist meditation retreat centers, one of which - the Panditarama Vipassana Meditation Center - I decided to do a retreat at. Considering that the center has a pretty rigorous schedule - I wasn't sure how long I would be able to last for. The schedule calls for a morning bell at 4am and beginning meditation at 4:30am with a light breakfast at 6am. Then more hrs of meditation till 11am lunch, with a meeting with one of the meditation instructors in between to discuss progress. During the afternoon about 4 more hrs of meditation till a Dharma talk at 5:30pm and evening juice at 7pm, then more meditation in the evening. In all the schedule called for about 14-16 hrs of sitting and walking meditation throughout the day.
I wasn't sure how much of a schedule like this I would be able to handle, also considering that there is only 2 meals a day, no dinner, and complete silence the whole day. However, since I was in the birthplace of the Buddha, and although not a Buddhist myself, considered it a great place to do my first meditation retreat. I signed up for 5 days at first while hoping to complete an entire week. It took several days to get used to the routine but it turned out to be quite peaceful and calm for the most part. The schedule wasn't rigorously enforced and their was no meditation leader at the front guiding along the meditators and cracking any whips. As it was off season the center only included 4 or 5 other meditators
The heat in the area during the hot and humid monsoon season was quite oppressive at times. I would frequently be sitting in the med room and be dripping with sweat running down my forehead and arms. Fortunately we had a number of fans to help in keeping the air cooler. This didn't help however during the periodic times in which the power would go out, at least each evening for varying amts of time. I gotten used to the power outages throughout Nepal, although it is a bit annoying at times being accustomed to 24 hr electric in the west.
The mosquitos were in out in full force during the days, particularly at night. There were plenty of ditches and swamp areas filled up with water from the monsoon rains. Just had to spray myself up extra with repellant, although this often wasn't 100% effective. I could wear pants to keep covered up, but I have experienced mosquitos biting through even my pant material. Thank goodness they supplied mosquito nets around the beds. The worst part of the mosquito bites is the incessant itchiness that occurs after you get bit. It is impossible to not itch the areas, and they normally wind up turning into a rash or minor skin infection.
During the evenings one could hear packs of jackals howling and making lots of noise. It sounded at times like they were much closer than they probably were. Outside the premises were some large fields in several directions with lots of overgrown brush, making for perfect habitat and cover. It was amazing how loud they could get, all joining together in unison howling at each other and other packs in the distance. Then just like that the howling and noise would cease and there would be nothing but the sounds of crickets and insects. I never got a chance to see any of the jackals, although I was told they are somewhat a cross between a hyena and a wild dog. Also in abundance outside the med center was many types of noisy birds I had never heard before. They were especially nice to listen to during the early morning when I was still in a bit of a sleep trance and there noises were extra surreal.
Present at the center were two blind cats the center had taken in. They both had empty pits where there eyes would have been. They seemed to little problem getting around, although they didn't appear to go off too far into the surroundings. The male cat was quite loud, constantly meowing and interrupting the silence of the center.
The meditation practice itself was vipassana, or insight meditation with emphasis on breathing and observing the up and down movements of the abdomen. This was the primary object of observation in addition to walking meditation. Everything was to be conducted with as much mindfulness as possible. Doing this really allows one to be very aware of their body, breathing, and other factors contributing to moment to moment consciousness and well-being. As it is often referred to as insight meditation, insight into one's body and mind are greatly enhanced and one has a chance or opportunity to ultimately learn more about one's nature, particularly at the farther reaches of the practice which are meant to lead to enlightenment and nirvana. This however takes yrs and yrs of dedicated and focused practice.
I was not able to achieve any transcendent states of moments of rapture, but it was definitely a chance to deepen my meditation practice while practicing mindfulness and loosening up my mind. I was pleased that I was able to make it through 7 days, even if I wasn't super strict with myself in following the suggested format of the center. It was meant to be a retreat type format with opportunity to deepen one's practice. There is no way I could live this kind of lifestyle on a fulltime basis. This could be a symptom of my mind avoiding the objective of slowing and calming down
Fortunately the schedule was not enforced super strictly down to the minute and hr. I was able to go to my room when I wanted to practice yoga and do some light exercise in addition to the intense meditation. I realized my disposition is not to set up at the moment for hrs and hrs of meditation at a time. I am too physically oriented and and get too restless to be able to sit down for hrs at a time. The walking meditation started to grow on me after several days and became enjoyable. There is much for me to work on in my mind and emotions. However I was satisfied with my ability to be able to sit down for an hr at a time while doing my best to stay present with my breathing and mindfulness. Like nearly everyone else in the world, my mind has the innate tendency to jump all over the place and it takes lots of work to be able to train and discipline it and get into deeper states of mindfulness and focus. However in practicing meditation for an hr at a time there were times where I would feel greatly enhanced states of calmness and relaxation and my mind slowly starting to focus and slow down for a change.
Didn't get a chance to meet or talk with any of the other meditators at silence was observed at all times to allow for uninterrupted concentration. I was told by one of the meditation directors there - a female Burmese Buddhist nun?, her title was Venerable - that the others had been there for over a month or more apiece. One of the others was a tall German woman who had apparently been there for 2-3 months and was a Dr. back in Germany, i don't know if medical doctor or Doctorate. I was in a dorm room sharing with another guy from New Zealand. He seemed a bit out there as he would be in the meditation room far beyond the time necessary to be there for meditation. I would be trying to sleep around midnight and still hadn't heard him come back to the room. It seemed as though he was taking the retreat to the extremes, working on meditating for over 18-20 hrs a day with minimal sleep. It appeared as though he had a breakdown the one night as he appeared somewhat disturbed the next morning. For all I know he had been up the entire night trying to meditate. He was moving and acting in complete and exaggerated slow- motion and folding up his belongings as though he were exiting. The center director and primary meditative guide - a German man born in Africa and completely fluent in Burmese - I'm not sure what his title was although he was wearing the orange clothing associated with Buddhist monks, had to talk with him a while and bring him back to reality.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
6 Days hiking in the Himalayas
After 1 week in Kathmandu, visiting the sites and dealing with my first case of sickness and diarrhea while in India/Nepal, it was time to move one to Pokhara, the 2nd largest city in Nepal. It took about 6 hrs heading west on a bus before reaching Pokhara, situating nearby at the base of the Annapurna Mountain Range and right alongside a huge lake. Right upon arriving in Pokhara I was relieved by the absence of large crowds and the presence of clean air and relatively clean streets. The town was very lowkey as it is monsoon season and in the middle of the off-season, with very few tourists. I was able to get a pretty good rate on a nice room as a result.
While I was in Nepal, the thing to do is trek, so in spite of the monsoon rains I made plans to get out into the mountains for at least a little bit to check out the scenery and have myself a memorable experience. Initially I planned on hiking out into the mountains myself or with anyone I met as I had bought a map of the region and discovered that there are various guest homes and tea houses all throughout the extensive trail system. As a result I wouldn't have to camp or bring food with me. However I met a cool Nepalese guy in town named Prakash who seemed competant enough and persuaded me to hire him out for a cheap price to be my guide. This turned out to be a wise choice, as he was aware of all the key strategic areas and stops worth staying at as well dealing with whatever other pitfalls may occur along the way.
The first day we started a big late around 11am at the village of Phedi and hiked till about 5 till it started raining pretty hard. Fortunately I was prepared for the rain and had rented myself out a full-length rain jacket covering myself and the lone bag I was carrying. Didn't need to carry too much since I was only planning on being out on the trail for about a week or so. Also didn't need to carry food or tent, although I did stock up on some candy bars and trail mix before heading out. The first stop was a pretty cool little place featuring a farm with buffalos and goats in addition to rooms and a small kitchen with clay hearth for a stove, fired by pieces of stick and wood. The guy there said I could come back anytime I wanted and walk on the hillside with him and his family. Said he has several others who stop in from time to time and do such a thing, several Europeans.
Also got to experience for first time the imfamous leeches that I had heard so much about. However they really weren't as bad as I thought they would be, as they were tiny little creatures and were easily plucked off or dabbed with salt to remove. They do however have an amazing ability to attach to your shoes, socks, and legs and begin their blood sucking business. I saw several Japanese guys later one during the trip who had leeches which had gotten in their shoes and socks and created a bloody mess.
The second day started off with rain in the morning but thankfully cleared up within an hr or so. Finally started to get into some interesting terrain and some of the climbs were quite grueling. At times nothing but uphill for an hour or two. Was an incredible workout for my legs and I'm glad I wasn't carrying more weight. It is amazing how some of the porters and sherpas are able to carry some of the incredible loads they do, typically while wearing regular street shoes and nothing much suitable for the trails in the mountains, at least according to western standards. The clouds started to disperse some come late morning, although not completely, opening up some amazing vistas. Also amazing while hiking during the rain in the middle of the monsoon was the intensity of some of the waterfalls along the way, which were absolutely raging. Seemed like a virtual waterpark during the moments of hard rain which water bursting from all over the place. Really had to be careful and totally mindful on the trails not to slip.
Fortunately the trails were in incredible condition and much work was put into the trail system. Many of the trails have been in use for hundreds of yrs I'm sure with the existance of innumerable little villages living up in the mountains farming and ekeing out an existence. The second night we stayed at a guest house ran by 3 beautiful Nepalese women and with natural hotsprings nearby. This took another 20 min hike back down the mountain to the edge of the raging river where there were 3 hot springs pools available, although one had been covered up by the rising river. Alongside the river and up the hills was dense jungle. Hard to believe such jungle is so close to the highest mountains in the world. Surprisingly there was another group of travelers down soaking at the time, including a good looking 20 yr old American girl from Idaho who was in Nepal volunteering and hiking with some of her fellow volunteerers. The springs felt great and really helped loosen up my body and particularly legs after all the hiking. At the guest house I met a guy who was currently living in the tiny yet very rich country of Monaco in Europe. Originally from Australia, he had set up some sort of business in Monaco and was making big bucks. He was able to hire out a porter to carry his gear in addition to a guide. He had a chicken killed and filleted for himself that evening by the lovely women working in the kitchen.
The next several days were lots of up and down climbing throughout the Annapurna Sanctuary. I had originally hoped to make it up to the Annapurna basecamp but reconsidered as I wasn't carrying enough money on me. The prices at the guest and tea houses along the way get more and more expensive the further up one gets, considering the work it takes to carry it all the way up that way. Many times I saw caravans of donkeys weighed down by huge loads being transported into villages in the mountains. It would have been a nice accomplishment to make it too basecamp but I was happy enough to be out in himalayas experiencing what I could, in spite of the monsoon and lack of clear viewage. I did get one look at the high peaks for about 15 minutes the morning of my 3rd day. It was amazing seeing these high peaks, reaching heights of 25,000 ft and higher, almost twice as high as in Colorado. Another vista which I had hoped to view was Poon Hill, a popular spot providing a wide and amazing view of the Annapurnas and other various high peaks in the area. Unfortunately in the morning in which we were planning to making the ascent of the hill the weather was very cloudy and foggy, cancelling out these plans.
On the morning of the 6th day I was to make it back to the trailhead, a different one than I had started from, to catch the local bus back to Pokhara. However, there was a bus strike that day which meant no busrides back to town. We would have make it to the bus stop around noon, but kept walking for several hours more to make it several villages closer to Pokhara. Around 5pm were had reached a town not far from Pokhara where Prakash wanted to stay, i'm sure to try and wring out an extra days worth of pay from me. I however had no desire to sit put for the rest of the evening and kept walking. 4 hrs later I made it back to Pokhara, extremely exhausted, tired, and pleased to have made it back to town. In all I hiked 13 hrs minus perhaps an hour or more for food break that day. The most I had ever hiked in a day and my feet and ankles were absolutely killing me. Never felt so good to lie back on my bed and relax under the fan.
While I was in Nepal, the thing to do is trek, so in spite of the monsoon rains I made plans to get out into the mountains for at least a little bit to check out the scenery and have myself a memorable experience. Initially I planned on hiking out into the mountains myself or with anyone I met as I had bought a map of the region and discovered that there are various guest homes and tea houses all throughout the extensive trail system. As a result I wouldn't have to camp or bring food with me. However I met a cool Nepalese guy in town named Prakash who seemed competant enough and persuaded me to hire him out for a cheap price to be my guide. This turned out to be a wise choice, as he was aware of all the key strategic areas and stops worth staying at as well dealing with whatever other pitfalls may occur along the way.
The first day we started a big late around 11am at the village of Phedi and hiked till about 5 till it started raining pretty hard. Fortunately I was prepared for the rain and had rented myself out a full-length rain jacket covering myself and the lone bag I was carrying. Didn't need to carry too much since I was only planning on being out on the trail for about a week or so. Also didn't need to carry food or tent, although I did stock up on some candy bars and trail mix before heading out. The first stop was a pretty cool little place featuring a farm with buffalos and goats in addition to rooms and a small kitchen with clay hearth for a stove, fired by pieces of stick and wood. The guy there said I could come back anytime I wanted and walk on the hillside with him and his family. Said he has several others who stop in from time to time and do such a thing, several Europeans.
Also got to experience for first time the imfamous leeches that I had heard so much about. However they really weren't as bad as I thought they would be, as they were tiny little creatures and were easily plucked off or dabbed with salt to remove. They do however have an amazing ability to attach to your shoes, socks, and legs and begin their blood sucking business. I saw several Japanese guys later one during the trip who had leeches which had gotten in their shoes and socks and created a bloody mess.
The second day started off with rain in the morning but thankfully cleared up within an hr or so. Finally started to get into some interesting terrain and some of the climbs were quite grueling. At times nothing but uphill for an hour or two. Was an incredible workout for my legs and I'm glad I wasn't carrying more weight. It is amazing how some of the porters and sherpas are able to carry some of the incredible loads they do, typically while wearing regular street shoes and nothing much suitable for the trails in the mountains, at least according to western standards. The clouds started to disperse some come late morning, although not completely, opening up some amazing vistas. Also amazing while hiking during the rain in the middle of the monsoon was the intensity of some of the waterfalls along the way, which were absolutely raging. Seemed like a virtual waterpark during the moments of hard rain which water bursting from all over the place. Really had to be careful and totally mindful on the trails not to slip.
Fortunately the trails were in incredible condition and much work was put into the trail system. Many of the trails have been in use for hundreds of yrs I'm sure with the existance of innumerable little villages living up in the mountains farming and ekeing out an existence. The second night we stayed at a guest house ran by 3 beautiful Nepalese women and with natural hotsprings nearby. This took another 20 min hike back down the mountain to the edge of the raging river where there were 3 hot springs pools available, although one had been covered up by the rising river. Alongside the river and up the hills was dense jungle. Hard to believe such jungle is so close to the highest mountains in the world. Surprisingly there was another group of travelers down soaking at the time, including a good looking 20 yr old American girl from Idaho who was in Nepal volunteering and hiking with some of her fellow volunteerers. The springs felt great and really helped loosen up my body and particularly legs after all the hiking. At the guest house I met a guy who was currently living in the tiny yet very rich country of Monaco in Europe. Originally from Australia, he had set up some sort of business in Monaco and was making big bucks. He was able to hire out a porter to carry his gear in addition to a guide. He had a chicken killed and filleted for himself that evening by the lovely women working in the kitchen.
The next several days were lots of up and down climbing throughout the Annapurna Sanctuary. I had originally hoped to make it up to the Annapurna basecamp but reconsidered as I wasn't carrying enough money on me. The prices at the guest and tea houses along the way get more and more expensive the further up one gets, considering the work it takes to carry it all the way up that way. Many times I saw caravans of donkeys weighed down by huge loads being transported into villages in the mountains. It would have been a nice accomplishment to make it too basecamp but I was happy enough to be out in himalayas experiencing what I could, in spite of the monsoon and lack of clear viewage. I did get one look at the high peaks for about 15 minutes the morning of my 3rd day. It was amazing seeing these high peaks, reaching heights of 25,000 ft and higher, almost twice as high as in Colorado. Another vista which I had hoped to view was Poon Hill, a popular spot providing a wide and amazing view of the Annapurnas and other various high peaks in the area. Unfortunately in the morning in which we were planning to making the ascent of the hill the weather was very cloudy and foggy, cancelling out these plans.
On the morning of the 6th day I was to make it back to the trailhead, a different one than I had started from, to catch the local bus back to Pokhara. However, there was a bus strike that day which meant no busrides back to town. We would have make it to the bus stop around noon, but kept walking for several hours more to make it several villages closer to Pokhara. Around 5pm were had reached a town not far from Pokhara where Prakash wanted to stay, i'm sure to try and wring out an extra days worth of pay from me. I however had no desire to sit put for the rest of the evening and kept walking. 4 hrs later I made it back to Pokhara, extremely exhausted, tired, and pleased to have made it back to town. In all I hiked 13 hrs minus perhaps an hour or more for food break that day. The most I had ever hiked in a day and my feet and ankles were absolutely killing me. Never felt so good to lie back on my bed and relax under the fan.
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